Is bigger really better?

Are you happy with your car? Even if the answer is yes, we can almost guarantee that at some stage you’ve considered swapping.

For most of us, that means moving on to something bigger, faster or more desirable. And more expensive. But is it really worth spending the extra money and going through the hassle of switching cars?

Over the next nine pages, we put five of our long-term models to the test. We’ve driven these vehicles day in, day out, and racked up nearly 90,000 miles in them over the past year. But do they suit us that well? Would we be better off trading up to the next model in each manufacturer’s range?

To find out, members of staff spent a week with an alternative model to see whether it fitted their motoring needs and habits better than their current car.

What were the results? Would our team and their families want to move up, stay put, or would there be split decisions? Join us as we guide you through the trade-up dilemma and find out if spending more money really does get you a better car.