A popular used car expert has recommended three models that offer plenty of room for families, an attractive appearance and a value of under £15,000.

Adam Morris is an Australian motoring personality who contributes to the automotive blog ReDriven, which has various buyers guides to help drivers find a dependable used car whilst avoiding unreliable models.

In one of his blog entries, Adam discusses the best family-sized cars on a £15,000 budget, stating that a used Mazda6 GT Wagon offers the perfect mix of performance and practicality.

He explained: "The Mazda6 GT Wagon is a fantastic car. It looks great, the interior is beautifully designed, challenging even more expensive luxury cars, the wagon form is supremely practical, the levels of tech and safety are excellent.

"With the turbo petrol engine, it has performance abilities to match its near perfect ride and handling. And, being a Mazda, the build quality is superb and reputation for reliability is nearly faultless. We've seen this with our CX5 and Mazda3 - they all have fantastic longevity."

A part of the company's range since 2014, the third-generation Mazda6 is available as a saloon and estate and comes with an extensive range of petrol and diesel engines.

Whilst the GT Wagon model recommended by ReDriven was not widely sold in the UK, buyers will easily be able to find the very similar Mazda6 Sport Nav Estate, which was mostly offered with either a 2.0 petrol or 2.2 diesel engine.

With a £15,000 budget, drivers can easily get behind the wheel of a clean 2018 or 2019 example, many of which have covered fewer than 50,000 miles and have a lengthy list of equipment.

Used car buyers who are interested in a more luxurious family car were also recommended by Adam to consider the Lexus GS-series, praising it for its impressive build quality and refinement.

He added: "Bringing some luxury to the list, it's the Lexus GS350, and in particular the F Sport. Okay, GS350 F Sports at this price will have quite a high mileage but, being a Lexus, that shouldn't make much of a difference.

"The GS350 in standard form is an exceptionally good car. Precision Japanese engineering, superb reliability and typical Toyota and Lexus built quality, but the F Sport adds just the right amount of flair."

Finally, whilst they are somewhat difficult to find in the UK, Adam suggested a modern Toyota Camry offers plenty of space and a reliable engine for a £15,000 budget.

He continued: "From another brand renowned for superb engineering and mechanical reliability, for $30,000 (£15,000), the Camry we'd recommend is the current-generation in the SL trim spec.

"Finding one of these for that budget could be a challenge but they are out there, they just may require some haggling. This current-gen Camry received a host of mechanical and equipment updates, and the new platform equates to more interior space and a huge boot."