How To Find The Best Small Car

A lot of people would say a small car is all you really need. Certainly small cars have a lot going for them. Most are fun to drive, more spacious than you’d imagine and comfortable. They all seem very stylish in their own way. Of course they’re the most economical class to own. Many small cars are EuroNCAP 5-star rated and by the end of this year ESP will be standard.

There are three things to watch out for – small cars come in three different sizes, car insurance groups vary and the small differences there are in fuel economy are starting to matter. So it’s not important only to do a car comparison or twenty you also have an insurance car comparison.

Which small car suits you best will depend on your purpose and pocket. It is good idea to buy a small car with a 5-star EuroNCAP rating and ESP. If you fancy a performance model check how added fuel costs and insurance premiums will dip into your purse.

You’ve the choice of three sizes. Tiny city cars about 3.5m in length which are handy around town, very easy to drive and park. The problem is they have a tiny amount of boot space. There are only a handful of super-minis around 3.75m, this is the size most motorists liked. However many small cars have been super-sized to 4m making them the most versatile and comfortable.

Watch out for poor rear visibility with the stylish models.

If you compare the fuel consumption of small cars you won’t find a significant difference in most so you can’t be certain there will be a real difference on the road for those that rank closely.

Having said that if a car returns less than 40 mpg, over 12,000 miles – a years motoring for most – it will cost near £2,000 at todays pump prices.

So the best small car is the size that fits and is affordable. Watch those rising insurance premiums and calculate your fuel costs on the urban mpg to be on the safe side.

If you don’t like your small car, they’re easy to sell – someone has a 17th birthday every minute of the day.

Regards
Ralph

How does the new Kia Sportage SUV compare?

The new Kia Sportage announced this year, is a compact crossover SUV available as a 1.6 petrol or 1.7 diesel with 2WD or 2.0 petrol or diesel, manual or automatic. Prices range from £16,645 to £26,170.

Here’s a summary of car comparisons reviews from carbuyersinfo.

Other compact SUV UK models include the BMW X1, Ford Kuga, Honda CR-V, Hyundai ix35, Mitsubishi ASX, Skoda Yeti, Toyota RAV4, VW Tiguan. They’re all about the same size and most – not the CRV or RAV4 – have 2WD options.

These compact SUVs differ in maximum load space which is an indicator of versatility. In this respect the Kia Sportage is similar to the X1, Kuga and ix35. The Sportage has more load space than the ASX  but less than the RAV4 and Tiguan. The Yeti is easily the class leader for load space.

In most cases there’s no significant difference in diesel fuel consumption and CO2s. The Sportage does better than the CRV and Tiguan but not as well as the Yeti. There’s an obvious difference between different size petrol engines.

The X1, Tiguan and Yeti have the option of higher performance models.

Safety wise the newer models are 5-star EuroNCAP. Some of the older models are 4. They all have ESP across the range bar the Yeti which has it optional on some models. That’s a disappointment because the Yeti has the lowest entry price and could have included ESP and charged accordingly.

Kia is known as a value brand and although it has a low entry price with 2WD and a 1.6 petrol engine, its top-end price is within 10% of BMW’s highest price. Kia appear to be competing  with equipment levels rather than price.

So in summary, they’re all about the same size with similar space, similar economy, emissions, performance, safety with the exception of those mentioned. There’s a huge variation in prices so it’s a good idea to set a budget to avoid being walked up the model ranges.

Regards
Ralph
carbuyersinfo Car Comparisons - Differences & Similarities Revealed

What’s the best small car for sale in the UK?

This is a frequently asked question which is difficult to answer because there are 3 different size small cars and features like performance, economy and safety to consider. Style, comfort and prestige are a matter of personal taste.

You can then multiply what’s available with engine and trim options.

Ultimately the best small car will be the one that fits your purpose and pocket, with adequate safety features.

You’re probably best looking at size first to see how a car fits your lifestyle.

You’ve the choice between small city cars about 3.5m in length, like the Kia Picanto and Fiat 500. They’re spacious enough up front, have limited rear passenger space but tiny boots.

If you go up a size to super-minis at about 3.75m long, you’ll find less choice. The Mini and Suzuki Swift are in this class. Again spacious up front, with some improvement in rear space and boot size, though not much.

There’s most choice in the super-sized small car market. The rear passenger space and boot sizes are more acceptable. However these cars are about 4m long and many buyers question they’re small cars.

Size can also determine how easy a car is to drive and park. Most drivers think the smaller the better. This is despite the fact many small cars are now as wide as larger cars.

Once you’ve decided on the size of small car to best suit your life, you can style it with trim options and pick an engine to best fit your pocket and performance needed.

There are a wide range of engine options for small cars, both petrol and diesel. City cars start with tiny 850 engines. Some super sized – so-called –  small cars have 2.0 turbos. Although diesels have better mpg and CO2s both the cars and fuel cost more so you have to weigh it up.

Safety is a major consideration for most car buyers. The safest car is 5-star EuroNCAP rated with ESP. However it’s not quite that simple with small cars when they hit immovable objects like trees, barriers and bridges – you need to add the bigger the better.

Safety is also more than just crash protection. Perception and prevention are also if not more important. After all if you can see a hazard around you and avoid it then protection isn’t necessary.

You can see finding the best small car isn’t easy if you look into it. There are many features to consider and there’s more to them than I’ve mentioned above. Maybe I’ll make a sequence of deeper posts on each aspect.

For now, if you want to compare small car fuel consumption, emissions and performance, over on my small car comparisons page there’s a link to a guide comparing all small cars for sale in the UK – on ONE page.

Regards
Ralph

Why Use Car Comparison Sites?

You can find a comparison site for almost anything online. People make comparisons because they’re useful. Usually we look for examples, explanations or evidence to support ideas. With comparisons you can see both similarities and differences.

Car comparison sites can be used to compare performance, size, economy, safety and car insurance groups. Comfort and style are a matter of personal taste.

I’ve found producing car comparisons very surprising. In a lot of cases there are not the differences you’d imagine when you compare cars of the same size with the same type of engine.

The most popular comparisons seem to be for car dimensions comparisons, car size comparisons. And no wonder. Cars seem to just keep growing in size.

From the original 3.5m Mini, we had super minis, now they’re super-sized at 4m. There are now 3 different size small cars.

Medium small cars like the Focus grew to the size of what were medium size cars. When you look at the size of an Astra, you wonder how big the 2011 Focus will be.

Some medium size cars have grown into large cars – like the Mondeo and Insignia. They’re the size of an E-Class.

While cars are growing the space to park them is not. Most 1960/70 garages are too small for the modern car. Kerb side parking lengths have not increased. Side by side parking has not grown wider despite a lot of cars now being 2m wide including wing mirrors. And cars over 4.3m in length seem to overhang the space for them. I’ve even come across several cases where the width of the cars track is wider than the driveway. That’s a real problem where fences and different levels have to be considered.

So it’s a good idea to use car comparison sites to avoid getting caught out.

Regards
Ralph