It’s mechanically identical to the Kia Picanto at the top of this list, right down to the duff automated manual transmission.
Read our Hyundai i10 review
8. Toyota Aygo X – £16,130
The city car formerly known as the Aygo has grown up: the suffix X has theoretically turned the city car into a baby SUV.
In reality, it’s a larger car than the old Aygo but still a tiddler, despite sharing its platform with the Toyota Yaris. This means there’s enough room in the back for adults and the boot, at 231 litres, is a decent enough in size.
The ride, comfort and isolation are on par with those of a supermini – as is motorway stability. And the interior is light and airy.
Acceleration, however, is not a strong point. Against our stopwatch, it clocked a 0-62mph time of 16.7sec. The 1.0-litre 71bhp three pot is severely lacking in torque and feels treacle-like up until 6500rpm.
Read our Toyota Aygo X review
9. Fiat 500 – £16,790
A car so popular it spawned its own subgenre of Twitter. The Fiat 500, like the Panda with which it shares mechanicals, is utilitarian in that it’s small and simple. But unlike the Panda, the 500 is also chic, charming and customisable. It’s shamelessly aimed at and advertised to young people – and if you’re sold on the looks, it’s a sensible buy, because parts are cheap and it’s elegantly easy to drive.
From new, there’s only one engine on offer: a 1.0-litre mild hybrid. If we can compare the different types of hybrids to curry, where the PHEV Mercedes-AMG SL 63 is a jalfrezi, the 500 is a korma, as its 69bhp offers very little in the way of pace, pizzazz or speed.
10. Suzuki Swift – £17,199
Suzuki is famed for longevity, real-world MPG and finance offers. If you don’t particularly care for German badges or the last word in refinement, the Swift is an undercover gem.