Best cars for dog owners: My top 10 cars for carrying your pampered pooches
Let's make no bones about it; we're a nation obsessed with dogs. One in three households in the UK owns at least one dog, and we're spending more and more money ensuring they can travel with us in comfort and safety when we go out in the car.
There are plenty of products on the market that are aimed at keeping pooches safe and secure in cars, but choosing the right car in the first place to suit your four-legged friend is important.
If you want to fit in your family pet, alongside the general luggage and essentials you need for a trip, you will probably be considering an estate car or an SUV.
Estate cars are closer to the ground, so perhaps better for smaller or older dogs, but SUVs are the nation's current favourite, and can offer more space in the same footprint.
So I've lined up the best cars on the market right now for carrying your best friend, and all the rammle that inevitably comes with them.
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I've also sought out some great examples on car-buying website Carwow, so click on each headline to go directly to that page.
1. Skoda Superb Estate
660-litre boot capacity with rear seats up
Huge 1,950-litre boot capacity with rear seats down
Large boot opening
Well-equipped as standard
It's Superb by name, and superb by nature. Understated, and under-rated, the Skoda Superb is a fantastic family wagon and, in estate form, its boot is absolutely vast. It can swallow up 660-litres with the seats up, making it one of the best of its kind on the market. A low, wide aperture makes loading and unloading a doddle and ride comfort is absolutely top notch.
Look for a low-spec, low-mile example and you'll honestly have the ideal family workhorse.
2. Skoda Enyaq
585 litres of boot space with the seats up
1,710 litres with the seats folded
Affordable, practical electric SUV
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Range of over 300 miles
Sticking with Skoda for our second-place car, the Enyaq is an electric car, but the drivetrain and batteries give a minimal intrusion into the luggage space, so it's still got a generous 585-litres in the back.
Its styling might be a bit divisive, but it does make for a taller boot space. There is a lip for your dog to jump over, but the Enyaq can cover up to 300 miles on a charge, so getting to the beach and back is no problem.
3. Land Rover Defender
786-litre boot in the 110 model
1,094-litre boot in the 130 model
Over 2,000 litres of seats-down space in the 130
Loads of off-road ability
There's a reason why the original Defender was dubbed "the best 4x4 by far", and the successor might be a mere pastiche, but it's a very good one. And perfect for a family with a few dogs.
the boot in the popular 110 version is massive, with 786-litres and lots of headroom. Go for the bigger 130 version and it's over 1,000 litres.
Not everyone has been a fan of the side-opening door, and they are quite pricey, but you'll have the DNA of a vehicle designed to carry farm animals in the back, so your dog will feel right at home.
4. Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer
The all-new Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer (2021)608 litres with the seats up
1,634 litres of seats down space
Plug-in hybrid is a bit less spacious
Rare electric estate
Vauxhall has started designing genuinely attractive cars again, and the new Astra is a very handsome beast. It's also going to be available as a fully electric vehicle, and become one of very few EV estates on the market.
It's also available as a plug-in hybrid, which offers a little less boot space, but it's still very usable. In fossil fuel form, it has a 608-litre boot and a sensible loading aperture.
5. Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
581-litre boot capacity with rear seats up
Comfortable ride quality will keep your dog happy
Large boot opening with flat load bay
2.0-litre model offers some additional zip
Another attractive estate here, the Corolla is a British-built family car with legendary reliability and, thanks to its proven hybrid system, low running costs.
That hybrid system doesn't intrude on boot space as much as you might think, but the svelte body does reduce capacity to 581 litres. Still, that's big enough for most dogs to lounge around in.
Cleverly, the Corolla's adjustable floor is reversible and has a rubber lining on its second side, which is easier to wipe down and keep clean than the carpeted surface on the other side.
6. BMW 5 Series Touring
570-litre boot capacity with rear seats up
1,700-litre boot capacity with rear seats down
Flat load bay
Efficient plug-in hybrid option
If you fancy a more premium estate, the best in the business is the BMW 5-series touring. They're great to drive, comfortable, quick and economical. A great all-rounder then.
The boot space isn't the biggest in its class at 570 litres, but it does have a nice, flat load lip and all cars come with a retractable luggage net that means you don’t need to install a partition accessory to keep your dog out of the passenger cabin.
If your dog's not a great traveller, it might be worth avoiding the M-Sport models, which have firmer suspension, but hybrid models are now available, which will help with running costs.
7. VW ID Buzz
Huge 1,121 litres of boot space
Loads of space for other things
Range of 258 miles
Looks fantastic
And now for something completely different. Volkswagen's ID Buzz is one of those cars that has become iconic from the moment it rolled off the production line. Cute, retro styling and acres of interior space make this a marvellous family run-about. There's 1,121 litres of boot space in the right configuration and plenty of clever storage solutions.
It's an all-electric car, so keep an eye on the range. The official range is 258 miles, but once you're fully loaded with dogs, family and luggage, that'll be closer to 200. But that will be enough for most people.
8. Hyundai Ioniq 5
527 litres in the boot
1,587 litres with the back seats down
Wide boot with no load lip
Nearly 300 miles from a charge
Yes, this is technically a hatchback, but clever packaging makes this car far more practical than you'd think. And it's so cool to look at.
Offering a realistic 300 miles per charge, it's one of the better EVs out there and, the best bit is you can use its battery to power other electrical items. So you could take it camping, charge an e-bike, or run a portable shower in case your dog gets a bit over-exuberant on the beach.
9. Volvo EX90
Volvo EX90650 litres of boot space
310 litres even in seven-seat mode
State-of-the-art safety tech
364-mile range
One of the most practical and lovely family cars out there, the Volvo EX90 has a huge 650-litre boot, along with a hidden third row of seats, which would give you seven in total. Even with these seats up, there are still 310 litres to play with, which would be enough for smaller dogs.
It also won't surprise you to hear that this is one of the safest options, too. It's covered in cameras, radar and lidar to help you avoid crashes. And if you do have an accident, the passenger protection is about as good as it gets.
10. BMW M3 Touring
500 litres of seats up space
1,510 litres with the seats down
No load lip
Wild performance
If your dog likes a bit of excitement in its life, this would be the perfect option. OK, so a 510bhp dog wagon might not seem very sensible, and the firm suspension won't make for a comfortable ride, but you'll be having as much fun on the way to the park as your dog will when it gets there.
There are bonuses with this car though, the 500 litres of space is generous, there's no load lip, it's low-to-the-ground, and there are buttons in the boot to fold the seats down electronically. So it's more practical than you might imagine.
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