Hi Miriam,

There are a few fully electric seven-seat vehicles, two of them from Tesla – the Model S saloon has five forward-facing seats and two rear-facing ‘jump’ seats for smaller children in the boot area, while the Model X SUV has seven forward-facing seats. However, both of these are pricey. The alternative is the Nissan E-NV200 electric van, which is also sold in a people carrier model… but not in Ireland, only in the UK, so you’d have to import one from there.

If you expand your search to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrids, however, your choice widens slightly – although, again, we should urge caution and say that seven-seat PHEVs/hybrids are also not inexpensive. However, consider the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine, Range Rover Sport Hybrid and the Lexus RX 450hL.

As a used proposition, look up the Toyota Prius+, a larger version of the regular five-seat Prius.