VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SALOON

The Volkswagen Jetta is an elegant, neatly proportioned saloon that’s well built and attractively priced. It has plenty of cabin space and a deceptively large boot.

Against Traditionally, the Jetta has been unloved by hatchback-mad UK buyers, so its resale values are nothing special – that’s unusual for a Volkswagen.

A very likeable, very capable, compact saloon, the VW Jetta is designed to appeal to those looking to downsize from larger family cars.




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SEAT ALTEA

 

Despite its tall body, the Seat Altea is enjoyable to drive, and it looks sporty and stylish. It's roomy, keenly priced and well equipped.

Against The Altea is not as quiet and refined as some rivals, and the suspension of Sport models is too firm. Its cabin is not particularly versatile or flexible.

The Seat Altea is a stylish alternative to a conventional MPV, with sporty handling and distinctive looks, but refinement and practicality should be better. Longer XL models bring welcome extra boot space.

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PEUGEOT 308 SW

 The 308 SW has a large boot and lots of practical touches. Its engines are economical and have low CO2 emissions, so running costs are low.

Against Most rivals offer more rear-seat space and the touch-screen system is too fiddly.

The Peugeot 308 SW is a good load-lugger, and most versions are cheap to run, but it can’t match the class best for cabin space.




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HYUNDAI IX20

The Hyundai ix20 is roomy inside and the touches designed to make it versatile work pretty well. The cabin looks quite stylish, too, and the safety equipment is comprehensive.

Against It’s no better than average to drive, and the interior isn’t as classy as it looks at first glance. The noisy, under-performing diesel engine is best avoided.

The Hyundai ix20 isn’t the cleverest mini-MPV or the best to drive, but it’s a decent all-rounder that gives you loads of space.



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MAZDA 3 SALOON

Both the petrol and diesel engines are economical, and the 3 Fastback handles neatly and comes with plenty of equipment. It’s cheaper than many other compact saloons, too.

Against There’s lots of wind and road noise on the motorway, and rival saloons offer more boot space.

 If you want a small saloon, the Mazda 3 Fastback is a decent choice. It’ll cost you less as a company car than its premium-badged rivals, but most private buyers will be better off with the more practical Mazda 3 hatchback.




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TOYOTA PRIUS

 The Prius swaps smoothly between petrol and electric power, and is effortless to drive around town, plus the cabin is roomy enough for families. Emissions are low and resale values high.

Against The interior plastics are disappointing, especially as the Prius is so expensive. Rear visibility is poor, there’s barely any feel in the steering and the ride can be unsettled.

The Toyota Prius makes a good family car as well as a good green car, thanks to its spacious cabin and big boot. However, it’s disappointing to drive and makes more sense as a company car than a private buy.

SMART FORFOUR

The Forfour combines a clever and spacious four-seat interior with efficient petrol engines, excellent manoeuvrability and quirky looks.

Against It’s expensive to buy, and the lifeless steering and noisy engines mean the Smart isn’t as fun to drive as other city cars.

The Smart Forfour is a conventional city car that combines lots of space with smart looks, but it’s not good enough to beat the best in the class.

VAUXHALL ASTRA GTC

The Vauxhall Astra GTC is an affordable, good-looking alternative to coupes like the VW Scirocco. It drives well, it’s practical and comes competitively equipped.

Against The styling may be a little conservative for style-conscious coupe buyers, and it won’t match a Scirocco on resale values.

The Vauxhall Astra GTC is a sharp-looking coupe with the handling to match, but it falls short of the VW Scirocco’s brilliance.

VAUXHALL ASTRA SPORTS TOURER

The Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer looks great inside and out, and its cabin is built from high-quality plastics. It’s practical, too, and the ride is very comfortable.

Against It’s expensive to buy and lease, and doesn’t hold its value well. The steering is vague.

The classy, spacious cabin is a real highlight, but the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer falls short of the best small family estates in key areas.

SKODA RAPID

There's lots of space inside, as well as a huge boot. Prices undercut those of a similarly equipped Hyundai i30 or Kia Ceed.

Against The ride is uncomfortable, the cabin materials feel cheap and there’s too much road and wind noise.

The Skoda Rapid offers lots of space for not much money. Many rivals are quieter and more comfortable, though.

AUDI A3 CABRIOLET

The A3 Cabriolet comes with strong, efficient engines, and strikes an excellent balance between comfort and control on SE suspension. It's refined, the interior is beautifully built and resale values are high.

Against It’s fairly expensive to buy, there isn’t much space in the rear seats and the optional S tronic automatic gearbox is rather jerky.

The Audi A3 Cabriolet is great to drive and fantastic to sit in. It’s a superb open-top.

MG3 Hatchback

The MG3 is cheap and comes with lots of equipment. Good interior space means four adults will be comfortable, and insurance costs are low.

Against The engine feels weak and emissions and fuel economy are poor. The steering is too heavy at low speed, the ride is harsh and the interior feels low-rent.

The MG3 is cheap to buy and insure, but it’ll cost you more to run than many rivals because it loses its value more quickly, uses more fuel and emits more CO2. It isn’t particularly good to drive, either.

CITROEN DS4

The Citroen DS4 is a good-looking, high-quality alternative to a conventional small family hatch. The engines have proven themselves to be corkers, and it promises to be well equipped.

Against The coupe-like looks don’t come cheap, and they don’t do much for the car’s practicality, either. The ride is just too harsh for UK roads.

If you’re looking for something a bit different to conventional family hatches, the Citroen DS4 could suit you. However, make sure you can live with a firm ride and that you value style way above practicality and comfort.

NISSAN PULSAR

 

It has one of the roomiest interiors in the family car class, plus it is well equipped and refined.

Against The unsupportive seats compromise long-distance comfort, and only the more expensive versions get a colour touch-screen. Resale values aren't great, either.

Nissan Pulsar is a good all-rounder, especially if you go for one of the cheaper versions.

NISSAN LEAF

The electric Nissan Leaf costs peanuts to run, it’s comfortable and is roomy enough for a family.

Against The very nature of electric motoring (up to eight hours for a full charge, and a limited range that drops drastically in cold weather) means that the Leaf won't suit many people’s lives.

The Nissan Leaf is easy, fun and comfortable to drive, and the leasing option makes it more affordable. Just make sure you can live with the limited (and not always consistent) range.

TOYOTA AURIS

The Auris is well priced, affordable to own and backed by a five-year warranty. The Hybrid model is a seriously cheap company car, too, thanks to its ultra-low CO2 emissions.

Against It's pretty dull to drive, refinement really should be better and the cabin trim isn't as classy as it is in the best small family cars.

The Toyota Auris is a decent car that should be painless to own. Unfortunately for Toyota, though, there are much, much better cars in this class.

HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK

It has a huge boot and clever rear seats. The engines are strong, particularly the 1.6 diesel, which is also impressively efficient.

Against The steering and ride are disappointing, while the refinement, headroom, visibility and dashboard layout are downright poor.

 The Honda Civic has some good points, particularly the performance and economy of its small diesel engine. However, it disappoints in too many key areas to challenge the class leaders.

FORD FOCUS ESTATE

The Focus Estate is the sweetest-handling of all small estate cars. It's also competitively priced and as practical as most rivals.

Against Interior quality isn't in the same league as a Volkswagen Golf Estate's and resale values are weak. The low-speed ride might be a little firm for some tastes, too.

The Ford Focus Estate is a good family estate car: it's great to drive, practical and well priced.

SKODA OCTAVIA ESTATE

A cavernous boot and roomy cabin make the Octavia Estate practical, while efficient engines help keep running costs low. You get a lot of equipment and a classy cabin, and the handling is composed.

Against It could be more refined and the ride is a bit unsettled around town.

In every practical way, the Skoda Octavia Estate is the best car in its class. It’s also relaxing to be in and should be painless to own.

MAZDA 3

The Mazda 3 is available with a range of efficient petrol and diesel engines. It’s also fun to drive and relatively good value, and all versions are well equipped.

Against The petrol engines aren’t turbocharged, so they need to be worked hard if you want to make brisk progress. It’s not as refined as some of its rivals, either – there’s plenty of wind and road noise on the motorway.

The Mazda 3 isn’t far adrift from the best in the class. It’s stylish, well equipped and relatively cheap to buy and run. It’s just a shame it’s not more refined.  

HYUNDAI I20

A spacious interior, lots of standard equipment and keen pricing all work in the i20’s favour. The petrol versions are refined, too.

Against Sluggish performance, a firm ride and so-so interior quality mean the i20 falls short of challenging the best small cars.

The new Hyundai i20 is a sensible, well-priced supermini that has a lot of space and is well equipped, but is let down by its below-par engines.

VAUXHALL ASTRA

The Vauxhall Astra has sharp looks, great quality, smooth ride, good refinement and secure handling. There's plenty of space inside, too.

Against It’s expensive to buy and lease, and doesn’t hold its value well. The steering is vague.

The classy, spacious cabin is a real highlight, but the Vauxhall Astra falls short of the best small family hatchbacks in too many other areas.

VOLVO V40

All V40s have a smart, high-quality cabin and plenty of standard equipment. The strong, smooth engines have impressive fuel economy and CO2 emission figures.

Against The ride is overly firm, the gearshift is notchy and there's too much road noise. Some of the interior buttons are fiddly.

The Volvo V40 is great in some respects, but it's average or below par in too many other areas to challenge the class leaders.

MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is available with some strong and efficient engines, plus it looks stylish and resale values will be strong.

Against The ride is overly firm, yet most models handle poorly. It doesn’t feel as classy as an Audi A3 inside, and higher-spec models are pricey.

The Mercedes A-Class looks great inside and out, but rivals are classier, better to drive and more refined, so it’s hard to recommend.

CITROËN C4 CACTUS

It’s stylish, relatively comfortable and remarkably cheap to run. The 109bhp 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine is strong and smooth.

Against The ride can be crashy on poorly surfaced roads and Citroen has loaded too many features on to the touch-screen system.

The Citroen C4 Cactus isn’t perfect, but if you want SUV styling in an affordable package, it’s one of your best bets.

HYUNDAI 130

The cabin is spacious, classy-looking and well-finished, while the diesel engines are frugal and relatively smooth. The Hyundai i30 rides well, and the standard spec is generous.

Against The steering is lifeless and frustratingly vague around the straight-ahead. The gearshifts can be notchy, too.

There’s a lot to recommend the Hyundai i30. It provides an extremely tempting mix of talents, and all for an affordable price. It’s worthy of serious consideration.