Real MPG: most economical estate cars

Real MPG Average 54.8mpg | Town 45.8mpg | Motorway 49.5mpg | Rural 70.4mpg

Not only does the Skoda Superb Estate promise to carry everything you could ever want to take with you, but provides comfort while doing so. The 2.0-litre diesel engine you get here was tweaked as part of a 2018 facelift, which made the Superb even more efficient (the pre-facelift version managed 49.8mpg). In fact, the winning Superb performed so well in our real-world testing that it actually exceeded the combined WLTP figure by 6%.

Read our full Skoda Superb Estate (2015-2024) review

Real MPG Average 51.5mpg | Town 39.1mpg | Motorway 48.6mpg | Rural 66.6mpg

If you want a car that's spacious, won't cost a lot to buy and little more than pennies to run, then the Skoda Octavia Estate should be on your shortlist. It's ruthlessly efficient if you get it with a 2.0-litre diesel engine; just make sure that you'll be covering enough miles each year to justify the extra upfront cost of a car that drinks from the black pump. If you do, then you'll enjoy punchy performance and phenomenal low-end pulling power.

Read our full Skoda Octavia Estate (2020-present) review

Real MPG Average 50.3mpg | Town 86.6mpg | Motorway 38.4mpg | Rural 58.4mpg

Being a hybrid, the Suzuki Swace puts low running costs at the heart of its agenda. You can only get the Swace with the 1.8-litre hybrid engine we tested, but that’s no bad thing – it's especially efficient and, although it won't help you set any speed records, it offers adequate performance for most situations. We also like that the Swace comes with lots of standard kit, and that it’s more affordable than the closely-related Toyota Corolla Touring Sports like-for-like. 

Read our full Suzuki Swace review

Real MPG Average 49.4mpg | Town 68.1mpg | Motorway 39.8mpg | Rural 57.0mpg

Speaking of the Corolla Touring Sports, it was (unsurprisingly) closely matched to its Suzuki-badged twin in our tests. However, there’s more to this than meets the eye. The Corolla was fitted with a much more powerful 2.0-litre engine – which you can’t get in the Swace – and still proved nearly as economical. And the Corolla is no one-trick pony; its blend of efficiency, practicality, comfort and reliability makes it the best new estate car you can buy. Plus, unlike the Swace's three-year/60,000 warranty, the Toyota can be extended to 10 years/100,000 miles if it has its annual service at a Toyota dealership.

Read our full Toyota Corolla Touring Sports review

Real MPG Average 47.7mpg | Town 38.1mpg | Motorway 43.5mpg | Rural 62.4mpg

Dacia has formed a handy niche for itself over the years, offering a lot of car for not a lot of money. The Logan deepens that practical appeal with plenty of space for your family and luggage at a price that'll leave you smiling. The 0.9-litre petrol engine you get with this version offers flexible performance given its size and, as our results show, is pretty fuel-efficient. There are quite a few used Logans out there, although examples of this more rugged Stepway variant are harder to come by.

Read our full Dacia Logan MCV (2013-2020) review

Real MPG Average 46.6mpg | Town 35.2mpg | Motorway 44.0mpg | Rural 60.5mpg

The Skoda Fabia might be best known as an efficient and practical small car, but the previous-generation version is also available as an even more spacious estate. We put two turbocharged petrol versions of the Fabia Estate – a 1.2 TSI 90 and a more powerful 1.0 TSI 95 – through our Real MPG test, and it’s the 1.2-litre option that came out on top. Despite being the less powerful of the two, it offers all the performance you need.

Read our full Skoda Fabia Estate (2015-2021) review

Real MPG Average 45.0mpg | Town 36.1mpg | Motorway 41.3mpg | Rural 58.2mpg

You can no longer buy this 1.0-litre version of the VW Golf Estate new, but it’s worth considering a used one if you’re after a big, petrol-powered estate car that won’t cost the earth to run. The Golf is almost as comfortable on the move as a Skoda Octavia Estate (or even comfier if you find one with the optional adaptive suspension), and comes well-equipped as standard. The infotainment system is confusing and fiddly, though.

Read our full Volkswagen Golf Estate (2020-present) review

Real MPG Average 44.9mpg | Town 33.4mpg | Motorway 42.4mpg | Rural 59.5mpg

The BMW 5 Series Touring is one of our favourite estate cars, and the 520d is the best version in the range. As well as being impressively fuel-efficient, it’s reasonably quiet at speed and offers punchy performance. No matter which version you buy, the 5 Series Touring is brilliant to drive, and its roomy interior means occupants get to enjoy the class-leading fit and finish without feeling cramped.

Read our full BMW 5 Series Touring review

Real MPG Average 43.7mpg | Town 33.9mpg | Motorway 40.9mpg | Rural 56.4mpg

As you might expect from a close relative of both the Skoda Octavia Estate and Volkswagen Golf Estate, this long Leon has a big boot and a solidly-built interior. However, the Leon Estate has the distinction of being considerably more fun to drive than its siblings – especially in sporty FR trim, which adds stiffer, sports suspension. And, driven sensibly, even this 1.5-litre petrol version should be able to return more than 40mpg on longer journeys.

Read our full Seat Leon Estate review

Real MPG Average 43.2mpg | Town 39.3mpg | Motorway 39.3mpg | Rural 55.8mpg

Don’t let the Arteon Shooting Brake’s stylish looks fool you; it’s still a pretty practical estate car, and one which should prove fairly affordable to run if you get it with the 2.0-litre diesel engine. Despite the sloping roofline, there’s enough head room in the rear, and the Arteon has a bigger boot than a BMW 5 Series Touring. However, unless you’re able to snap up a bargain through our New Car Deals service, the Arteon Shooting Brake can cost as much as better-rounded premium rivals such as the BMW 3 Series Touring.

Read our full Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake review