Compare the best small SUVs

The Skoda Karoq is the winner here. If you go for the optional ‘Varioflex' back seats, which both fold flat and lift out, you get a 588-litre boot with the seats up, or a whopping 1,810 litres with them removed.

Bit of a strange one this; while the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan are very closely related under the skin, the Tiguan has a much higher towing weight — 2,500kg instead of 2,100kg. If you want something smaller (and cheaper) that can still tow a lot, a Dacia Duster 1.5 diesel will haul 1,500kg, which is about as good as it gets for smaller SUVs.

Check out our guides on the best cars for towing and UK towing laws for trailers and caravans for more advice.

The Citroen C3 Aircross starts at less than £15,000, making it the least expensive SUV on sale right now. It’s not cheap and nasty though, it’s actually a great little car. The Dacia Sandero Stepway costs a little bit less, but that’s more of a hatchback with a ride height increase than an actual SUV. It is surprisingly spacious, though.

The most economical small SUV is the Toyota Yaris Cross, which has an official fuel economy figure of up to 64.1mpg – and that’s perfectly achievable in the real world, too.

If you want low running costs, consider the Volvo EX30 and electric Jeep Avenger. If you can charge at home, both will cost much less to run than any petrol-powered car.

The Skoda Karoq takes the prize here, because it has really good seats, and it's quite a bit bigger than most of the other models on this list, meaning you’ve got a lot more space for legs and heads.

Check out our pick of the most comfortable cars to buy.

The Toyota Yaris Cross is another winner here. Toyota has a fantastic reputation for building reliable cars, and you get the best warranty in the business to back it up – if you service the car annually, the warranty lasts up to 10 years/100,000 miles.

Because they do pretty much everything a hatchback does, but with a higher view out of the road and easier access for people who find climbing down into lower cars tricky. Strapping young kids into the back of an SUV also tends to be easier than in a hatchback.

Some SUVs offer better value than others, while others may not have styling that suit your tastes, but small SUVs are car makers' bread and butter, and with most based on proven hatchback mechanical platforms, they tend to be very well developed cars. Unless you're after a proper off-roader we would perhaps steer you away from the Suzuki Jimny, though: it's a lovely, characterful car with huge appeal, but it's pretty unrefined on the motorway, being better suited to town and off-road use.