Some families with more than three children will need space for the extra passengers in their car. Current road safety legislation forces such families to look for cars with more than the standard five seats to ensure comfort and safety for all on board.

The Renault Espace was probably the first of the people carriers that are sometimes called MPVs or multi-purpose vehicles. Today, the Renault legacy lives on with cars that offer more than five seats and reach high levels of safety.

For me, an MPV is a car with seating for more than five people. While there are hosts of cars in this segment of the market, not all deliver the space and comfort. Mini MPVs don’t do it for me – they are no more than a standard car with an excuse in the form of a name. Often the design of the second row of seats is more for two passengers rather than three.

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For an MPV to satisfy modern family motoring, it needs to be a cleverly designed car so that the seats can fold flat when not needed. Ideally, the seats should be independent so they can be moved individually.

The third row of seats should be such that there is enough legroom for adults, while there should be reasonable boot space when all seven seats are in use. The middle seats should be easily adjustable for access and built on a sliding rail.

There needs to be good headroom for all passengers. And the passengers need to be able to see the road.

The leading MPVs on the market include the Ford Galaxy and S-Max, both solid cars with great driving comfort and loads of space. These are cars that retain their solid feel.

Other contenders in this size include the Seat Alhambra and the Volkswagen Sharon. All four are big and practical cars with great seat flexibility, but you need strength to move these seats around.

Citroen’s C4 Grand Picasso is another leading load carrier. This is a modern and stylish MPV that delivers impressive levels of comfort with huge space.

At the more compact end is the Peugeot 5008, Renault Grand Scenic and the Opel Zafira, which have fought for market leadership. Ford offers some competition in this size with the Grand C-Max, but somehow it feels like a smaller car.

Kia’s Carens is another price competitive seven-seat option. It’s compact, economical and impressive to drive. Toyota offers the Verso and the more economical Prius MPV.

Some of the smaller van conversions can be very suitable MPVs. They may not have the styling impact or the comfort, but they will deliver a value for money option. Moving up to the mid-range van, options such as the Ford Connect, Volkswagen Transporter, Fiat Scudo, Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert all offer great space. While being a bit more cumbersome than some of the other MPVs, they offer very practical solutions as the family expands to include the local football team at the weekends.

Some of the larger 4x4s double up as capable MPVs when they are fitted with three rows of seats. Good examples are the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Land Rover Discovery, Mitsubishi Pajero, Toyota Land Cruiser, Volvo XC90 or the new Nissan X-Tail. They are more expensive to buy and to run than a standard MPV, with road tax levels rising to €1,200 in many cases.

After that listing, where seven seats is the only common denominator, my choice for comfort will be the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, for practicality and space, the Ford Galaxy and for rugged off-road ability, the Land Rover Discovery.