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Our list of the most popular and best-suited vehicles for professionals.
If you’re working in a professional role that requires a fair amount of travelling to clients and business meetings, then it makes sense that you want a car that not only oozes class but you may also want a motor that’s comfortable to drive and that also has relatively low running costs to help keep expenses down.
Finding the right car that suits the working professional’s lifestyle differs from finding a vehicle for an alternative situation, as the priorities will be different.
A car that’s perfect for transporting families will likely be less suited for wheeling clients and business partners to meetings and work events.
To help you find the right car for a working professional, we at Car Adviser have put together a list of the most popular and best-suited vehicles for those in this position.
Most of these cars will have a premium feel and look. However, there are options here that suit different budgets.
Whether you’re at the bottom of the corporate ladder or leading a successful business venture, here are some of the best cars that fit the working professional lifestyle.
If you’re looking for a different kind of car, we have multiple guides and lists to help you find the perfect vehicle that you can browse on Car Adviser.
You can’t get much better than the Mercedes A-Class if you’re looking for a super stylish and well-regarded car with a classy, executive look and feel. The car has a sophisticated look destined to impress any clients, and it will also keep them comfortable thanks to its high level of practicality.
The car has a fantastic driving performance that you would expect from a Mercedes vehicle, with it being smooth and controlled, allowing you to cruise between meetings in a relaxed manner.
However, if you want to put your foot down, the A-Class has excellent acceleration and speed, making it well-suited to motorway driving.
The A-Class also comes with many exciting features within the cabin, such as a stylish and slick media system. The interior itself is very well designed and put together, using quality materials to give it a feeling of elegance.
The Mercedes A-Class can also handle multiple passengers at once, with the rear of the car large enough to seat two adults well. This makes it a good vehicle if transporting an entire team to a conference.
The A-Class can be expensive to buy outright, and it doesn’t come with any mid-range options, meaning that if you’re to get an A-Class, you need to go high-spec.
Thankfully, if the A-Class is a little out of your budget, you can always purchase the car through a finance scheme available on Cazoo to make it more manageable.
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The RAV 4 from Toyota may not initially look like your traditional estate or saloon car often picked by professionals. However, it’s still a great option due to its practicality and clean, sensible design.
The Toyota RAV 4 is a fantastic option for professionals who are offered a company car, as because of its hybrid engine and low tax, you won’t have to sacrifice as much from your salary to pay for the vehicle.
The vehicle is larger than most other cars, which is what you’d expect from an SUV, so there is plenty of space for multiple passengers to travel in comfort. The rear seats are so spacious that they can be great locations for passengers to continue their work while on the road.
If you get the RAV new, you can also get a massive 10-year warranty, making it a very reliable option that’s unlikely to disappoint you. The car gets great mileage thanks to its hybrid engine, so it’s a very economical choice for any professional.
Although the car is a sensible, calculated option from a financial and practical standpoint, it doesn’t live up to the performance of many other vehicles on this list.
Its size makes it a bit less agile when steering, taking away some of the fun, and its weaker hybrid engine means it takes a bit longer to get to a fast speed.
It’s not the flashiest of professional cars, but it could be one of the more practical and calculated options.
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The DS 3 Crossback is another vehicle that goes against the standard conventions of a typical professional car. As a cross between an SUV and a hatchback, it retains a lot of the sharp and fun driving performance that categorises many hatchbacks while also keeping a lot of the practicality and space of an SUV.
This car is an excellent pick for working professionals because it has an exciting and sleek look that catches the eye and allows you to stand out and make a big impression.
It’s a very well-suited vehicle for longer-haul business trips, as there’s plenty of boot space for your equipment to be stored, allowing you to get to your meetings prepared.
It’s also a comfortable car with good suspension, helping you feel controlled when driving it. The car also has a fascinating and unusual interior, using unique spaces and design inspirations to create a comforting yet stimulating cockpit.
The vehicle also has all the exclusive features you’d expect from a professional car, such as sat-nav and an entire media system.
What also helps make the vehicle appear sleek because it has pop-out door handles usually found on much more up-market brands and models. This gives the car a more streamlined appearance and a touch of class.
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Many cars commonly chosen by professionals can be a bit brash and flashy, which may not suit those who want a more subdued and less in-your-face option.
The Golf R is a great option if you’re in the market for a competent, fast, high-performing car that purposely refrains from the visual wow factor.
Although some may find the Golf R to be a bit bland visually, with its silhouette looking like the default side profile of a hatchback, it’s definitely not boring to drive.
The car has impressive performance, with its agile steering and responsive acceleration, making it fun to drive.
It’s also very comfortable once you’re inside, offering a well-put-together cabin that is nice to be in while cruising along the motorway. That said, things may get a bit cramped if you’re travelling with a business partner, as it can be a tad compact.
This means that the vehicle is best suited for solo travellers and not other types of professionals who often transport clients and business partners.
If you need more space, you can opt to get the more extended, slightly more practical estate version, which will suit those needing more equipment. The cabin is still a bit compact, so there may be better options for multiple passengers.
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If you’re looking to get your hands on a hatchback to use as a professional vehicle because you’re interested in getting something high-performance and fun to drive, there are few better options than the Seat Leon.
This car excels in many different aspects, with it being practical in size while also being efficient and fun to drive. The car is great on city and urban roads as it manoeuvres around bends well and handles well, giving you a smooth yet responsive drive and allowing drivers to be more confident when tackling the open road.
Its suspension is also excellent, as it’s smooth on most road surfaces and also deals with potholes and bumpy roads well.
The interior is also well-designed, with the default seat alignments giving you a relaxed position and a good view of the road ahead.
The dashboard also has a premium feel, and the steering wheels are made from quality materials, making it great to hold and use. The cabin also has a lot of passenger space, making it a great option if you need to drive multiple clients, colleagues, and business partners.
The Seat Leon falters a bit because it can be expensive to insure due to its engine size and power output. You could compromise and get a weaker engine, although this removes much of what makes the Seat great.
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The BMW 3 Series is a trendy car for professionals to choose. That’s because the vehicle has that desirable style and class while maintaining a level of practicality to ensure that it’s useful.
The car drives very well no matter the situation you put it in, as it cruises confidently on the motorway and handles the twists and turns of urban or country roads equally as well. The car also boasts a stylish interior that feels upmarket and nice, making it a perfect space for clients and managers.
The 3 Series also has a lot of space, especially if you get the touring estate model. With this car, you’ll be able to fit a lot in the boot, and there’s even room to fit a pet, which is perfect if you have an office dog.
The 3 Series has many different options for the engine, giving you a good amount of choice to find one that suits you. The best is likely the mid-power option, as this still gives you a great deal of thrust while still being economical enough to be a viable option.
That said, there may be more sensible options than the 3 Series, and this is because of its running costs. Its mileage could be better, and can also cost more to insure.
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Jaguar is a classic car brand in the UK; even the name conjures images of beautiful and desirable cars. Back when the XF was first introduced, it was one of the models that helped solidify Jaguar into the executive car brand it is today.
The modern XF is no different, as it retains the iconic looks and vibe while dipping into a more contemporary look.
The new XF is still just as handsome but also drives really well while having a revamp of various features that brings the vehicle up-to-date.
The cabin is well designed, with models from 2021 onwards adopting a new multimedia system that is vastly improved from the often criticised previous version.
The XF handles all types of roads well, excelling around corners with well-weighted steering, although it does suffer from body roll. It’s perfectly suited to cruising on motorways too, which is where it finds its groove and becomes a comfortable yet exciting professional car to drive.
The car also has a responsive gearbox, helping to keep the driving smooth, which is well-complimented by the well-weighted suspension.
The car has a decent amount of practicality, as it can fit multiple passengers well, although things can become a little bit cramped if the passengers are particularly large.
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Volvo may not be a brand that typically screams executive class, as it’s more of a sensible option for families that value practicality; however, the S90 is an exception.
In fact, this model is an excellent choice for professionals and is a good alternative to the other large saloons that populate the professional car market. The car has an impressive and imposing look, achieved by its striking curves and distinctive headlights that give it a bit of character.
Everything about this vehicle is stylish, with its upright grill helping to create a confident-looking car, while the interior also looks nice and is made with high-quality materials. The car is comfortable, with a good driving position and soft seats for the driver and passengers.
The Volvo is very good in terms of straight-line speed, meaning that you can progress well when driving on the motorway.
However, it doesn’t match many other executive vehicles in terms of sheer driving experience and quality. It’s not the most agile, oversteering slightly round corners, but it’s still smooth and drives much better than more budget options.
The S90 has various engine options, with a hybrid option that can help you save on fuel expenses.
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Alfa Romeo is a brand with an excellent track record of making beautiful cars, so if looks are at the top of your list of priorities, you should consider the Giulia.
Thankfully, the Giulia isn’t just a good car to look at, as it also has a good performance and comes with pretty good running costs compared to other cars designed for professionals.
The driving is refined, with the Gulia thriving on corners thanks to its double-wishbone designed chassis. It also has a 50:50 weight distribution, helping to keep it comfortable and smooth when cruising. That said, if you enjoy shifting gears yourself when driving, you may be disappointed as the modern versions of the Gulia only come as an automatic in the UK.
For some, this may make it easier and simpler to drive, making for a more relaxing experience, but for others, the lack of a manual gearbox could take the fun out of the car.
The interior of the Gulia, especially when looking at new ones, is fantastic and of good quality, helping to tie the Alfa Romeo Giulia into a nice, well-rounded package. That said, the Gulia is not the most practical car and won’t be good at transporting passengers, making it best suited for those who prefer to work alone.
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The A6 is a model from Audi which has been around for a while now, meaning most people are aware of it and the class that comes with it. The vehicle is beautifully refined, both powerful and classy, which is an impression that many working professionals want to evoke with their cars.
The car is very agile on the road, thanks in part to some of the lightweight yet sturdy material used to make its structure. That said, its steering is its weakest feature and may not be as precise as some other cars suited for professionals.
The ride of the modern A6 is comfortable albeit firm, and older iterations may not be the most relaxing to be in. It’s smooth on good quality roads, such as motorway drives, but could be affected by potholes or other road irregularities. That’s a shame as its beautiful, comfortable interior deserves to be matched with a fantastic drive.
You can get the A6 as both a petrol or diesel option; however, both will be a bit expensive to run thanks to their low mileage. The car has a good size, with four-door options making it reasonably practical, although it does sacrifice some size to other vehicles.
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The criteria that make a car good for working professionals differ greatly from what makes a car good for a family. For many working professionals wanting an executive car, practicality may not be that high on many people’s lists. This is especially true for young professionals, who may not require space for passengers or equipment that often.
One thing that working professionals will typically be on the lookout for are cars that have striking, beautiful to look at exteriors. As the vehicle will represent them, most want something that evokes power, class, and professionalism, primarily if that vehicle is used to transport clients and business partners.
It should also be comfortable to be in and have a good quality interior, making it a nice place to spend time in and suits those who may have long and frequent journeys to get to meetings and trips.
The quality of driving is also critical when looking for a car that best suits a working professional. A car with good thrust, acceleration, and top speed will be more suited to motorway driving, which can be a bonus when cruising to different meeting locations.
It would help if you also kept an eye on the agility and cornering quality of the car, as that can affect how suitable it is for a local businessperson who may be zipping from one location to another in a single urban area.
Of course, what makes a good professional car will be down to the individual's wants and needs; however, the examples mentioned are what most people prefer.
When getting a car as a working professional, many people will likely opt for more luxurious brands that have a reputation for being good quality and stylish. Typically, this would mean that more popular body types will be saloon cars, estate cars, and sometimes four-door coupes.
That said, hatchbacks are also a type of car that is seeing increased popularity among working professionals, as they are a more budget-friendly option that provides better running costs while maintaining good performance.