All the things I wish I knew before I got my first ever puppy!
I'm a massive car lover. When I got Cooper I had 3 cars, one limited edition M3, one convertible Mustang and one Mini Cooper (3 door).
At the time I was trying to sell the Mustang, (which has now gone), so I didn't want to reduce the chances of a sale by using it as the dog taxi. The M3 is my baby, pride and joy and work car- I worry about taking full grown adults in it, let alone a dog...
This left me with my 3 door Mini Cooper for all dog transportation. I have to admit, little Min-Min faired well for the first 3 months, but unfortunately, Cooper was outgrowing the Cooper pretty rapidly! For me personally, I have NO interest in SUV/Mini SUV's, I live in a town, they're a nightmare to park, tend to have rubbish visibility, and at the end of the day, in my situation, it's really just me and the dog in it, I don't need anything too big!
When I searched online for ideal cars for dogs, I was flooded with results for large estate cars and even bigger 4x4's. Yes you're dog would have all the room in the world in one of them, but for most people they really aren't necessary!
I personally ended up buying a 'hot hatch' M140i BMW. The faster 'sport' version of the BMW 1 series. If you do want something a bit faster, check out my article on best sport cars for dogs. However if you're looking for a practical every day car then keep reading.
If you do decide on one of the below and are planning on buying new, I highly recommend looking on carwow to see what deals are about. My Dad ended up saving over £3,000 on a new Volkswagen Golf last year through them.
The cars are in my order of preference based on a mix of dog practicality AND drive. As much as it needs to be practical for the dog, it also needs to be something you enjoy driving. Everyone has different driving preferences so if you like the look of any of the below go for a test drive and see if it suits you in person.
1. BMW 1 SERIES 5 DOOR HATCHBACK
From £22,019. 46-63 mpg dependent on model. FWD & AWD Models.
2. AUDI A3 SPORTBACK 5 DOOR
From £19,075. 44-65 mpg dependent on model.
3. MERCEDES A CLASS
From £20,549. 42-63 mpg dependent on model.
4. VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 5 DOOR
From £21,729. 46-64 mpg dependent on model.
5. HYUNDAI I30
From £17,400. 42-60 mpg dependent on model.
6. FORD FOCUS
From £22,210. 45-63 mpg dependent on model.
7. PEUGEOT 308
From £22,060. 41-55 mpg dependent on model.
8. MINI COOPER 5 DOOR HATCHBACK
From £16,940. 43-78.5 mpg dependent on model.
9. SEAT LEON
From £19,855. 34-67 mpg dependent on model.
10. VAUXHALL ASTRA
From £19,090. 47-63 mpg dependent on model.
11. SKODA SCALA
From £18,065. 42-54 mpg dependent on model.
Whatcar Car of the Year 2020 for a family car under £20,000.
12. KIA CEED
From £18,885. 38-60 mpg dependent on model.
13. MAZDA 3
From £21,840. 41-51 mpg dependent on model.
14. RENAULT MEGANE
From £18,995. 43-59 mpg dependent on model.
15. LEXUS CT
From £26,275. 53-54 mpg dependent on model.
