Moving the family around in Singapore can be done inexpensively, as shown in our list of pre-owned seven-seaters costing less than S$80k

SINGAPORE

In the era of high COE prices, preowned cars are a hot commodity, and nothing’s hotter than a car that can do it all in Singapore - we’re talking about MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles) of course. They’ve seen a resurgence in 2022, despite the SUV trend going wild, but it’s hard to fight against the sheer practicality of the MPV, even if some SUVs do pack seven seats, they’re inevitably less spacious and/or useful. To that end, we’ve picked out five MPVs that pack a lot of value for your preowned car dollar.

2016 Toyota Sienta
COE Expiry: 02 June 2026
S$55,800

Almost everything we say about the Honda Mobilio below also applies to the Sienta, but the small MPV from Toyota has some obvious advantages over its rival: Sliding doors and more headroom. As our review from 2016 notes - and the Sientas you see on our roads - the Sienta is a spot-on MPV for Singapore for its easy driving nature, plentiful headroom, and decent cargo space. But as we also found out in our test drive, don’t expect much by way of driving thrills due to the high centre of gravity.

2016 Honda Mobilio
COE Expiry: 10 Apr 2026
S$70,800

Honda’s small seven-seat MPV, the Mobilio, debuted here in 2015 and its key draw was a low pricetag, ease of handling, and low price tag, as we mention in our review from that time. Its small charm has not been lost in the passing of the years: It’s a full three-row, seven-seater, although as a small car, don’t expect to fit adults in the last row on a trip to Malaysia - or at least, without violence. It’s a budget Honda, so the inside is a little plasticky, but it’s hard wearing and there shouldn’t be any surprises in terms of ownership, ie. it should be cheap to run. It has more of a low-slung MPV shape, so it’s a good choice if you want to avoid the tall-boxy-dorky look. 

2013 Volkswagen Touran TDI
COE Expiry: 27 July 2025
S$52,500

Going European needn’t be hugely expensive, and that’s also extra true if you can find a nice preowned European car like this Volkswagen Touran. VW’s small MPV has always been a popular choice here, and for a limited time it was also available as a rather economical diesel (aka TDI) model. This 2013 model has a 1.4-litre turbodiesel engine good for sub-5.0L/100km, which means long-term savings if you drive a lot. VW updated the Touran to a second-gen model in 2017, which we tested, but it remained similar to this model here in efficiency terms.

2016 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Diesel
COE Expiry: 26 Jun 2026
S$54,888

CarBuyer tested the contemporary Grand C4 Picasso with a petrol engine, but the five-seat C4 Picasso in the diesel variant (go figure), so read both of those articles and cross ‘em up to figure what you’re getting into. The C4 has always been an interesting MPV, with its extra large windscreen, pullback sunshades, airy interior, and unique design putting a fun spin on the chore of people moving. Like the VW above, this is the turbodiesel version, so the plentiful torque is great for hauling bodies while being fuel efficient.

2014 Toyota Estima 
COE Expiry: 12 Oct 2024
S$55,200

Ok we lied, this isn’t a seven-seater - but wait, don’t go, because it’s an eight-seater. Yes, people movers that can carry more than seven do exist, and this here Toyota Estima (aka Previa, for the officially-imported model) is one of them. It’s a large, spacious MPV, and ditches the seven-seat model’s comfy dual second-row chairs for a three-seat bench, with another three-seat bench in the rear. As our review of the seven-seat official Previa goes, cars like this may not be flashy, nor the latest thing, but they have plenty of appeal. The only thing to note is that it has a large 2.4-litre engine, so go easy on the gas or open your wallet wide.