Best 7-seater SUVs 2026

Best for: a family car bargain

What car has a plug-in hybrid engine, seven adult-sized seats, loads of luxury tech and a smart-but-understated look, all for the price of a mid-spec Volkswagen Golf? The Chery Tiggo 8 is the only one we can think of, and that impressive roster of talents makes it such good value that we named it Carwow Car of the Year for 2026.

Chery might be a relatively new brand to the UK but it’s one of China’s largest car manufacturers, and it beats the established European alternatives at their own game in a lot of ways. One key one is the plug-in hybrid engine - it offers a decent range of 56 miles on electric power alone, but it also remains really efficient even if you never plug it in. That’s something most PHEVs struggle with.

That means you can get properly electrified motoring for around £10,000 less than the equivalent Peugeot 5008 or Kia Sorento.

Don’t think that you’re paying for it elsewhere, either. The Tiggo 8’s interior feels modern and really well-built, thanks to posh, solid materials and an attractive design. It’s not always the most user-friendly, with very few physical buttons and a lot of menus to scroll through on the infotainment screen - but it’s packed with standard kit and definitely feels a cut above most budget SUVs such as the Dacia Bigster.

It’s also very spacious. The second row seats have room for lanky teenagers or bulky child seats, while even an adult could cope with a short trip in the third row. Boot space is limited with all seven seats up, but they fold down easily to make a space big enough for family life.

The Tiggo 8 isn’t perfect (nothing is) - the base petrol engine is noisy and thirsty, and no version is particularly enjoyable to drive on a twisty road. But if you’re after comfortable, practical family transport for a bargain price, you’d be mad not to consider the Chery Tiggo 8.

Best for: all round capability

Hyundai’s big, brash and boxy SUV is such a good all-rounder that it was the 2025 Carwow Car of the Year. The Hyundai Santa Fe might have had the turnaround of the century in the way it’s gone from a green-laning favourite to a refined family car.

The Santa Fe’s generous proportions and square corners mean there’s space for seven in its gargantuan cabin, though rear seat passengers don’t have quite as much elbow room as those in the middle row.

That’s to be expected though, and middle row passengers really do have a lot of headroom and leg room thanks to a tall roofline and a flat floor. The middle bench slides and reclines too, so you can adjust legroom for your passengers depending on who you’re carrying.

All passengers get loads of storage space, with a frankly obscene 17 cupholders spread across all three rows of the Santa Fe’s interior in addition to big door bins and two gloveboxes.

Even with the rear seats up the boot is a usable size, big enough for four carry-on suitcases or a modest shopping trip. With the third row stowed away there’s a 628 litre boot capacity. While some alternatives have larger boots, a digital rear-view mirror means you really can stack luggage up to the Santa Fe’s roof without restricting rear visibility.

The Santa Fe’s chunky dashboard looks slick, thanks in part to the curved dual-screen display and adjoining centre console. Most of the surfaces and switchgear are nice to the touch, though some harder to reach plastics are scratchier than the alternatives.

Comfort is another one of the Santa Fe’s calling cards, with its suspension doing a good job of smoothing out broken, bumpy roads. It may be a big beast, but the Santa Fe’s square corners make it easy to place in town - and wind noise is shockingly well suppressed on a motorway run.

All-in-all the Santa Fe is an excellent seven-seater, and while tall third-row passengers could feel a little cramped on long drives, it covers a lot of bases very well indeed.

Best for: safety ratings

The Volvo XC90 is a stylish, sleek and dependable seven-seater SUV - and it’s one that’s so good we named it Adventurer’s Choice in the 2026 Carwow Car of the Year awards.

The recently updated model gets a more stylish front grille and a posh interior with a fantastic Google-based infotainment system, making it one of the easiest and most connected SUVs out there. It’s so good that you might not even feel the need to hook your phone up, since Google Maps and all your streaming services run natively.

But one of the XC90’s key selling points ever since it was introduced is safety. Volvo claims that nobody has ever been killed in a crash in an XC90, and with its sky-high Euro NCAP ratings you can be reassured that you and your family will be safer in here than most alternatives. It’s a shame that the third row isn’t quite as child-friendly as it could be - it’s a bit difficult to get to, and there are no ISOFIX points back there. But it’s spacious enough.

You can get mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid engines, and the latter is the best with impressive performance and attractively low running costs. Both models feel a little stiff over lumps and potholes in town, but they settle down on the motorway and are superbly well insulated from wind and road noise. All versions get four-wheel drive for extra reassurance in bad weather, too.

Best for: off-road ability

Where some SUVs are totally road-biased, the Land Rover Defender hasn’t lost a shred of its off-road ability over the years. Just like its agricultural forebear, the Defender is available in a range of body styles - from the stubby but super cool 90 to the outrageous 8-seater 130.

The Defender 110 finds the middle ground, seating seven people without having the impractically large ‘junk-in-the-trunk’ rear overhang of its 130 sibling. The third-row bench is most suited for children, as it’s a tight squeeze for adults.

Getting into the third row is a bit challenging as the middle row doesn’t fold forwards, so elderly and larger individuals will struggle. The interior itself is stylish and minimalistic, though alternatives are posher inside and the infotainment system is a pain to use.

Where the Defender excels is in its charm and desirability, with buckets of road presence and the ability to travel in comfort no matter the road. It soaks up lumps and bumps with no fuss, and the seating position is so high that it’s easier to manoeuvre the Defender around town than its size would suggest.

Standard-fit 360-degree cameras help with parking and on narrow roads, and it’s a comfortable drive on the motorway too. Less boxy alternatives do a better job of isolating wind noise, but supportive seats and predictable steering make for a relaxing driving experience.

Twisty roads don’t unsettle the sure-footed Defender either, but off-road is where it shines the brightest, being able to take whatever you throw at it. Mud, snow, sand, hills and streams - the Defender takes it all in its stride.

Engine options range from a 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid to a ridiculously fun - and obnoxious- 5.0-litre V8 at the top of the range, with a range of six-cylinder petrol and diesels in between.

The Land Rover Defender’s mix of on-and-off road ability, rugged looks, comfortable interior and somewhat usable seven seats make it an excellent choice as a posh way to ferry lots of people about.

Best for: silent road trips

Another winner of a Carwow Car of the Year award, the Kia EV9 is our ‘Outstanding EV’ of 2025. The electric seven-seater SUV is a rare beast, and in this case it’s a gigantic beast too - with proportions closer to that of an executive limousine than most of its SUV alternatives.

It’s a handsome thing, and if its size wasn’t enough for the EV9 to stand out on the road then its styling is the cherry on top of a very large cake. It looks like something a sci-fi villain would drive, with sharp angles and bluff front and rear ends.

The EV9 has a luxurious feel from behind the wheel, with light steering and soft touch materials in the areas you’re most likely to touch on a day-to-day basis. Harder plastics can be found lower down in the cabin, but plenty of standard kit, good build quality and an expensive-looking triple screen setup on the dashboard make up for it.

The suspension can be a little crashy on sharper bumps and dips, with big potholes resonating through the cabin with a dull thud, but the EV9 is far from uncomfortable. All three rows are spacious, and with a near 350 mile range in some models the Kia EV9 is a solid choice for well-planned road trips.

Best for: flying under the radar

The Skoda Kodiaq is the largest SUV that the Czech manufacturer produces, and it’s a fantastic example of how to maximise a car’s interior space. It’s smaller than alternatives on this list, but front and middle row passengers have plenty of space and the boot is enormous.

The third row of seats isn’t really spacious enough for adults to do comfortable long-distance journeys in and they’re tricky to access, but children will find the space more comfortable and the middle row of seats slide and recline for more legroom in the back.

The Kodiaq’s interior is chock-full of useful storage space and charging solutions, with clever touches such as felt-lined door pockets stopping things from rattling around.

As far as design goes the Kodiaq can’t hold a candle to posher seven-seater alternatives from BMW or Volvo, but the big Skoda has a well laid out dashboard that’s easy to use and made from high quality materials.

Boot space with the rear seats folded away is an enormous 845 litres, and even with the seats up you get almost as much boot space as you do in a typical family hatchback.

Unfortunately the seven-seat Kodiaq isn’t available as a plug-in hybrid as the seats live where the battery would on the PHEV, but the petrol and diesel models are good enough without electric assistance.

Best for: dependable quality

The Audi Q7 is a stalwart in big SUV circles, and it’s maintained a reputation as a classy choice of seven-seater since it was introduced. The recipe is the same as it’s always been, with a sleek design, posh interior and Audi’s venerable Quattro four-wheel drive.

Though the current Q7 has been around for years, it still looks fairly fresh thanks to continued design updates. The interior is up to date too, with a slick gloss black finish across the dashboard and a climate control touchscreen beneath it. It can be a little fiddly to use, but the material quality in the Q7’s cabin is first-rate.

Interior storage is great too, with large door pockets and a pair of cupholders for every row of seats. The front seats are supremely comfortable with heaps of adjustability in every direction you can think of, especially in S-Line models. The middle row is just as comfortable with plenty of room for three adults.

The third row of seats isn’t quite as comfortable and they’re a bit of a faff to get to, but they’re more than adequate for short trips or carrying children - especially considering ISOFIX mounting points are standard on all six passenger seats.

On the move the Q7 isn’t a sporty car to drive, but it’s sure footed on country roads and very comfortable both on the motorway and in town. Excellent visibility and 360-degree cameras help on tighter roads or when parking, especially when paired with the optional four-wheel steering.

Best for: long electric road trips

The Peugeot 5008 is a really stylish SUV - its interesting lines and intricate details actually hide its bulk, so it doesn’t look anywhere near as boxy as some seven-seat alternatives. There’s a really wide range on offer, too - you can have hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric versions, in trim levels ranging from the sensible to the properly luxurious.

It’s the all-electric Peugeot E-5008 we recommend here, as it strikes a fantastic balance. It’s comfortable to drive, practical for family life, and affordable enough. There are two battery sizes available, with the standard model capable of an impressive 300+ miles of range. Or, you can opt for the larger battery, which is one of the longest-range electric cars out there, officially capable of 413 miles between topups.

The interior is a real highlight. It’s angular and stylish but the use of fabric trim to cover over the plastics means it feels more like a futuristic lounge than a car interior. The massive panoramic display just furthers the high-tech feel.

There’s a lot of room in the 5008’s cabin, though third row passengers will find their seating a little tight. It’s best thought of as a five-seater with a pair of extra seats, much like the Mercedes GLB, though unlike the GLB you can remove the third row entirely for a cavernous 2,150-litre boot.

Best for: getting lots for your money

If the Chery Tiggo 8 (above) is like Lidl or Aldi’s standard ranges - just as good as the competition but for less money - then the Tiggo 9 is the Specially Selected or luxury options. It’s a bit pricier, equivalent to some of the best established alternatives, but it focuses on giving you more of everything for your money.

So while the Tiggo 9 has plenty of seven-seater, plug-in hybrid SUVs to go up against, none of them offer more than 400hp, a 90+-mile pure electric range, and a single trim level with more standard equipment than most luxury limos, all for less than £45,000.

The Tiggo 9 uses a similar plug-in hybrid system to the Tiggo 8 but with more powerful electric motors and a much larger battery. In fact, its electric range is enough that even the longest commute could easily be covered with no petrol burned at all - and on longer journeys, it means seriously low running costs.

The regular Tiggo 8 is a better all-rounder, but the Tiggo 9 offers just a bit more poshness for not a lot more money. If you’re coming to Chery from a premium brand, then this is the model to go for.

Best for: third row space

It should come as no surprise that BMW’s range-topping SUV is one of the most spacious and luxurious on this list.

The XXL BMW is an uber-luxurious way to haul six passengers around, with a pair of seats in the boot taking a pair of full-sized adults on long drives in comfort. The front of the cabin has even more room, with loads of adjustment in the seats and steering wheel. The middle and rear rows can even be adjusted and folded away electrically.

The link between the X7 and its 7 Series cousin is clear to see at first glance, with an interior posh enough to rival a Range Rover. A curved dual-screen display sits atop the leather-trimmed dashboard, and all of the physical buttons and switches are lovely to the touch.

Even with the rear seats in use, the X7 has the same boot capacity as a lot of small hatchbacks - so group shopping trips are a real possibility. With the seats folded you have a massive 750 litres of boot space.

The 7 Series link is even clearer on the exterior of the X7, with divisive styling as a result of its big kidney grilles and split headlights. What isn’t divisive is the way the X7 drives, taking corners with much more poise than a vehicle of this size has any right to.

It’s genuinely fun to drive when attacking corners, and yet the X7 wafts along on the motorway and in town as if it were laying its own fresh tarmac - and rightly so considering its price.