Best Family Hatchback - AA Car Awards 2022

Winner of Best Family Hatchback

Peugeot 308

The Peugeot 308 was a comfortable winner of the Family Hatchback category for the 2022 AA Ireland Car Awards, beating off competition from its cousin, the new Opel Astra and the excellent CUPRA Born. The new Peugeot 308 not only looks well, with its dramatic styling, but it also gains a massive leap in interior quality over previous generations of the car and twin that with engaging handling and a clever choice of engines, including a PHEV and a forthcoming EV powertrain and the 308 adds to a superb all-round package. Available as a 5-door hatchback and a versatile SW Estate model, the 308 range starts with a 1.2-litre petrol engine with 130hp for under €32,000 and tops off with a 225hp PHEV for just under €49,000. Juror David O’Caoimh from Done Deal said of the 308, “The Peugeot 308 is a gorgeous looking car, but also has fantastic tech to back it up. What’s more is that it’s relatively well priced and is available in Petrol, Diesel Hybrid and soon EVs making it suit a variety of consumers.”

Runners Up:

Open Astra

With Opel and Peugeot now part of the one giant Stellantis Group, the Astra shares a platform with the 308 and offers a slightly more dramatic styling look than the Peugeot, which is something we couldn’t have said about Opel styling for quite a while. The new Astra starts from just under €28,000 and comes with a choice of 1.2-litre petrol engines with 110- or 130hp or an excellent 1.5-litre diesel with 130hp. 

CUPRA Born

Easily one of the best-looking cars on the market in Ireland, the CUPRA Born took the basic canvas of the Volkwagen ID.3 and showed just how its German cousin should have looked. It is a truly stunning car and proof that electric vehicles don’t need to be dull. CUPRA has made the car sporty to drive and in Ireland, the standard equipment levels are really impressive there is a decent choice of battery and electric motor combinations with the entry-point costing just under €40,000. If you need an EV and it doesn’t have to be an SUV then this is where you should look first.