What mid-range estate car do you suggest?

I drive a 2002 VW Golf Estate 130 bhp TDI which passed its MoT last month, but I will be looking for a to replace it with a similar-sized car in the next year or two as it has done almost 300k miles. I do between 12k and 15k miles per year and will not be buying an electric or hybrid car. I would prefer a car with a manual handbrake, 6-speed gearbox, key ignition and locking and would consider a car up to 6 years old.

Asked on 9 June 2025 by Edward McNaghten

Answered by David Ross
The manual handbrake is a feature that has all but disappeared in recent years, so if this is a deal breaker then you may need to consider a car that is more than six years old. Key ignition is more dependent on the vehicle specification, but again this is something that is less common in modern cars. That aside, we would suggest looking at cars such as the Skoda Octavia Estate, Ford Focus Estate, Volkswagen Golf Estate or SEAT Leon ST.
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