Best small cars to buy in 2024

The lightest small cars are just under the tonne mark, with the Peugeot 208 dipping down to 980kg. Most others — the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, SEAT Ibiza, Honda Jazz, Dacia Sandero — cluster around the 1,100kg mark. A MINI — ironically — is a little heavier, at 1,200kg. Electric power (or more accurately the battery pack) adds a lot of weight, though. A Peugeot e-208 weighs 1,455kg, while the Renault Zoe is 1,502kg. 

It’s a pretty simple answer — the Toyota Yaris Hybrid. The Yaris has an official figure of 68.9mpg, and some independent tests have found that it can reach 80mpg if driven gently around town (where its hybrid system is at its most efficient). In electric terms, a Renault Zoe, Mini Cooper S E, or Peugeot e-208 should all average around 3.0 miles per kWh.

To find out how to improve the fuel efficiency of your car and save money at the pumps, take a look at our guide on ways to get better MPG.

The title of cheapest car in the UK is almost a tie between the Citroen C3, Dacia Sandero and Kia Picanto. The Dacia is the best of the three, because it’s spacious and good to drive, but each is a great value proposition.

Generally, small cars will be more reliable on average than bigger, more technically complex cars, but it’s difficult to guarantee anything. However, the Toyota Yaris Cross is a good bet because Toyota has an excellent reputation for reliability and you get a fantastic warranty too.

While this is something of a subjective thing, there are a couple of stand-out performances here. The Peugeot 208 has fantastic seats, which are really comfortable and supportive, while the new Skoda Fabia scores highly simply because it’s a little roomier inside than some others, so you have more stretching-out space.

Many drivers will feel more comfortable in a small car, especially in town. Certainly, all of the cars on this list are far easier to drive and park in urban areas than, say, an SUV, and these days there’s no penalty on the open road in terms of refinement nor stability. The key to ease of driving is good visibility, so the likes of the Honda Jazz and MINI Hatch score highly.

Easy answer here — it’s the Skoda Fabia, which has a 380-litre boot, easily eclipsing the luggage space of any other car here (even the roomy Honda Jazz only offers 304 litres). For reference, the Fabia’s boot is the same size as that of the larger Volkswagen Golf hatchback.

The best-performers in this category are the Ford Fiesta and the Dacia Sandero, which have (depending on the version) a maximum braked towing weight of 1,000kg for the Fiesta and 1,100kg for the Sandero.

Check out our guide on towing laws in the UK.

Yes. New small cars will generally be safer than older smaller cars. Over time, cars tend to become safer as more safety tech is developed. Also, in Europe the crash testing procedure, conducted by crash test safety organisation Euro NCAP, has become more rigorous. So a small car with a five star 2022 star rating will have more safety features than a small car with the same star rating but tested in 2016, for example.

But these are generalisations. Safety kit varies between models in a range and across different cars. To see just how much safety kit a new small car has make sure you check out the ‘Prices and Specs’ section for the review, where you can see the different safety features each model has.

Of course, it's impossible to overcome the laws of physics - a three-tonne SUV will have more impact-absorbing structure around it in the event of a collision than an 1,100kg supermini - but sophisticated electronic safety kit is now mandatory on even the smallest new car, helping avoid collisions in the first place, while crumple zones, airbags and other safety developments mean modern small cars are pretty safe in general.

There are plenty of good small electric cars, but our favourite is the Volvo EX30. It’s small but it’s comfortable and good to drive, and has a decent range if you go for the big battery version. Other highly rated options include the Citroen e-C3, Peugeot e-208 and BYD Dolphin.

The Toyota Yaris and Renault Clio hybrids are both great little cars, with relaxing driving experiences and reasonable prices.

Most small cars are available with an automatic gearbox, so your best bet here is to shortlist a few great small cars from the list above, then go test drive automatic versions of these to see which you prefer. A VW Polo with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox is hard to beat, though.