Most Kiwi families need the same thing from a car. It’s got to be reliable, safe, comfortable and practical, as well as spacious enough to fit all the kids. Plus, ideally it won’t be ugly and boring to drive like people movers and utility vehicles tend to be.

If you want something that ticks all those boxes and is still affordable, a used car is often the best way to go. To help you make the right choice, we’ve narrowed the field to three used cars we think are perfect for families.

Mazda CX-8

If you’re looking for a reliable, affordable and attractive family car, the Mazda CX-8 is a great option. The seven-seat SUV was named the NZ car of the year by AA in 2018, who praised its slick design and comfortable user-friendly interior.

The CX-8 is packed with family friendly features that make driving easier, like push button start, satellite navigation and an 8-inch information display on the dash. It’s also incredibly safe thanks to the huge list of advanced tech included, from automatic brake support to blind spot monitoring and childproof rear door locks. The CX-8 retails for $53,495 brand new so if you’re lucky, you could find a used model for far less.

Holden Equinox

If you’re after a slightly smaller family car that’s heaps of fun, the five-seater Holden Equinox is a goer. This little beauty packs a punchy 1.5-litre turbocharged engine that belts out a decent 127 kW and makes it one of the zippier mid-sized SUVs on the market. The newer models also have a bunch of cool features that are nice to see in a car this affordable, like:

• Active noise cancellation
• Rear view camera
• Passive entry and push button start
• A decent towing capacity of 1500kg

If you’re keen to buy brand new, you can drive away for $29,990+ O.R.C, but if you take a little time to search, you could pick up a used model for just over $20,000.

Suzuki Vitara

Suzuki ranked as the second most reliable car brand in the world in a recent survey. If you’re after a family car that never stops, go for the Vitara compact SUV. Newer models have all the bells and whistles like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, reversing camera, cruise control and speed limiter.

It’s also got all the safety features under the sun including:

• Dual sensor brake support: Automatically senses oncoming collisions and helps apply the brakes to avoid.
• Lane departure warning: Alerts the driver when they leave the lane.
• Adaptive cruise control: Set a speed and let the car handle the rest. It’ll automatically brake when traffic stops, maintaining your chosen distance then automatically speed up to keep up with traffic.

If you’re going to buy used, make sure you consider these three outstanding vehicles, and make sure you drop in to your nearest Nicholsons dealership to check out what’s on offer.