10 of the best affordable family cars coming in 2025

Gareth Herincx
·6-min read
Fiat Grande Panda
Fiat Grande Panda (Fiat)

If you're looking to change your car in 2025, then hold on tight for 10 of the best new models about to hit the showrooms. The list is dominated by electric compact SUVs, but there's also space for a big family-friendly SUV and a couple of dinky city cars.

Affordability is the other theme because the cars we've chosen are all competitively priced, so whether you're buying outright or financing your car with monthly payments, there should be something for you.

Here's our pick of some of the best new cars coming in 2025...

Renault 4 E-Tech

Renault 4 E-Tech: A modern twist for a familiar name from the past
Renault 4 E-Tech: A modern twist for a familiar name from the past (Renault)

Launching alongside the Renault 5, the retro-styled '4' is another model name from the past revived by the French car giant for the EV age. A more practical partner to the '5', the Renault 4 E-Tech is one of many compact SUVs launching in 2025.

Electric-only and featuring various nods to the original car (produced between 1961 and 1994), it will be offered with two battery options. The 40kWh should be good for around 186 miles of range, while the larger 52kWh battery will provide more power and a 250-mile range.

Kia EV3

The boldly-styled EV3 is another winner from Kia
The boldly-styled EV3 is another winner from Kia (Kia)

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South Korean brand Kia has come a long way since its UK launch in 1991. It's now one of the biggest-selling manufacturers in the UK and it's been making electric cars for 10 years. The latest is the EV3, which joins the Niro EV, EV6, and EV9. Needless to say, it's another compact SUV - this time with bold styling.

We've clocked up some decent miles in the EV3 already, and it's easy to drive, roomy, and rammed with the latest tech. Available with two battery options – 58.3kWh and 81.4kWh – it delivers claimed ranges of 270 and 375 miles respectively. Priced from £32,995, the EV3 is sure to be top of many wish lists in 2025. And remember, like the whole Kia range, it comes with a generous seven-year warranty.

Skoda Elroq

Skoda Elroq sports cool looks combined with a spacious interior
Skoda Elroq sports cool looks combined with a spacious interior (Skoda)

Priced from £31,500, the Elroq is another new compact SUV hitting the showrooms in 2025, with the Kia EV3, Smart #1 and Volvo EX30 in its sights. Smart and spacious, there are three versions to choose from, called the 50, 60 and 85.

The 50 gets a 52kWh battery and an official range of 232 miles, the 60 has a larger 59kWh unit that lifts the range to 260 miles, while the 85's 77kWh battery gives it an impressive 360-mile range. Another winner from Skoda.

Vauxhall Frontera

Keen pricing and stacks of space inside are two good reasons to choose a Vauxhall Frontera
Keen pricing and stacks of space inside are two good reasons to choose a Vauxhall Frontera (Vauxhall)

Billed as the first car to offer price parity between electric and petrol hybrid models (EV versions are usually more expensive), the all-new Frontera will slot between the Mokka and Grandland in the Vauxhall line-up. It will compete with everything from the Ford Puma to the Jeep Avenger, Peugeot 2008 and Kia EV3.

The Frontera Hybrid combines a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a 21kW electric motor. The Frontera Electric will initially be available with a 44kWh battery, giving a range of 186 miles. A Long Range choice will follow with a 248-mile range. If you're looking for a spacious interior, this could be the car for you.

Ford Puma Gen-E

The big-selling Ford Puma goes electric for 2025
The big-selling Ford Puma goes electric for 2025 (Ford)

The UK’s best-selling car, the Ford Puma, has been fully electrified for 2025. The Puma Gen-E will join Ford’s growing electric car line-up, slotting in below the Explorer, Capri and Mustang Mach-E. Priced from £29,995, its 43kWh battery pack will provide up to 234 miles of range from a full charge.

The Gen-E also introduces Ford’s new Gigabox - an underfloor storage increasing boot space from an already impressive 456 litres, to a luggage-swallowing 523 litres. Expect this to fly out of the Ford dealerships.

Suzuki e Vitara

Suzuki's first EV should be handy when the going gets tough
Suzuki's first EV should be handy when the going gets tough (Suzuki)

Suzuki's late to the EV party, but all that will change in 2025 when the new battery-powered e Vitara SUV will be available with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Co-developed with Toyota (its version will be called the Urban Cruiser), it will challenge the likes of the MINI Aceman, Jeep Avenger, Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30.

Buyers will be able to choose from either a 49kWh or larger 61kWh battery pack, delivering ranges of around 200 miles and 250 miles respectively. We reckon the chunky crossover will start at just over £30,000.

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Fiat Grande Panda

The Fiat Grande Panda is a retro cool crossover
The Fiat Grande Panda is a retro cool crossover (Fiat)

Italian for "Big Panda", the Grande Panda compact crossover will be available with either petrol mild hybrid or full electric power. Sporting retro Fiat Panda styling, it's practical and spacious inside, yet small outside. The petrol version is likely to start at less than £20,000, while the EV will be around £22,000, making it one of the most affordable electric cars on the market. It will have a small 44kWh battery, capable of 199 miles on a full charge.

So, that's just a selection of the compact SUVs coming in 2025. Now it's time for the Little and Large launches of the coming year - the pint-sized Hyundai Inster and Volkswagen ID.2, plus a family car with a name that says it all - the Dacia Bigster.

Hyundai Inster

Introducing the new Hyundai Inster - a small car with a big personality
Introducing the new Hyundai Inster - a small car with a big personality (Hyundai)

Another all-new affordable electric car, the dinky and distinctive Inster has a Suzuki Ignis vibe. The Standard Range has a 39kWh battery, giving a range of 203 miles, while the 46kWh Long Range version can manage up to 229 miles. Despite its size, Hyundai says it delivers "a spacious interior in a small SUV body". The Hyundai Inster is priced from just £23,495.

Volkswagen ID.2

Big things are expected of the pint-sized Volkswagen ID.2
Big things are expected of the pint-sized Volkswagen ID.2 (Volkswagen)

The smallest and most affordable member of VW's ID family of EVs so far, the ID.2 supermini will look much like the recent ID.2all concept (pictured). Effectively an electric Volkswagen Polo, it's expected to cost between £20-25,000.

Although primarily aimed at urban drivers, it will be offered with two battery size options (38kWh and 56kWh), delivering around 200 miles and 280 miles of range respectively.

READ:  How to make the school run stress-free and safe

Dacia Bigster

The Dacia Bigster is all about practicality and value for money
The Dacia Bigster is all about practicality and value for money (Dacia)

The all-new Bigster is the largest SUV the Renault-owned budget brand has ever made. Topping the range above the new Duster, it’s a budget-friendly alternative to family SUVs such as the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan, Citroen C5 Aircross and Hyundai Tucson. Offering a whopping 667 litres of boot space and generous rear passenger space, it will be available with a choice of mild and full hybrid engines - and four-wheel drive. Expected to start at less than £30,000, the Bigster will offer big bang for your buck.

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