Family saloon car 'on the demise'

Fewer people in the UK are choosing family saloon cars as their motor of choice, new research has shown.

Carried out by Aviva, the study revealed the former favourite is being replaced by smaller models, as dads look for more compact designs and mums opt for multi-purpose vehicles.

According to the investigation, households in the 1980s tended to have a large saloon - such as a Vauxhall Cavalier or a Ford Cortina - as well as a second, smaller car like a Ford Fiesta.

However, times have changed and there has been a shift towards a more equal size and value split between men and women, with diminutive run-arounds such as the Mini and the Volkswagen Golf now used as much by males as females.

Heather Smith, director of car insurance at Aviva - which serves more than 44.5 million customers around the world - said: "It appears multi-tasking mums need a vehicle fit for both work and family life while cost and fuel efficiency are increasingly important to dad."