MPV (multi-purpose vehicle)
A spacious family car with a tall roof and usually five to seven seats, focused on passenger and luggage volume.
MPV stands for multi-purpose vehicle, also known in the Netherlands and Germany as a monovolume or "Van". It is a body style with a tall roof and an upright seating position, designed to offer as much passenger and luggage space as possible within a limited length. Many MPVs have five, six or seven seats and a flexible rear-seat arrangement.
The segment was dominant as a family car in the 1990s and 2000s and has since declined sharply in favour of SUVs and crossovers. Examples from different eras are the Renault Espace, Volkswagen Touran, Citroen C4 Picasso and Ford S-MAX. Compact variants are also referred to as mini-MPV.
For load volume and transport capacity you look at the VDA boot volume, the number of seats and the option to fold or remove the second and third row; those figures are on the spec sheet. "MPV" is a factual body-style label, not a qualitative judgement.
See also: SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), Estate (station wagon), Boot volume (VDA)
Source: Body-style typology (trade literature, Wikipedia Multi-purpose vehicle); reference date 2026-05-21
No tax or financial advice. Every figure shows its source and reference date. Always compare with an independent adviser and the official source.