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What fits in a car boot?

Renting or packing the car? Here's the boot capacity of 17 popular models — and how many cabin and checked bags actually fit in each. Tap any car for a visual boot guide and a live packing calculator.

Calculate your exact load

Tell the calculator your bags and your car class, and it shows whether they fit — with a visual boot fill gauge. Great before you book a rental size.

Open the Luggage Fit Calculator →

Boot capacity by model — biggest first

CarTypeBoot (seats up)Bags that fit
Hyundai Tucson
also covers Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage
suv ~620 L ~8 cabin / ~5 checked
Skoda Octavia sedan ~600 L ~8 cabin / ~5 checked
Tesla Model Y suv ~600 L ~8 cabin / ~5 checked
Toyota RAV4
also covers Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail
suv ~580 L ~8 cabin / ~5 checked
Hyundai Ioniq 5 suv ~527 L ~7 cabin / ~4 checked
Nissan Qashqai suv ~500 L ~7 cabin / ~4 checked
Dacia Duster suv ~472 L ~6 cabin / ~4 checked
Mazda CX-5 suv ~438 L ~6 cabin / ~3 checked
Toyota Camry
also covers Nissan Altima, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic
sedan ~428 L ~6 cabin / ~3 checked
Tesla Model 3 sedan ~425 L ~6 cabin / ~3 checked
Ford Mustang Mach-E suv ~402 L ~5 cabin / ~3 checked
Volkswagen Golf
also covers Ford Focus, Renault Clio, Hyundai i30
hatch ~381 L ~5 cabin / ~3 checked
Toyota Corolla hatch ~361 L ~5 cabin / ~3 checked
Volkswagen Polo
also covers SEAT Ibiza, Hyundai i20
hatch ~351 L ~5 cabin / ~3 checked
Peugeot 208
also covers Citroën C3
hatch ~311 L ~4 cabin / ~2 checked
Toyota Yaris
also covers Suzuki Swift
hatch ~286 L ~4 cabin / ~2 checked
Fiat 500
also covers Toyota Aygo
hatch ~185 L ~2 cabin / ~1 checked

Litres are the manufacturer's seats-up VDA figure; bag counts apply a ~72% real-world packing efficiency (a checked bag ≈ 80 L, a cabin bag ≈ 50 L). Figures vary by trim and model year.

The quick rule of thumb

  • Supermini (≈300 L) — 2 people travelling light; ~2 checked bags.
  • Family hatch / saloon (≈400–500 L) — a family weekend; ~3 checked bags.
  • Compact SUV / estate (≈550–620 L) — a family holiday with room to spare; 4+ checked bags.

Frequently asked questions

How many suitcases fit in a car boot?

As a rule of thumb, a large (checked) suitcase needs roughly 80 litres of boot space once you account for the fact that rigid cases don't pack perfectly, and a cabin bag needs about 50 litres. So a 380 L hatchback boot swallows around 3–4 cabin bags or 2–3 checked cases; a 580 L SUV takes 5+ cabin bags. The table above gives the figure for each model.

What is a good boot size for a family?

For a family holiday with checked luggage and a pushchair, look for around 450–500 litres or more — most compact SUVs (RAV4, CR-V, Qashqai) and large estates clear this comfortably. Superminis (300–350 L) work for two people travelling light but fill up fast with a full family.

How is boot space measured?

Most manufacturers quote a VDA figure in litres, measured seats-up by filling the boot with 1-litre blocks up to the parcel shelf. Our calculator applies a real-world packing efficiency (about 78%) on top, because soft and rigid bags leave gaps a measuring block wouldn't — so the bag counts reflect what actually fits.

Does an SUV always have a bigger boot than a saloon?

Not always. A large estate or a saloon with a deep boot can match or beat a compact SUV on outright litres — an SUV's advantage is height and a square shape that's easier to load. Compare the litres in the table rather than assuming by body style.

Do electric cars have less boot space?

Often similar, sometimes more. Many EVs (Tesla Model Y, Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E) add a small front trunk ("frunk") for cables and soft bags on top of a competitive rear boot. We note the frunk capacity on each EV's model page.

⚠️ Boot volumes are real-world approximations that vary by trim, model year and how the rear seats fold. Use them as a guide, not a guarantee.