If you're wondering how to buy a new family car, and which to pick, we've compiled a lits of our favourites just for you. Our advice takes in safety features, comfort features, fuel efficiency as well as price range. So take your pick!

Vauxhall Agila

This small five-door family car is absolutely charming. Vauxhall have spoken at length about it's interior design and spaciousness, and we can't find a thing to fault. It's so compact on the outside that you'll be able to nip in and out of tight spaces, but still have room for everyone to breathe. It's got five full-size seats with full seatbelts, runs at between 50 and 60mpg and only costs £35 to tax each year. Best of all, it's only £7,595.

Ford Focus

Another contender for our favourite family car, the new Ford Focus is packed with safety and comfort features, all of which make for a relaxing driving experience. Unlike the Vauxhall Agila, the Focus is unashamedly middle-sized, and there is, of course, lots of breathing space for comfort. Our favourite features, however, are down to the child-friendly design: the ISOKIX child mounting provision, CFC-free air conditioning, advanced child locks, and a huge range of emergency braking preventors. It's got five full-size seats, all with full seatbelts, and runs at about 50mpg. It's a bit on the pricey side, however, at £15,995, but we think it's worth it.

Hyundai i10

For just £6,495 you can get on the move with the new Hyundai i10. The supermini packs lots of equipment and appeal into its small size, and it’s safe with four airbags and anti-lock brakes as standard. Its interior space is relatively good for a supermini – although room in the back is snug. Motoring doesn’t come much more efficiently, though: it's price is deliciously low, with a five-year warranty, 56.5mpg average fuel economy and low 119g/km CO2 emissions, which equate to an annual tax bill of £35.

Ford Mondeo

The latest Ford Mondeo is possibly all the car any family could ever need, thanks to its space, refinement and performance. It has grown in all dimensions over its predecessor and seats five adults - who can all plonk their bags in its huge 540-litre boot. Its average fuel consumption on the typical engine is over 40mpg. The Ford Mondeo achieved five stars in EuroNCAP crash tests and the range starts at £15,895.

Mazda 6

The Mazda 6 shares some components with the Ford Mondeo – no bad thing – and it’s a similar size, but it has plenty of features which make it a slightly different proposition. It embraces “Japanese-ness” and has a more technological feel. There are sportier models which look rather dynamic, with subtle body kits and streamlines designs, but all the Mazda 6 range is attractive as well as being safe and reliable. There are four engines available, and the most family-friendly is the 138bhp diesel. The range runs at about 50mpg and starts from £15,685.

Ford S-Max

This great MPV was the Car of the Year 2007 thanks to its balance between seven-seat space and driving panache. It might be a big car, but it handles gracefully on all surfaces, and looks great to boot. It also holds a full five-star EuroNCAP safety score and has a starting price of just £17,495.

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