Best long-distance cars 2025

Whether you’re commuting or taking a road trip, covering loads of miles can quickly become a tedious slog. However, you can transform this daunting task into a much more pleasant experience if you opt for one of the best long-distance cars that you can currently buy.

Of course, it can be difficult to pick out the ideal long-distance car without trying it out first, so that’s where we come in. While any model can be used for long-distance journeys if you’re determined enough, we’re focussing on the cars that ride smoothly, generate minimal noise, and cosset and pamper you at every opportunity. 

The 10 vehicles below are our pick of the best long-distance cars on sale. Some you might expect, others might surprise you, but all make the prospect of spending a day behind the wheel far more appealing than it would be in other models.

1. Rolls-Royce Phantom 

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We couldn’t really choose anything else for the ultimate long-distance model. Whether or not you agree that a £400,000 luxury car can really be the best vehicle in the world, as its maker has expressed on occasion, there are certain qualities about the Rolls-Royce Phantom that are indisputable.

It is not perfectly isolated, but you won’t find a car that gets closer. It’s certainly hard to put your finger on any area of refinement that could be improved; from the silence of its 6.7-litre V12 to the near-total absence of wind and road noise, courtesy of everything from impeccable door and window sealing to tyres that have foam-filled sidewalls. Cabin comfort is, of course, first-class in the truest sense of the word, and ride comfort is effectively unsurpassed in modern vehicles.

2. BMW 7 Series

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If you want a pretty significant chunk of the Phantom’s opulence for about a quarter of the price, the current BMW 7 Series is a pretty good place to start. This Bavarian flagship’s interior offers soft materials, cabin space and technology in abundance, even if it is a bit difficult to look at on the outside.

The latest 7 Series is best appreciated as the i7. Electric cars are already quiet, but the i7’s insulated feel is on another level from the average electric Kia or Volkswagen. All 7 Series have a remarkably comfortable ride quality and some of the best seats you’ll ever sit in. All have effortless performance, too, while features such as the rear-seat 8k ‘Theatre Screen’ mean trips are even more relaxing for those in the back.

3. Rolls-Royce Spectre

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It would appear that the only way to make a Rolls-Royce even quieter is by removing the engine entirely. The Rolls-Royce Spectre is the first fully electric car to carry the Spirit of Ecstasy, and with a maximum WLTP combined range of 329 miles, long-distance journeys shouldn’t pose a problem.

You’ll turn some heads in the process, too, because the Spectre’s swept-back coupé bodystyle is the most elegant of any current Rolls-Royce, and it looks right at home sweeping along the motorway. The Spectre isn’t quite as large as the Phantom, but there’ll be no complaints from those in the front. Its ride also isn’t quite up to the standards of the two cars above, yet is still opulent and effortless, just as a Rolls-Royce should be.

4. Bentley Flying Spur

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A Rolls-Royce Phantom may ultimately be more isolating than a Bentley Flying Spur, but it remains the kind of car you’d best appreciate from the back seats, whatever distance you were doing. The Flying Spur, on the other hand, is the one you’d want to cover those miles in yourself, as has long been the case between models from the two British luxury marques.

Closely related to the Continental GT, the four-door Flying Spur moves slightly further from “grand tourer” and more towards “luxury car” – but keeps a foot in both camps. That means it’s fantastic to drive, despite its size and weight (with the kind of dynamics you’d scarcely believe possible from a 2.3-tonne vehicle), and has a gloriously appointed cabin in which to while away the hours. The rotating centre display, letting you hide the infotainment screen for either a blank panel or a trio of traditional analogue dials, adds to the sense of class.

5. Mercedes S-Class

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You could put almost any Mercedes-Benz S-Class on this list, going all the way back to the original model from 1972. It’s always had the qualities you’d want from a luxury saloon, and while the S-Class has changed significantly over the past five-and-a-bit decades and seven generations, the focus on space, luxury, and technology has remained unchanged.

The latest car is a mighty thing, more than 5.1 metres long even in standard-wheelbase form, with abundant space for passengers in both the front and rear. The seats are fabulous, too, remaining comfortable for as long as it takes for the fuel tank to run dry – and naturally, they’re heated, cooled and have a massage function. But another key aspect is the near-silence of travelling at speed in an S-Class, which really makes a difference over long trips. Just avoid the 21-inch wheel option.

6. Citroen C5 X

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So what’s this Citroen doing amongst generally more expensive and exotic cars? Well, just as with some of the legendary Citroens of old, the Citroen C5 X punches above its weight for comfort. It might have a mainstream badge, but there’s nothing mainstream about its relaxed feel – it’s a match for several other cars on this list.

It starts with the ride quality. While it’s not infallible – occasionally you’ll hit an expansion joint that’ll send a shudder through the car – it generally floats down the road, making light work of most bumps. You might think this would severely affect its cornering abilities, but while it’s no hot hatchback, the Citroen is far from out of its depth. Couple a soft ride with broad, well shaped seats, and better than average refinement for this class, and the C5 X makes long distances a breeze.

7. Alpina B3

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The Alpina B3 isn’t the grandest model by the German manufacturer, known for decades for imbuing BMWs with even more luxury and performance than usual. It is, however, one of the most all-round desirable cars on the roads, taking the already accomplished BMW 3 Series and giving it M3-baiting performance, but with a much greater focus on class and comfort.

It’s not a long-distance car in the sense you’ll barely notice your journey pass by. Instead, it’s more of a long-distance car in that you’ll try to find any excuse in order to drive it somewhere far-flung. One aspect that Alpina has mastered is ride quality: despite enormous 20-inch wheels, it’s far more pliant than a BMW M3, but barely less able when you get to a twisty road. It’s a long-distance car that will make you want to take the long route…

8. Lexus LM

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Let’s face it, £90,000 is a lot of money for what is, if you wanted to reduce it to its bare constituents, a posh MPV. The price might raise eyebrows but the concept is nothing new, certainly in the brand’s Japanese homeland, where large, luxurious MPVs are big business. The Lexus LM is big, based on the Toyota Alphard available in overseas markets, but it takes the luxury part to the next stage, mixing space with real opulence.

As owners of premium SUVs will tell you, there’s something luxurious about sitting up high, which all passengers of the LM get to do. In the top-spec model, everyone gets their own seat, too, with legroom being truly vast in the four-seat version. Lexus, already known for its well built and high-quality interior materials, has really pushed the boat out with the LM – everything you touch feels great. It’s…well, MPV-like to drive, but it’s smooth and refined virtually everywhere.

9. Porsche Panamera

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Porsche has long been a purveyor of highly capable sports cars, but there are very few people who’d be willing to cover serious miles in a hardened, track-ready performance machine. Fortunately, the Porsche Panamera is the solution here, because it offers plenty of the driver engagement that you’d expect from the brand, only this time with an additional sprinkling of luxury and practicality.

With the option of V6, V8 or plug-in hybrid power, no Panamera can be described as underpowered, with even the base models churning out 326bhp. The Panamera’s relatively light 1,900kg kerb weight means it’s quite agile for its size, too, and this combination makes it genuinely fun to drive. Settle down into a cruise, though, and the Porsche offers a refined and stress-free experience.

10. Volkswagen ID.7

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As with the other electric cars on this list, you won’t go quite as far on a charge in the Volkswagen ID.7 as you will in, say, a diesel Passat. But when the longest-legged ID.7s can do up to 435 miles on a charge, does that really matter? All but the most dedicated drivers with the sturdiest bladders will have stopped for a break long before then anyway.

And the ID.7 makes a fine cruiser in its own right. As with all VW’s ID cars, the cabin is large, a benefit of the dedicated EV platform, while a drag coefficient of 0.23 helps it slip through the air relatively silently. The ride quality is also well judged for long-distance comfort - perhaps a little floaty for some, but comfortable, with great motorway stability. It has good visibility, too, so you won’t have the stress of large blind spots (just the stress of VW’s slightly iffy infotainment system, instead).

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