Hi Mairead,

You're right on the cusp of whether you should go diesel or petrol, or indeed hybrid. If you do a lot of that mileage at higher motorway speeds, then diesel may make a lot of sense, but for a lot of people right now, making the switch into petrol or hybrid power instead is worth seriously considering. Even with used cars and your budget.

After a search through the Carzone database, here are a few ideas:

Audi Q3: classy, both petrol and diesel options in budget, good rear legroom

BMW X1: rival to the Q3, petrol and diesel options, good rear legroom and massive boot

Ford Kuga: similar space to the above, though diesel only, you get a newer car for your money though

Honda CR-V: great option all-round, though not many about - very reliable

Hyundai Tucson: good space, great reliability, loads of them about, though mostly diesel, can afford a very new one

Kia Sportage: built on same underpinnings as the Tucson, comes with a longer warranty, diesel only, though

Nissan Qashqai: loads around, but really not massive inside, petrol and diesel versions available

Peugeot 3008: petrol or diesel and very new cars within budget, massive boot

Renault Kadjar: mostly diesel, very new cars though, only average space

SEAT Ateca: petrol and diesel options, very new, above average space

Skoda Karoq: good space, though seemingly only a few diesel options around

Toyota RAV4: hybrid-only for the newer ones, massive boot and great space inside

Volkswagen Tiguan: good space inside, not a bad boot, mostly diesel, though loads on the market, the longer Allspace model is just within budget, too

Hopefully that's of help. Come back to us if you want help narrowing things down further.