We welcomed our second child into the world in December. Frustratingly, our car was stolen and found burned out a few days later. I’m now trying to buy a second-hand family car and am at a bit of a loss as I’ve never bought a car before (my first car was inherited and our last one was bought by my husband). This is a long-winded way of asking if you’d have any advice regarding a reliable petrol or hybrid car that one can buy second-hand for under €25,000. We like the Skoda Octavia. We just need enough space for a family of four and lots of space in the boot. From SP, Dublin city.

Firstly, our sympathies on your car situation, but congrats on the new arrival. With two youngsters bootspace is non-negotiable. And while you don’t need a diesel – and mention petrol or hybrid – that will limit your choice of older cars, first registered when diesel dominated sales.

Nonetheless, there are a few options I’d point you towards. First, it is the Skoda Octavia you mention. A firm family favourite in Ireland, though there are limited numbers on the market right now at your price point that aren’t more than six years old.

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Looking around, I spotted a couple of estates that should be considered: a Toyota Corolla estate and a Ford Focus estate. The Focus I came across was a 2023 1-litre petrol, which can prove thirsty on long motorway runs, but it’s nice in town and surprisingly sprightly.

The others were several 2023 Suzuki Vitaras and a 2019 Mazda CX-5. The latter will give you more space, but both cars are eminently impressive family haulers. I asked Paddy Comyn at the classified ads website DoneDeal.ie for his suggestions as well, and he offered up a Vitara as one of his main options.

I’d certainly take a spin in a Suzuki and bring your pram along to the test drive as well to properly assess the space once you’ve loaded it in the boot and fitted any future child seats in the rear. I know you didn’t mention crossovers or SUVs, but those with families do find the added height helps when loading and unloading children – and child seats – and right now there simply aren’t the old-school people carrier options on the market.

When it comes to the buying experience, remember, you have your budget set, so don’t budge from that. Patience and calmness kills sales pressure. Go in with the intention of leaving to sleep on any offer. Don’t buy the lines about other buyers: this is not like the housing market, and you’re not buying a rare classic; there will be plenty more car options out there.

Ask plenty of questions about its service history, the warranty cover (for how long and what exactly it covers), the previous owners and if there has been any damage repair on the car, and ask for a history check from the likes of Cartell or motorcheck.ie.

Also, a test drive is not a commitment to buy; don’t let them throw figures at you – tell them to write it all down for you to take away and consider; and finally, do just that: walk away and consider.

With nothing to trade in, you might find it harder to bargain on the price, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it your best shot. And if you don’t like haggling, some outlets offer haggle-free deals that also come with the chance to hand the car back after several days if you aren’t happy.

There is also one other option: the new Dacia Sandero. It starts at €18,890, has two Isofix fittings in the back, a 410-litre boot that’s bigger than the Golf and just might be the option if you wanted to opt for new – and the reassurance that brings in terms of a three-year/100,000km warranty. Best of luck.

We have a 2021 Kia eNiro. We bought the car because of the range, which varies between 400-500km depending on the time of year and driving conditions. However, we find the car too big for the two of us and would like a smaller one with at least the same range and preferably greater. I have found a number of smaller cars that claim a range of around 400km only. I’m wondering if there are any new smaller EVs in the 2026 pipeline that will match our eNiro range or, better still, greater.From Hugh H, Co Dublin.

The essential difficulty here is one of size. The Niro is actually one of the more compact electric vehicles on the market right now, and once you start going smaller, you run into the problem of less space for the battery. Batteries have become, in recent years, more “energy-dense” (which means they can store more energy for a given size), but the basic maths is pretty simple: a big battery takes you further. While it’s true that a smaller, lighter, more efficient car can make up some of that loss of battery size and capacity, size still very much matters.

However, there are some options, but do bear in mind that a car which claims a range of 400km will very likely only actually return 300km or thereabouts in real-world conditions. We have noticed that some 50kW batteries promising 400km in range struggle to hit 280km in these colder times.

Right now, your best option is to stick with Kia but switch to an EV3. The EV3 is actually slightly wider and taller than the Niro, but it’s about 100mm shorter overall. With the bigger battery option, the EV3 has a claimed range of up to 563km. Even with its smaller battery, it claims a 426km range, and Kias (and Hyundais) tend to be better at reaching their claimed range numbers than most rivals.

If you want to go really small, you could consider a Hyundai Inster, a brilliant little car which is only 3.8 metres long, about 600mm shorter than the Niro. The compromise here is that the range is not as good, with the bigger 49kWh battery version managing just 370km of claimed range. That said, it coped easily with a Dublin to Belfast run, so it may well be enough for you, and it’s a hugely affordable car.

Alternatively, you could switch away from the Korean brands and consider a Volkswagen ID.3. That’s about 200mm shorter than the Niro, but still very roomy inside. If you don’t like the styling of the ID.3, the Cupra Born is essentially the same car under the skin and is a slightly sportier to drive.

The new Renault 5 E-Tech is a fantastic little car, and it’s properly little – 3.9 metres long (that’s 500mm less than the Niro) and fantastic fun to drive. It looks great too, but rear space is compromised, and you’ll only get 320-350km out of a full charge at best.

It might be best to wait. The VW Group is poised to launch, later this year, three key new small and affordable EVs across its Volkswagen, Cupra, and Skoda brands. The pick of the bunch will probably be the handsome new ID. Polo hatchback, which will be about 4 metres long, and which should have a claimed range of about 450km when it finally arrives here.