City cars are the smallest and most affordable type of new car available on the market. They can appeal to a wide-range of car buyers, including young and inexperienced drivers as well as older and experienced motorists too.
In this guide, we highlight what to look for in a city car and pick our top five most recommended city cars on sale now.
What is classed as a city car?
A city car is a small car designed mainly for driving in urban areas. Subcompact is another term some may use when referring to city cars. The safety body Euro NCAP refers to all small cars, including city cars, as superminis. However, a traditional city car, such as the Renault Twingo, is significantly smaller than a traditional supermini, like the Renault Clio.
The European Commission puts city cars in its smallest category which is called the A-segment. This sits below the B-segment - which is dominated by superminis.
Not only are city cars generally cheap to buy and run, they usually have the lowest insurance group numbers out of all the new cars currently on sale.
What to look for in a city car
If you are looking to identify the best city cars, there are some very important factors that you should consider, which we have detailed below:
Price
All cars in the city car sector are generally cheaper than offerings from other, larger categories, though there may be the odd exception.
For most new city cars in their entry trim level you can expect to spend somewhere between £8,000 and £9,000. If you’re after a new city car with a decent amount of equipment onboard, expect to pay a figure between £9,000 and £11,000.
Size
The finest new city cars on the market are small but can also be very stylish and surprisingly practical depending on how clever the design is. Depending on priorities, you may want to find a city car with a high roof line so you have decent head and legroom for two adults in the front and rear.
While many city cars offer standard boot capacity of about 160 to 200 litres, some current entries offer considerably more. For instance, the Volkswagen Up!, Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto both offer boot space of just over 250 litres, which puts them fairly close to what larger superminis can offer.
Engine
The vast majority of new city cars available will use a 1.0 or 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine. You’re not exactly going to get the same speed as a sports car from these units, but most do come in different power outputs and some can actually feel pretty sprightly.
Most of the new city cars on the market nowadays offer at least one engine which emits less than 100g/km of CO2. If you’re in the market for a city car, low costs are likely to be a priority anyway so keep a close eye on what specifications for the car your viewing offer the lowest CO2 output.
Drivability
City cars typically have light steering and very small turning circles which make them great for driving around town. They can manoeuvre around tight corners with ease and should prove a doddle to park.
Some city cars fair better with motorway driving and long winding roads than others, but the best in the class have enough steering wheel and ride comfort to cope convincingly.
Our top 5 best city cars
These city cars tick the vital box of being affordable but can put a smile on your face for other reasons. Below we outline our best city cars and discuss what makes our picks so great.
Volkswagen Up!
The Volkswagen Up! is not the cheapest city car option around, but it really stands out because it does more than tick all of the essential boxes. Available in three and five-door guises, the Up! boasts class-leading steering which feels both weighty and easy-going. This car delivers plenty of grip and minimal body roll through winding roads.
Even better, the boot of the Up! offers 251 litres of capacity as standard. Not many other city cars can get even close to that figure. There’s also a surprising amount of rear headroom inside the high quality cabin and trim levels from the mid-range upwards come with a decent amount of luxury kit as standard. It’s strong points like these which earn the Volkswagen Up! a spot in our top 5 best city car guide.
If the Volkswagen Up! is beyond your budget, then you might want to consider the car’s cheaper siblings – the Skoda Citigo and the SEAT Mii. They share the same platform and virtually all the same components as the VW.
The key differences in the construction of the Skoda and SEAT are in styling and the quality of interior materials. Though they feel little a less sophisticated, but the Citigo and Mii are still among the best entries in the city car class.
Find prices for the Volkswagen Up hatchback
Hyundai i10
When Hyundai released the current-gen i10 back in early 2014, it was not just a big step forward compared to its predecessor but it also makes a solid case to be considered one of the best in the city car segment.
Significantly refreshed since its arrival, Hyundai has done a great job with the latest i10 in providing a drive that feels really smooth and very well refined. Compared to similar priced alternatives, the i10 feels more adaptable to a variety of driving situations.
The i10 also has a very smart looking interior which is more spacious than most of its competitors. The boot capacity, measured at 252 litres as standard, is also far more than most rivals and is almost identical to the VW Up! and its siblings.
Find prices for the Hyundai i10 hatchback
Fiat Panda
The Panda does not sell as well as Fiat’s other current city car, the very popular 500, but it has its own charm and is very likeable for several reasons.
For starters, the Panda is significantly cheaper than the Fiat 500. Also, even with its tall stance, the Fiat Panda handles quite impressively and there’s little body roll. Engines available for the Panda include the excellent 0.9-litre TwinAir turbocharged petrol unit which blends performance and efficiency nicely.
The stylish interior is surprisingly spacious, making the Panda a worthy option for anyone after a compact family motor. The Fiat Panda is a versatile little car and there are even a couple of tougher off-roader versions available – the Panda 4x4 and the Panda Cross.
Find prices for the Fiat Panda hatchback
Vauxhall Viva
The successor to the Agila, the latest Vauxhall Viva is a five-door city car which like its larger counterparts, the ADAM and Corsa, sports a nifty, modern design for both the exterior and interior.
With so much competition in the city car segment, the Vauxhall has a tall order making its driving experience stand out. It manages to however, because the steering is nicely weighted and the suspension set-up feels well balanced. The naturally-aspirated 1.0-litre ECOTEC petrol unit with 74bhp offers a pleasing amount of pulling power, boosting the Viva’s appeal further.
Having cruise control and a lane departure warning system as standard is another plus point worth mentioning. Some other city cars do refinement and equipment levels slightly better, but the Viva is overall very competent at everything you’d want it to be good at.
Find prices for the Vauxhall Viva hatchback
Peugeot 108
The Peugeot 108 boasts cute styling and some good little petrol engines. The 1.2-litre PureTech unit with 82bhp particularly stands out, making driving through town or the motorway feel easy peasy.
The 108’s drive is not as engaging or as comfortable as some other city cars, but the light steering and small turning circle are both welcome, especially if you’re an inexperienced motorist.
Peugeot’s city car also offers plenty of choice to buyers - in terms of trim levels, some personal customisation for styling and the choice of three or five-doors. There’s even a cabriolet version of the 108 to go with the standard hatchback, called the 108 TOP!, which features an electric-folding fabric roof.
The Peugeot 108 shares the same platform and key components with two other current city cars, the Citroen C1 and the Toyota Aygo, which both have their own distinct exterior styling.