Dogs are humanity’s best friends, so it’s only natural that we want them to be as carefully looked after when they are travelling in the car as they are when they’re at home with us.
Here are nine of the best machines for transporting around our four-legged pals.
Skoda Octavia Combi
Your dog typically travels in the boot of the car, so what you need is acres of cargo capacity – and the Octavia Combi has it in spades, with 640 litres of the stuff. Also, as it is an estate and not an SUV, the loading lip of the boot area is lower to the floor, so it’s less distance for your pup to have to jump into and out of the car – especially good news if they’re old or have delicate joints. Skoda even sells a Pet Pack, including a dog guard, a rear-bumper protector and a double-sided boot mat/liner, or if you prefer your hound to be on the rear seat, then the company offers a dog safety belt and a rear-seat protector to stop your pet’s claws scratching surfaces.
Kia Sorento
Moving into the luxurious three-row SUV realm, the Kia Sorento is our choice for dog owners. It can carry seven people if needs be, but if you fold the rear-most chairs down then up to 851 litres becomes available. Better still, the Sorento’s boxy styling means that the roof in the boot area remains nice and high, so that if you’ve got a larger breed of pooch, it can stand up.
Dacia Bigster
If you’re on a bit of a budget, Dacia’s smaller crossover in the form of the long-serving Duster will be a solid choice here, but the newer Bigster is, as the name hints, even bigger and gives your pet even more lounging space. Better yet, despite a move upmarket from the brand in recent years, the materials used in the boot area of the Bigster are durable and sturdy, so they can take a battering from muddy paws and sharp claws, and it’s also easy to wipe down and clean if your dog manages to get itself muddy on a longer walk.
Tesla Model Y
As an electric vehicle (EV), there’s a benefit to owning a Tesla Model Y if you’re a dog owner anyway, as its smooth driving manners will keep your pooch’s stomach calm if they’re sensitive to travel sickness. But while – as pet owners ourselves – we’d never advocate leaving a dog in a parked car for protracted periods in hot weather, there’s a system in the Tesla that can keep the interior cooled if you have to pop into a shop for a few minutes. Originally called Dog Mode, and now rebranded Pet Mode, it keeps the air conditioning in the car running even if you walk away and lock the vehicle, while a message on the screen reassures bystanders that your dog is comfortable and safe inside.
Volkswagen ID. Buzz
Sticking with EVs, if you don’t like estates but you think the boot lip is too high on an SUV for your dog to jump in and out, then the Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a compromise. It’s not cheap if you buy it new, although it has at least been out a few years to ensure there’s a stock of used examples, but it does have a vast boot area – it’s essentially a van, after all – and a low rear bumper, so those who own bigger dogs will find this VW a boon. A big body and large glasshouse also mean that there is both plenty of space to stash the associated clobber that comes with a dog (leads, balls, towels to clean them, throwing toys and devices etc), while the dog itself will get a great view of the outside world from the boot as you motor along.
Kia EV9
Another seven-seat SUV, but this one’s electric. The Kia EV9 is a car with a smooth ride and quiet manners, so the human occupants will probably love it just as much as the dogs do. But the reason this Korean machine makes the list is because of the vast amount of space it offers in five-seat mode – 828 litres. That’s enough to actually walk your pooch around the boot alone and still give it a good workout, so it would be an ideal vehicle for a dog-loving owner.
Honda Jazz
The Jazz is a genteel little city car and not the most immediately obvious choice if you own a dog. But assuming you live in an urban area yet have a dog and want to venture out of town from time to time, you might not want one of the physically giant cars elsewhere on this list for those days you’re driving around and trying to park in built-up zones. That’s where the Jazz comes in, and the reason it’s a great leftfield choice for a dog owner can be found in the rear. Honda installs what are called ‘Magic Seats’, and with these you can fold the seat bases upwards and secure them against the backrest – leaving the entire rear footwell of the car clear. A bit unorthodox to have the dog in the main cabin of the vehicle with you and not sitting on a seat, true, but the low step into the passenger compartment would make this an ideal option for elderly dogs or even small breeds with tiny legs, who might find hopping into a boot a bit of a stretch. Just don’t try to coerce a Great Dane into the back of the Jazz, perhaps…
MINI Countryman
A solid all-rounder and available in both petrol and electric forms, the latest MINI Countryman isn’t exactly mini, but that means the boot is a good size. It’s a stylish and reasonably affordable car too, and best of all most versions of the Countryman have a powered tailgate and sliding rear seats. This means you can pop the hatch as you’re walking up to the car with your dog, so they can climb in quickly or you can use the open tailgate as shelter if it’s raining post-walk and you need to towel your hound down after a stroll around the countryside, and then if you have a bigger dog but there’s just two of you in the car, you can slide the rear bench right forward to give your pet more lounging space. Also, the Countryman is one of the last MINI models which rides properly, so you won’t risk making your pooch sick as you head down lumpy back roads.
Skoda Superb Combi
What’s better than one Skoda estate option? That’s right, two. And if you think an Octavia Combi’s 640 litres of boot area is impressive, wait until you get a load of the Superb wagon’s equivalent figure – it’s 690 litres. And there isn’t really an estate car on the market that’s bigger than that right now (avoid the plug-in hybrid model, as that loses some capacity, although the resulting 510 litres of boot is still not to be sniffed at). As wonderful-to-drive as the Octavia is, the Superb is Skoda’s flagship and it has truly elegant ride quality, which will keep your hound happy as it relaxes for a sleep in the back on longer journeys.