Best cars for road trips 2023

The drudgery of the commute, the school run, traffic jams, parking charges and all the rest may take the gloss off the daily reality of driving. But the dream of just being able to pack up and take off on a long road trip anywhere you like explains why so many of us still love our cars. And with the extra bank holidays approaching and the summer not too far away who’d blame you for sitting in front of a road atlas (or, more likely, its virtual equivalent) and pondering where that ultimate road trip may take you.
The route is only half the decision, though. You also need the right car for the job. Here are some of our picks for the best cars for road trips of all types.

A wag once said the fastest car in the world is a rental, on the basis you may be prepared to take more liberties with a borrowed car than one you own. We’d say don’t try this at home, given rental companies will hit your credit card hard for any damage incurred these days, but hiring a car is still the ultimate in freedom, given it presents opportunities far beyond home soil. Where available it also opens up the options for ‘point-to-point’ trips, like the classic coast-to-coast run across America. Other rentals are available but if that’s your dream why not blow the budget on the classic Hertz Mustang, this tie-up between the rental giant and Ford reliving a classic partnership from back in the day.

Long before Gran Turismo was a video game it represented the dream of decadent, extended road trips across Europe from one glamorous hotel to another. In abbreviated ‘GT’ form it has been used for everything from sporty trim lines to entire model line-ups, the Bentley Continental GT perhaps the classic embodiment of what the letters stand for. Some cars take the spirit if not the name, the Ferrari Roma another perfect modern twist on GT ideals. But if you’re going to do it properly why not go for the car that spells its intentions out in full – the Maserati Gran Turismo. A classic Italian sporting coupe, it maintains the proud traditions of this ultimate road trip machine but with a modern twist, given the choice between old-school petrol engines or all electric power. In either form it’s living the upscale road trip dream in style.
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Any ‘combi’ or ‘crew’ van with a second row of seats will do. But our experiences running a Ford Transit Custom mean this one has a particular place in our hearts, not least after taking it on an extended summer holiday road trip round Europe packed with bikes, luggage and more. While a van like this actually takes up no more road space than a typical large SUV the amount of carrying capacity is in a different league, while modern ones like this are fully loaded with the nav, radar cruise control and other creature comforts you’d expect of a regular passenger car. Fully loaded with the air-con blasting on full and at a 100mph cruise on the German Autobahn ours was still doing nearly 40mpg, meaning well over 500 miles between fuel stops. For active families carting kit for long distances nothing comes close.
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We love the Dacia Jogger, and not just because it’s incredibly affordable to buy or finance. The no-nonsense looks have proper anti-fashion appeal that shout its fitness for purpose, but the best thing about the Jogger is the amount of stuff – or people – you can cram into it. In seven-seater form you can fit your whole tribe plus friends inside, and if the small boot space that remains isn’t enough you can turn the roof bars 90 degrees to make a rack onto which you can fit a top box, bike carrier or whatever else. For smaller parties you can remove the third row and run it as a five-seater, leaving you with a huge space into which you can chuck camping gear, buckets and spades, sporting equipment and still have space for the dog. And because it’s so cheap to buy and run you’ve got more money to enjoy yourself at whichever destinations the Jogger may take you.
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OK, while much of the fun of a road trip is in the driving the BMW i7 is actually better enjoyed from the back seat. So, you’ll need a designated driver. With a suitable volunteer recruited you can then stretch out in ultimate luxury, with powered reclining seats upholstered in the softest of leather and offering heating, ventilation and even massages from a smartphone style touch-screen embedded into the door handles. Sitting comfortably? OK, now you can really relax as the full-width screen folds down from the roof of the car, connects to the streaming service of your choosing and the miles fly by as you enjoy your favourite movies and box sets. Long-haul travel never felt so good.
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If your definition of a road trip reads more like an expedition you need a car that’s up to the job and won’t let you down in the toughest of environments. Which is what the Ineos Grenadier has been built to do. While the Defender has evolved in its current form into a more conventional posh SUV the Grenadier taps into the spirit of older Land Rovers and is designed as the Swiss Army Knife of 4x4s. In its base form it’s a tough, go-anywhere vehicle designed to take you as far off the beaten track as you dare go, the huge range of accessories tailoring it for whatever you have in mind. The neat ‘utility belt’ mountings along its sides and in the boot mean you can securely attach all manner of accessories, be that sand ladders, storage lockers, extra fuel tanks and more. And when you set up base camp they can support awnings, tables or whatever else you may need. The huge roof rack can carry bikes, canoes or a dedicated tent, all accessible via a ladder on the back door.
Read our Expert Review of the Ineos Grenadier

You might think an electric car wouldn’t be suitable for an extended road trip, given the complexities of range anxiety, charging in unfamiliar places and all the rest. But a Tesla isn’t any electric car, given the class-leading range (over 300 miles in this Model X) and superb infrastructure of Superchargers stretching across the UK, Europe and beyond. No matter how far you go the charging experience will be just the same, the network carefully planned so you’ll always be within reach of the next plug in point. As for the car itself with up to seven seats, the refinement of silent electric drive and the Active Road Noise Reduction over the speakers and even the option to play games on the central screen when you do stop the Model X is the electric car you need for those epic journeys.
Read our Expert Review of the Tesla Model X

MPVs – Multi-Purpose Vehicles – or people carriers as they’re sometimes known have rather dropped off the radar as families rush to buy SUVs. Thank heavens for the VW Multivan, then. The funky two-tone paint schemes bring some pizzazz to an otherwise functional format, while the ability to slide seats around to configure the interior to suit whatever load you’re carrying means incredible flexibility for all your stuff. The all-electric VW I.D.Buzz may look cooler but the Multivan is much more spacious and practical, while the plug-in hybrid powertrain means you can keep on trucking on electric or petrol power as suits.
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The conventional wisdom is that a road trip equals long-haul travel to far flung places. But what if you just fancy a city break, with all the freedom a car represents? They don’t come much better than the Fiat 500e, given it’s an all-electric reinvention of the classic 500s that have buzzed around Italian cities for decades and just the job for nipping into tight gaps and squeezing through traffic. There’s also a sense of fun in the looks and driving style that take the stress out of city driving, meaning even getting lost can turn out to be an adventure.
Read our Expert Review of the Fiat 500e

A convertible is the perfect partner for a road trip, the ability to enjoy the scenery with the roof down all adding to the experience. We love the Mazda MX-5 for its sense of fun and its affordability, but it’s a little on the small side for a longer trip away unless you’re willing to pack really light. Step up the Porsche 718 Boxster. True, it’s rather more expensive and getting on a bit now. But it’s utterly fabulous to drive, especially if you’re a bit of a purist and still like shifting gears yourself with a manual gearbox. Prefer an auto? No worries, this is also one of the best in the business. The Boxster’s real trick, though, is the fact it has two luggage compartments, one in the nose and one in the rear. With room for more than just a change of underwear and a toothbrush you can travel in style, safe in the knowledge you can pack all the stuff you need for a proper long-distance drive.
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