Best seven-seater SUVs 2024

Popular, versatile vehicles for style-conscious larger families
Often less practical than traditional, unfashionable MPVs
Many are also capable off-roaders, with four-wheel drive

Best seven-seater SUVs: Hyundai Santa Fe

Best seven-seater SUVs: Land Rover Discovery

Blue 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB side elevation

Written by CJ Hubbard Published: 18 September 2023 Updated: 22 April 2024

The best seven-seater SUVs combine rugged looks, a commanding view, and all-round practicality without resorting to styling choices that are better suited to a bus. Gone are the days when buying a seven-seater car meant ending up with a boxy and deeply uncool MPV. In 2024, some of the best SUVs on the market are seven-seaters.

Not all are created equally, however. Here at Parkers, our experts have driven every seven-seat SUV on sale, combed through the fine details and decided upon this tip top list. Short-cutting your shortlist to the ideal cars to buy.

Prefer not to drive an SUV but still need to carry lots of people? Don’t despair. On another page we have a list of the best seven-seater cars of all types as well.

Best seven-seater SUVs in 2024

Editor's choice: Land Rover Discovery

Best seven-seater SUV of them all

www.parkers.co.uk

View Offer

While the Land Rover Discovery isn’t exactly cheap to buy or run, it is a brilliant seven-seater family car that suits almost every occasion, making it an easy choice for our editor's pick of the best seven-seat SUVs. Not only is one of a select group that can actually fit full-sized adults in the third row of seats, it's a car that can go effortlessly from ferrying the kids to school to serious off-roading in challenging conditions, and then with a quick wash it’s ready once again for any event from a church fete to a black-tie ball.

In addition to the space onboard and the off-road prowess, we love its powerful and smooth engines, its incredibly commanding driving position and the fact it’s inexplicably no harder to pilot than a regular-sized car - although it can feel a little big around town. The premium Land Rover badge is the icing on the cake.

Read our full Land Rover Discovery review

Pros

Huge amount of space inside
Smooth driving experience
Genuine off-road capability

Cons

Not the best reliability reputation
Sheer size can be tricky occasionally

SEAT Tarraco

Sharp style and great value for money

We can entirely vouch for the versatility, capability and value of the SEAT Tarraco – we ran one on our long-term fleet, and minor gripes aside have been very impressed with it. Though not quite as practical as SEAT’s traditional Alhambra MPV (now discontinued), it’s a far more stylish thing, good to drive and very capable. The rear seats are small, but fold neatly into the boot floor when not needed. The engine range is a little limited - you can choose from a single petrol and diesel option at the moment - but there are lots of trim levels to choose from.

Compared with the closely related VW Tiguan Allspace, the Tarraco is great value, too. It's also priced competitively versus the also related Skoda Kodiaq, but the Skoda is a slightly roomier vehicle inside. Many buyers will still prefer the more modern interior design of the SEAT, however, and all told it represents an excellent package that can often be found on finance for a bargain monthly price.

Read our full SEAT Tarraco review

Pros

Neatly styled inside and out
Keen driving experience
Often great value on finance

Cons

Rear seat row is small
Usual VW Group infotainment woes

Volvo XC90

A safety-conscious seven-seater design icon

It’s fair to assume a great number of seven-seat SUV customers will be families with children, and what’s more important to those kinds of customers than safety? Volvo has always been at the forefront of safety technology, pioneering advancements such as the three-point seatbelt, and its XC90 SUV continues that legacy with a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating as well as bags of clever tech to not only protect occupants during a crash, but help them avoid having one in the first place.

Of course, what good is a safe SUV if it’s not practical to use? Thankfully, the XC90 offers seven adult-sized seats (as ever, the third row is a bit of a squeeze) and lots of practical storage solutions. The interior is a delight too, being of superb build quality and with a cool, calm, Scandinavian air to the styling. The plug-in hybrid models are also thumpingly fast. The only real sticking point is its high price – but this is a premium machine and for many, it’ll be a cost worth bearing to drive one of the safest, coolest and most desirable family SUVs on the market.

Read our full Volvo XC90 review

Pros

Safe
Stylish
Spacious

Cons

Touchscreen controls sometimes a pain
Getting on a bit now

Kia Sorento

Plug-in hybrid that's packed with kit

This latest Kia Sorento is starkly different from the previous generations. Its bold styling and posh-feeling interior is a real sign of how far the Korean company has come since it first appeared in the UK in 1991. The big news with this fourth generation Sorento is that there’s a plug-in hybrid variant, which should be capable of mpg in the hundreds if you do mostly short journeys and remember to actually plug it in.

Inside, there’s plenty of space for seven adults, although the rearmost row of seats are unsurprisingly the snuggest. At least there’s individual air-con back there. Also worth noting there are seven USB slots – one for each seat. It might come as a shock that you can buy an equivalent Hyundai Santa Fe for less (Hyundai has traditionally been the more premium of the two related brands) but this is because Kia has concentrated on loaded specs, so you still get plenty of value for your money.

Read our full Kia Sorento review

Pros

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions
Flexible interior
Decent infotainment

Cons

No cut-price front-wheel drive model
Single specification only

Peugeot 5008

Individual central seats a boon for buyers of this seven-seater SUV

The current Peugeot 5008 takes all that was good about its predecessor – a rather staid MPV – and wraps it up in an SUV-shaped package that really stands out from the crowd. In fact, the 5008’s styling is one of its key selling points, as both inside and out this is one seriously good-looking car. It’s not just form without function, though. The 5008 offers three totally separate seats across the middle row – a rarity in an SUV, and something that makes it allows buyers to fit bulky child seats three abreast.

Better yet, the 5008 benefits from the latest Peugeot engines and gearboxes, meaning it’s a very pleasant thing to drive indeed. We particularly like the punchy 1.2-litre petrol engine and impressively slick eight-speed automatic gearbox, though the diesels are also quiet, refined and economical. Forget fragile Peugeot MPVs of old – the current 5008 SUV is a really impressive car.

Read our full Peugeot 5008 review

Pros

Great for carrying child seats
Good to drive
Sharp appearance

Cons

Standard kit not that generous
Rear seats tight

Mercedes-Benz GLB

Compact and premium seven-seater with ultra-modern interior

The Mercedes GLB is one of the newer seven-seater entrants in the SUV market. Enthusiasts of this upmarket German brand will immediately work out that it slots into the range between the GLA and GLC, yet it manages to squeeze in a third row of chairs - something the bigger GLC can't accommodate. The result is a chunkily attractive yet remarkably compact machine that's keenly priced and quite often available with excellent finance deals. As with the other smaller models on this list, it's tight in the rear, but the boxy shape means it doubles as a capable load hauler when both rear rows are folded flat.

Being based on the A-Class and related family of models, the GLB has a stylish dual-screen dashboard, an efficient range of 1.3-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engines, slick automatic transmissions, and the option of 4Matic four-wheel drive should you want it. If performance is your thing, there’s a rorty Mercedes-AMG GLB35 model, which does the curious thing of combining hot hatch speed with seven-seater flexibility. Those more concerned about emissions might consider the all-electric Mercedes EQB variant.

Read our full Mercedes GLB review

Pros

Seven-seats in a small package
Classy looks inside and out
State-of-the-art voice control

Cons

Cramped in the third row
Interior quality a bit patchy

BMW X7

Big, brutal and blooming impressive

If you’re looking for a very high-end SUV with seven seats you’ll soon discover you’re not spoilt for choice. There’s the extremely expensive Bentley Bentayga and the hulking Mercedes-Benz GLS, but we’d take the X7 over both of them. There’s absolutely no escaping that its styling is very divisive, from the enormity of its grille to the sheer, vertical surfaces of its bodywork. But on the other hand, it has significant road presence and that enormous structure liberates a considerable amount of interior space.

Yes, there’s genuine space for seven adults to sit comfortably within the X7 – and even when you do, there’s still a reasonably useful boot at the back for a few soft luggage bags. BMW even offers the option of making it a six-seater with a pair of individual, electrically adjustable seats in the middle row replacing the three-person bench seat. Perhaps even more remarkable than the way the X7 looks is the manner in which it drives. Of course, you cannot ignore its width or its weight, but the way it handles is deeply impressive, with pace, good body control to prevent your passengers from feeling ill, and high levels of comfort.

Read our full BMW X7 review

Pros

Plenty of room for people and luggage
Remarkably good to drive
We'd buy this over the Bentley

Cons

Has a face only a mother could love
Size not super city-friendly

Hyundai Santa Fe

Like Kia Sorento, only… cheaper

Hyundai’s fourth-generation Santa Fe is one of our favourite seven-seater SUVs, thanks to its cavernous interior, an embarrassment of riches when it comes to standard equipment, bulletproof build quality and the reassurance of a five-year/unlimited mileage warranty. It might not be an immediately obvious choice, but it’s a large family car that you should definitely not ignore. While there are only two trim levels, so generously kitted out are they that extra-cost options are limited to metallic paint and a 'luxury' kit.

As with the related Kia Sorento, the Santa Fe is offered with a choice of hybrid petrol, plug-in hybrid petrol or turbodiesel power, all of which will do the job, but only just. The diesel is still the best choice for longer distances. Unlike the Kia Sorento, Hyundai also offers less expensive two-wheel drive models for those who don't need all-wheel drive traction. Only other thing to consider is that there's an all-new, radically different looking fifth-generation Santa Fe on the way in 2024.

Read our full Hyundai Santa Fe review

Pros

Great combination of price and warranty
Self-charging and plug-in hybrid available
Two-wheel drive boosts efficiency

Cons

Interior quality a little short of premium
Could do with a bit more oomph under the bonnet

Audi Q7

Big, but brilliant to drive in SQ7 guise

Any SUV seating seven adults in splendid comfort is going to have gargantuan dimensions – and so it is of the Audi Q7. Students of Audi’s SUV range will know there’s a Q8 model that sits above it, but that's a five-seater, with an emphasis on sporty luxury. This is not to suggest the Q7 feels workmanlike inside by comparison – far from it, with plush fabrics, rich leathers and squidgy plastics, all of which reek of quality and longevity. But, flexibility isn’t sacrificed in this quest for a feelgood factor, with electrically folding middle and rear row seats that glide away to leave a well-appointed load bay when you have occasion to haul a van-like cargo.

Diesel engines remain the most popular, but it won’t be long before city dwellers and company car drivers find favour in the plug-in hybrids badged TFSI e, although this is far from the most efficient example of this type of technology. On the other hand, if you really need to ferry yourself and six others around rapidly, there’s always the flagship high-performance SQ7, which is not only stupidly fast but a real hoot to drive as well.

Read our full Audi Q7 review

Pros

Plush and practical
Surprisingly good to drive
SQ7 variant very fast and fun

Cons

Short electric range from plug-in hybrid
By no means an off-roader

FAQs: Seven-seater SUV buyers guide

Before we get on to some more specific questions, there are few general pointers to consider when buying a seven-seater SUV.

First thing is, will you get everything and everybody inside? Not every seven-seater car has a lot of room in the final row, for example, so if you need to carry seven adults, you’ll need to make sure big people fit back there. Similarly, check out how easy it is to access the final row if mobility issues are a concern, and make sure your child’s seats are easy to fit.

On the flip side, if you need boot space more than people carrying capacity, be sure to pay attention to how much luggage room there is with the rear-most row upright and folded.

Seven-seater SUVs are typically bigger than regular five-seater models, so consider parking carefully.

Which seven-seater SUV is best for family?

All seven-seater SUVs are reasonably family-friendly, but as above, make sure they have space for the kinds of humans you’re planning to carry inside. Lots of small children? Then how difficult is to fit car seats? Older kids? Will they fit in the back row?

Which seven-seater SUV has the most boot space?

Very few seven-seaters have a lot of room in the boot with all seven seats occupied, so if that’s important, you need a particularly big example.

The BMW X7 is one of the most practical of all for this very reason, offering 326 litres of boot space with seven people on board, 750 litres with five, and a huge 2,120 litres with both rear rows folded. If space with the third row in place is less important, check out the Land Rover Discovery, as this has 1,137 litres with five seats and 2,406 litres with two.

Which is better – a seven-seater SUV or a seven-seater MPV?

This depends on how you want to use the vehicle. The MPV, though less on trend, will almost certainly have more space inside. But an SUV will have a higher driving position, giving you a better view of the road ahead, and many also have off-road capability thanks to four-wheel drive.

CJ Hubbard leads Bauer’s Digital Automotive Hub, writing and reviewing for Parkers and CAR. His Bauer career started as Associate Editor of CAR magazine in 2014, but he’s been a motoring journalist since 2006, and written for titles including Which?, the Sunday Times, Auto Express and Pistonheads.