Lifestyle

School run savvy with OWO

By
17 May 2021

Although the school holidays have barely started, there will be those whose thoughts are going to what car they are going to turn up for the school run, next term.  Although we can’t possibly confirm it, there is rivalry outside the playground as well as in it. We’ve been known to cast surreptitious glances at the wheels that other parents turn up in. We’ve also seen definite signs of car envy!

The AA has come up with some suggestions for style and substance that will see you getting a lot of admiring glances when you turn up with junior in the autumn.  And yes, we know that there are healthier ways to get the children to school, walking, cycling or forming a crocodile but you try doing any of that with a full cricket kit or a trombone for music class on board! 

Kia Sportage style

This is a car that offers a lot of space and is also four-wheel drive.  If four-wheel drive is what you need, then buying a used model makes this car a very affordable option.  The boot is a generous 500 litre so plenty of room for half an orchestra in there – and anything else you might need to throw in for the school run!  The touch screen Sat Nav is a very handy feature along with the cruise control and the parking sensors. A new Sportage comes with a seven-year or one hundred thousand miles transferrable warranty provided that the model has an up to date and full-service history.

Going Eco with the Renault Zoe

For those who want to be green and eco friendly this car offers more green credentials than most. It is an electric car and its battery allows you to roam over one hundred and sixty miles, so unless you are sending your child to school in a different country this should be more than enough to cover a weeks worth of school runs.  It has a good boot size as well and you can pick one up second hand for about £7500.

Safety first with Volvo XC60

Safety is probably one of the key factors that we look for in a car but some cars take this to an art from.  The Volvo XC60 comes with a five-star commendation – its test results at EuroNCAP heralded it as the safest car ever tested.  As a mid size SUV it’s roomy too, (take two trombones!)  It also offers a plug in hybrid model as well as petrol and diesel offerings. 

Leafy green with Nissan

Beautifully comfortable the Nissan Leaf has more to offer than the fact that it is green and clean.  The boot boasts a very impressive 435 litre capacity, plenty of room for those kits and caboodles!  It also has some intelligent features like a parking camera with and all round vision and a clever pro pilot that interprets and keeps pace with the traffic and also works to keep you at a safe distance from the vehicle in front.  Some of the models have even got a self-park function to ensure that your parking always passes the eagle-eyed scrutiny at the school gates! 

Keeping it compact with the Hyundai i30

For a more compact version of the perfect school run car (think flute rather than trombone) the Hyundai i30 will be a firm favourite. Although it is a hatchback, the 390 litre boot is still spacious and the interior of the car has plenty of useful space with some handy extra storage areas.  Safety ratings are high with this car too and some of the latest models also come with handy blind spot recognition and an automatic emergency break feature.   You can choose from petrol and diesel engines and there is also a plug in hybrid currently on the drawing board! 

We hope that these few choices for savvy school gate wheels will hit the spot with you and that if you are considering buying a new car you will find a car that will suit you and the youngsters that you are currently transporting around!  There is no doubt that any OWO reader will look great in any one of these cars on the school run and the kids will love them too!