The Best Estate Cars In 2025 | Feature

We seem to be constantly getting told these days that, as people swarm more and more towards SUVs, the old-fashioned saloon and estate cars are on their last legs. That’s a shame because we like cars like those, especially estates, which tend to be more practical, nicer to drive, more efficient and, to our eyes, much cooler than their SUV brethren.

The fact is, though, that while there aren’t nearly as many estates around as there used to be, there are still plenty of good ones on the market. Here’s our round-up of our favourites you can get hold of new in 2025. Long live the longroof.

BMW M3 Touring

Until 2022, the BMW M3 Touring was something that only existed in the feverish fantasies of car nerds, only occasionally escaping into the real world as homebrew custom builds and one official E46 prototype that tragically went no further. With the current-gen M3, though, the almost mythical M3 Touring finally became a reality and, surprise surprise, it’s brilliant, blending all-weather traction with typical M car handling deftness and an added dash of practicality. Well worth the wait, even if we have to live with that face.

Audi RS6 Avant

Acres of space. Class oozing from every understated but beautifully finished pore. Subtle intent visible only to those that know what they’re looking at. The uninitiated will see a nice-looking Audi estate, but we know about the 4.0-litre V8 and the 600-odd horsepower. Is the RS6 Avant the ultimate factory-built sleeper? We can’t say for sure, but yes, yes it is. Okay, that sort of goes out of the window if you opt for the pumped-up, limited-run GT version with its IMSA-inspired graphics, but… you just would, wouldn’t you?

Volvo V90

To some people, ‘Volvo’ and ‘estate car’ are pretty much synonymous, but in 2023, the Swedish brand announced it was dropping its wagons from the UK in the face of slipping sales. The response to this was so overwhelmingly negative that Volvo said ‘only kidding!’ and brought them back last year. You can choose between V60 and V90, but for maximum Volvo-ness, it has to be the massive V90. It may be getting on a bit, but it’s almost five solid metres of ultra-chill Scandi ambience, finished off in top T8 guise with a 449bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain. Lovely.

Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen’s doing something a bit unexpected with the new seventh-gen Passat: it’s only building it as an estate. We won’t complain, though, because a fine estate it is: big-booted, super relaxing to drive, and with a far better-resolved interior than a lot of the nonsense VW was putting out a few years ago. It may not be what the masses want, but we’d take it over a Tiguan any day of the week.

Skoda Octavia vRS Estate

‘Just buy a Golf’ may be the stock response to many a car-buying question, but truthfully, those in the know and less prone to badge snobbery have long been served just as well – if not better – by just buying a Skoda Octavia. The Golf’s value-friendly Czech cousin has just been facelifted and, in sporty vRS guise, now comes with a GTI-matching 261bhp. Except there’s never been a GTI estate, but, as always, you can get the hot Octavia as a load-lugger. The less powerful versions are lovely too but, y’know, this is Car Throttle.

Cupra Leon Estate

The Octavia vRS isn’t the only sporty estate based on Golf underpinnings. If your go-to pint is an Estrella rather than a Staropramen, you might be better served by the Cupra Leon Estate, which brings the added bonus of two ways of going rather fast: a 268bhp plug-in hybrid, or a 328bhp pure petrol setup. The latter even gets a torque splitter system that will allow you to indulge in some skiddy antics when you find yourself in an empty car pa… sorry, on a private race track.

Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo

Was the world asking for a very fast electric estate car from Porsche? Probably not. Is it even that practical by estate standards? Definitely not. Is it one of the best electric cars on the market right now? Yup. With the Taycan’s recent facelift, the top Turbo S version of the Sport Turismo now delivers a face-melting 939bhp with its launch control system active, helping it get to 62mph in 2.4 seconds. Ridiculous. Plus, it’s a Porsche, so it’s lovely inside and handles very well for a big, heavy EV too.

What about the rest?

‘What about *insert car here*?’, you’re probably yelling at your phone. Or maybe not. We don’t know what you get up to. We’d have dearly loved to include the very pretty and, in PSE guise, rather fast Peugeot 508 SW, but Peugeot has just dropped it in the UK. The charming dinosaur that was the Jaguar XF Sportbrake has just been laid to rest too.

The Audi RS4’s never quite been a firecracker in its current guise – although we’re yet to try the run-out Edition 25 Years – and anyway, it, along with the wider A4 range, is on its way out to be replaced by the new A5.

You couldn’t go far wrong with the BMW 5 Series Touring, but there’s not yet been a version that’s properly piqued our interest. Maybe that’ll change when we’ve had a go in the very fast but extraordinarily heavy M5 Touring.

We’d also commend the VW Golf Estate, especially in R guise, although at that point, we’re a little more swayed by the mechanically identical Cupra.

None of Mercedes’ long-roof offerings quite whet our whistle at the moment either, especially the fast versions that we’re the most keen on.

Ford Focus ST Estate? Nice, but quite old, and won’t be around for long. We’d applaud anyone left-field enough to go for a Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, but we’d be worried about depreciation and having to constantly explain to people that no, it’s not a Bentley and no, it has nothing to do with Phil Collins.