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Estate cars aren鈥檛 as popular as they used to be. Like MPVs, estate cars tend to be overlooked in favour of more rugged looking SUVs and crossovers.

There鈥檚 still a place for estate cars, though. In many ways they make a great used buy. Anyone who has luggage space as a top priority should consider an estate car, as the best estates have more room for bags than the equivalent SUV.

It doesn鈥檛 apply to all estate cars, but because they鈥檙e not as fashionable as SUVs a used estate tends to be more affordable for the same age and mileage.

If it鈥檚 within your budget, you鈥檇 be bonkers to ignore the Skoda Superb Estate. These cars are hugely roomy for passengers and luggage. In fact, you can spend much more money on a used estate car and end up with less space.

Maybe you are looking for something more upmarket, in which case try the Mercedes E-Class Estate. The BMW 3 Series Touring and 5 Series Touring are also cracking cars.

Provided you can recharge the battery regularly, the most economical estate car will be a plug-in hybrid. The Mercedes C-Class plug-in hybrid can achieve 404mpg in official tests. However, on longer journeys with the battery running low, the best used estate car for real-world economy is likely to be a diesel. The latest Skoda Octavia 2.0-litre diesel returns 63.1-64.7mpg in official tests, and on a long motorway drive it should prove very fuel efficient.

Looking for the ultimate in load-lugging reliability? A used Toyota Corolla Touring Sports is what you need. These cars hardly ever go wrong. They鈥檙e also good to drive and economical to run, so they make a great used estate car.

As well as all the usual things you might check with any car, look for stains or other damage in the load area. If the car has been carrying lots of heavy items, this will have put extra strain on the transmission. So, if the car is a manual, look out for any sign that the clutch is slipping (indications could include a burning smell and difficulty changing gears).