Automatic cars

The new BMW 3 Series is a practical, well-built family car that’s great to drive and it’s fair to say that it is better in every way than the car it replaces.

The Skoda Kodiaq is a spacious SUV with plenty of space for four people and a huge boot. You can even have it with seven seats. It’s an easy, comfortable car to drive and its optional seven-speed automatic gearbox shifts smoothly and is available with a choice of engines.

The Mercedes A-Class is one of the most upmarket, high-tech small cars on sale and all its engines are available with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The Ford Focus is superb to drive, is now filled with an impressive level of tech and safety kit and offers good space for families. You can spec an eight-speed automatic gearbox with a range of engines.

The Hyundai i10 has just space for four people and a small amount of luggage. Choose the 1.2-litre engine and you can have an automatic gearbox that is smoother shifting than the gearboxes you’ll find in other small cars.

The Volkswagen Polo is a small car that feels like a big car. It’s easy to drive, comfortable and its excellent range of engines including a 95hp 1.0-litre petrol that can be paired with a smooth-shifting automatic gearbox. The Polo’s interior is well-built, roomy and also comfortable. For all these reasons the Polo was named Little Legend at carwow’s 2018 Car of the Year Awards.

The Hyundai i10 has just enough space for four people and a small amount of luggage. Choose the 87hp 1.2-litre model and you can have an automatic that is smoother shifting than the gearboxes you’ll find in other small cars – taking the stress out of stop-start traffic.

The Ford Fiesta’s pin-sharp steering and darty nature make it fun to drive – fit it with Ford’s six-speed automatic gearbox and peppy 100hp petrol engine and it becomes something of a go-kart. The Fiesta feels modern inside and has space for four adults and a little luggage.

The SEAT Ibiza is a comfortable small car with a spacious cabin and a big boot and can come with a slick DSG automatic gearbox as an option.

The Mini 3-door is a highly personalisable small car that’s very stylish, great to drive and available with a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic gearbox. Its interior is classy but has a tight back seat and a boot that won’t hold much more than a few bags of shopping.

The BMW X5 manages to do a rare thing for a large SUV: be both comfortable and fun to drive. It's lovely inside, it has one of the best infotainment systems in any car and the automatic gearbox is very good too.

The Audi Q7 SUV is a huge seven-seater with a massive boot. It comes with a range of powerful engines, all of which are paired with a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox. The Q7 is a quiet and comfortable cruiser that’s crammed full of clever technology.

The Skoda Karoq SUV is a great family SUV that’s available with a seven-speed automatic gearbox across the range. The Skoda’s dashboard has a neat design and the interior has space for four people and their luggage. You can even remove all the back seats for big jobs. And, if you need more persuasion, it won our Value Award at the 2018 carwow Car of the Year Awards is a measure of how much we rate the Skoda.

The Volkswagen Tiguan is spacious, comfortable and good to drive, while its raised driving position gives you a great view out. The automatic DSG gearbox changes gear very smoothly and really helps give your left leg a rest on long journeys.

The BMW X1 is a high quality small SUV that’s spacious, comfortable and packed with technology. It's great to drive too.

If you’re looking for an economical automatic car that you can enjoy owning – the BMW 3 Series saloon is the one to beat. The BMW 320d four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel engine has plenty of shove and will be very cheap to run.

The Toyota Prius comes with an automatic gearbox as standard and can return excellent fuel economy of 94.2mpg. It’s a relaxing car to drive with a quiet cabin and light controls. Its space-age looks hide a spacious interior that has room for four adults and a few suitcases.

The Nissan Leaf is an electric that costs buttons to run. It comes with an automatic gearbox and has Nissan’s E-Pedal, which means the car brakes itself when you stop accelerating. That scooped it our Innovation Award at the carwow Car of the Year Awards. It feels like a normal car in every other way though and is practical enough for a family.

The Hyundai Kona Electric has no gearbox, you just press the accelerator and off you go. And it will cost peanuts to run.

The BMW i3 Range Extender uses an electric motor powered by a small petrol engine to provide spectacular fuel economy of 141mpg. Small, nippy and with an automatic fitted as standard, the i3 is brilliant for driving in town and its interior is spacious for a car of this size.

The Ford Focus has a neat interior that’s crammed full of technology and spacious enough to handle everything that a family can throw at it – no surprises then that it won the Family Award at the 2018 carwow Car of the Year Awards. The Focus available with a good choice of petrol and diesel engines, most of which can be combined with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The Skoda Kodiaq is a big, very practical family SUV but despite its size, it isn't a difficult car to drive, thanks to the light steering, high-seating position and its DSG automatic gearbox.

The Mercedes A-Class is one of the most upmarket, high-tech small cars on sale. There’s nothing tricky about driving it and all its engines are available with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The Skoda Octavia is a roomy, well-built family car that packs plenty of equipment at an affordable price. Its light controls make it easy to drive, and can come with the DSG automatic gearbox.

The Volkswagen Golf offers a solid interior, great space and an comfortable yet engaging drive. The automatic gearbox is one of the best in the business and barely affects fuel economy or emissions.

If you’re looking for a medium sized automatic car that you can enjoy owning – the BMW 3 Series saloon is the one to beat.

The Skoda Superb’s a comfortable car that makes even more sense when fitted with an effort-saving automatic gearbox. The Superb’s interior is well-built and logically laid out but – above all else – it is very spacious with lots of rear legroom and a massive boot.

The Audi Q3 is an upmarket compact SUV with plenty of space in its roomy cabin and lots of high-tech features. You can opt for a seven-speed automatic gearbox across the Q3 range.

The Volkswagen Passat doesn’t have a fancy badge, but it feels high-quality with a neatly styled and durable interior. It’s also roomy enough for four tall adults and their luggage. It is available with a seven-speed automatic gearbox that makes it easy and comfortable to drive.

The Volvo XC60 sits in the middle of Volvo’s SUV lineup. It’s luxurious inside, has space for four and a huge boot. It’s a relaxing car to drive and has an automatic gearbox as standard. It’s also available as a hybrid model that’s cheap to run if you have somewhere to charge it.