The best city cars – our top picks
With parking spaces at a premium in most large cities, more and more people without families are giving up their big motors for tiny ones – and if you’re one of them then our lowdown on the best city cars on the market today is for you.
These pint-sized vehicles are perfect for the urban driver, being small, economical, environmentally friendly, and fun, so let’s dive in and prove that small can be beautiful!
Volkswagen Up! – the refined city car
If you measure quality by refinement, the Volkswagen Up! Is definitely one of the best city cars around, redefining what we’ve come to expect from these tiny vehicles. There’s no longer a need to give up the feeling that you’re surrounded by a solidly built machine if you downgrade to an Up! because these little marvels are as well-built as any Volkswagen.
Suzuki Ignis
If standing out from the crowd is top of your list of priorities, the Suzuki Ignis is a great option. Suzuki has been building reliable and frankly brilliant small cars for years, and this crossover offering doesn’t disappoint with its SUV styling combined with the footprint of a city car. Don’t buy one expecting real off-road SUV performance however, because it doesn’t quite fit that bill, but if you want a quirky city car that’s got genuinely decent legroom front and back, the Ignis might be for you.
Toyota Aygo
Toyotas used to be about as stylish as a steamed pudding, but the latest offerings from the Japanese giant are sharp, futuristic and head-turning… as well as being just about the most reliable vehicles on the road. The new Aygo is great fun to drive, incredibly economical and you know you can count on it to keep going for years (the five-year warranty sure helps!).
Smart FourTwo
No review of city cars can be complete without the addition of the tiny beast that started it all – the Smart FourTwo. Yes, there are more refined, better built, nicer to drive and cheaper city cars, but if you live in the heart of Leeds or London where parking is tricky, a car that you can park perpendicular to the kerb is an absolute godsend. These cute little two-seaters are made for that exact scenario, so don’t discount one!
We’re seeing more and more of these economical little vehicles down at Trafalgar Street car park because they’re so cheap to run and make city parking so easy – even in a car park – so if you’re in the market we hope our quick guide to the best city cars on the road helps you!