Small-ish, reliable but space for 2 child seats. Possible?

[StevieT735]

So, the wife and kids are going to be returning to the U.K. early next year. We have previously borrowed the mother in laws Nissan Juke, but now we have 2 children in rear facing car seats, so something a bit more spacious inside will be required (the Juke is pretty cramped inside once you get child seats in the back, the front seats are almost unusable).

Our preference is for a Manual, Petrol, Small MPV or decent sized hatchback.
The car will be parked on an awkward shaped drive and mainly driven by my wife, so really don’t want a full sized MPV or estate, but the car must be able to fit an extended rear facing child seat behind both driver and passenger seats.

Budget is up to £5k. Ideally less but I think there should be plenty of choice for that.

My initial thoughts were Honda FRV or Ford C-Max. The Hondas appeal being the flexible
seating and reputation for reliability. However they are getting old and aren’t that common. The Ford with there being more about I’d hope would be a cheap car to run/maintain....

Any thoughts on this?

[ZX10R NIN]

The C Max is a good reliable option as is the Mazda5:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009113...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...

Also take a look at the Grand Scenic:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007241...