For most people, driving life begins in a small car – whether you’re gifted an old family banger that’s seen better days, or you opt for shiny new one with all the bells and whistles.
This is one of the reasons that the small car market is one of the most fiercely contested, but amongst all the noise, there’s a handful of challengers that stand out from the rest.
From Ford’s humble Fiesta hatchback to Volkswagen’s ultra-stylish Polo, the LeaseCar.uk team have picked out ten of the best small cars that whilst packing a fair amount of punch in terms of power and design, are also cost effective with low running costs too.
Volkswagen Up!
The Up comes with either three or five doors, and there’s room inside for four adults. You’ll also find you can fit a surprising amount of shopping into the cleverly designed interior spaces and boot. There are two petrol engines available, a 59 bhp and a 74 bhp, both of which are economical and power the car well, so day-to-day running bills are low.
The Volkswagen Up is quite dependable by the standards of the class, and achieved the maximum five stars in its Euro NCAP crash test in 2011, with scores of 89% for adult occupant protection, 80% for child occupant protection and 46% for pedestrian protection.
Ford Fiesta
Ford’s humble hatchback has been the country’s most popular car for years – and for good reason. A fun, small car packed with the sophistication of a much larger vehicle, the Fiesta is one of the most comfortable choices in its class. Its accelerator, brake and clutch pedals are all positively weighted, making it a really easy car to drive smoothly, even for the newest drivers.
Insurance groups range from 5E to 15E, so it’s at the cheaper end of this spectrum too, whilst fuel economy and tax bills are low thanks to a range of high-tech engines.
Nissan Micra
A great budget supermini, the Nissan Micra offers lots in a very small package. Boasting good levels of handling and a comfortable ride, it also offers great fuel economy, with up to 72 mpg on the motorway. Up front, the Micra is one of the roomiest cars in the small hatchback class, offering all but the very tallest people plenty of head and leg room.
Every Micra comes with an impressive list of standard safety equipment that includes front, side and window airbags, a lane departure warning system and an automatic emergency braking system that should stop you from running into pedestrians or another car. Its up-to-date cabin also matches the smart exterior look, with plenty of customisation options available too.
Fiat 500
Fiat is Italy’s largest car manufacturer and having been around since 1899, they’ve certainly had time to perfect their design and production techniques. This is evident in every Fiat model but especially so in the Fiat 500, where the attention to detail is, quite simply, unbeatable.
Solidly built with cute retro styling and great to drive, this car has become increasingly popular and is now one of the most prevalent vehicles on British roads. Achieving 47-60 mpg, the Fiat 500 is particularly popular with young people, partly down to its low insurance costs and fuel economy.
Volkswagen Polo
Fun to drive, stylish and reliable – there’s little to fault with the Volkswagen Polo. With Volkswagen’s upmarket appeal, this model has an inbuilt sense of class – and so it should, as the brand’s creative team of designers and engineers have put extensive research and testing into this car’s appearance and performance. The result is a vehicle that is pleasing in every way – the exterior, interior and drive are all outstanding, and VW’s emphasis on comfort is really noticeable in the cabin, making every journey a pleasure for you and all your passengers.
With its latest facelift, the model has grown up considerably both in interior space and also in character, so that even though it’s the Golf’s smaller brother, the Polo is actually one of the bigger cars in its class – yet still very manageable and light to drive day-to-day. Add to that a range of fuel-efficient engines and a modern, easy to use interior and you get a better idea as to why so many buyers pick the small VW.
Toyota Yaris
Arguably one of Toyota’s most celebrated vehicles, and now with the option of hybrid power, Toyota’s little hatchback is more popular than ever before – particularly amongst drivers that value low emissions and cheap running costs.
On the inside, the Toyota Yaris’ design gives it an upright windscreen, big side windows and a decent rear screen so it’s easy to see out of. Plus, the current model is bigger than its predecessor, giving its passengers more room to play with. In terms of safety, the Yaris was awarded the maximum five stars when it was evaluated by Euro NCAP, with safety features including Toyota’s Emergency Brake Signal system. In the event of an emergency stop, it activates the car’s hazard lights along with the brake lights to warn following vehicles.
Peugeot 208
With the most recent 208, Peugeot have really cranked up the French chic design both inside and outside the vehicle – but this isn’t a car that’s all style over substance. Aside from the fully electric e208 model, there are four 208 engines to choose from. With each, the ride is solid and stability at motorway speeds is good.
Rear parking sensors are standard on all Peugeot 208 models – which is great news for novice drivers still perfecting their parallel parking skills – and despite its sleek, sporty profile, your view out of the rear of the car isn’t compromised. The 208’s official CO2 emissions are also impressively low among small cars and similarly, claimed fuel economy figures are decent compared with class standards, helping to contain running costs.
Kia Picanto
City cars like the Kia Picanto are a common choice for new drivers, as they focus on cheap motoring with as little compromise as possible on space, quality and driving characteristics. Importantly, the Picanto has light steering at low speeds combined with a relatively tight turning circle, so it’s a doddle to thread through traffic and park in tight spaces.
All Picantos have five doors, so carrying passengers is easy, plus it has one of the better boots in the city car class. Overall, it’s a strong contender in its class, thanks to impressive interior dimensions for its size, a competitive price list and low insurance and every day running costs.
Hyundai i10
The Hyundai i10 boasts a good blend of practicality, reliability and solid build quality, which all work towards a great car that’s a joy to drive. The i10 is the South Korean company’s smallest model, but still offers ample space for four adults, and while you only get two engines to choose from, with no turbos or diesels, performance is surprisingly strong.
Out in the real world, the i10 handles quite tidily and the ride quality is comfortable for such a small and light car. Also offering impressive fuel economy and low CO2 emissions, all of the 1.0-litre versions sit in insurance group one, while even the 1.2 is only in group four or five.
Skoda Fabia
Offering lots of practicality, decent space inside and a range of efficient engines, the Skoda Fabia is one of the best superminis available in the UK today. Rivals for the Fabia are plentiful, but few offer the same level of tech, space, and comfort.
The latest Fabia sports a sharper-edged design than its predecessor, and inside new interior trims and colours have been added, as well as revised graphics on the dash to sharpen the styling even further. Neat features such as a rear courtesy light and front reading lights are standard on all, and SE models have a speed limiter and rear parking sensors too. In terms of reliability and safety, the Fabia took sixth place out of 26 in Auto Express’ Driver Power satisfaction survey.
