Here at the Creditplus office we decided to test the digital team’s practical skills by seeing who could fit a £50 standard family shop and a few typical family items into the boots of their cars – and the results were truly surprising. The items included a buggy, a child’s scooter, some de-icer, a torch, a football and a first-aid kit; the shopping load included some nappies, baby wipes, drinks and lunch ingredients. The goal, other than to embarrass the least skilful boot-packer, was to see which one of the team’s hatchbacks had the most practical boot shape.

Toyota Aygo

Sarah’s 2008 Toyota Aygo was first to be put to the test; quite obviously the smallest of the bunch and with only a 138-litre boot space, none of us had high expectations. Known for being a city car, the Aygo is very cheap to run with road tax of only £20 a year and it is ideal for ferrying children to various activities, but it is often shunned as a family car because it is so small. Sarah made the tactical manoeuvre of putting the buggy in first, fitting it neatly in the bottom of her compact boot. She then placed the nappies above that, followed by the scooter and the rest of the shopping bags which, though a little tight, balanced on top – and the boot door closed easily on top of the load. Surprisingly enough, Sarah had managed to fit the whole £50 shop and the added extras in her tiny boot! She did however admit that the back of her car seats showed some damage as a result of her cramming in similar items while in a rush. Although she might not be the most careful boot-packer, her little Aygo successfully passed our test and managed to accommodate every item.

Mini Cooper

Following Sarah was Louise in her vibrant orange Mini Cooper with a larger 211-litre boot space. The original contents of her boot gave a few initial clues that she did not often have to stuff nappies and buggies into her car, instead featuring a patented black branded Mini bag and a few weekend essentials. After a little helpful advice from Tom to remove her parcel shelf she made a speedy start, quickly piling in the shopping bags and other items. It was all going well – until she came to the awkwardly shaped buggy, which try as she might she could not fit in the brand new Mini’s boot. This created the initial surprising result of the little Toyota Aygo being a more practical car for a family shop and the tricky child-related items than the Mini.

Audi A1

Next to face the challenge was Tom’s 2011 Audi A1, which with its mighty 270-litre boot space we were all certain would breeze through the test. The Audi’s boot looked far larger than its competitors’, both flatter and longer. Tom began by neatly placing the shopping bags and nappies in his boot, efficiently using every inch of available space. Every item fitted in comfortably, with even a bit of extra space – until the dreaded buggy resulted in another defeat for another car. No matter how long he spent re-angling the buggy he had to admit defeat against the Aygo.

Hyundai Getz

Last to compete was James’s 2002 Hyundai Getz which, even as the oldest of all the cars, was high in the running with the largest boot size of 288 litres. As expected, James effortlessly fitted the £50 shop and all the typical family items in the boot with plenty of space for more. He even managed to fit in the buggy, albeit at such an awkward angle that nothing else could have fitted on top. Still, it was a triumph for the old Hyundai.

The results of this test demonstrated that sometimes the newest, flashiest option may not be the most sensible, especially with a few kids on the way. Also manufacturers boasting about the number of litres of boot space their cars offer might not be the most helpful figure to the average person who has no clue what a 288-litre boot means. Next time you are buying a car, take a few shopping bags and maybe a buggy with you, or tell us and we will do all the work for you – we are all getting pretty good at this.

Watch the car boot challenge video below!

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