Best city cars 2023
Small, nippy and economical, but with space for four. Find out which are the best city cars on sale
Looking for a small car that's fun to drive, cheap to run and easy to use around town? There are so many reasons why you might think about purchasing a city car. We're willing to bet that these compact and characterful cars appeal to everyone in one aspect or another.
The most obvious of course is their size - city cars are small. They're designed to make tight and congested city centres feel like a particularly empty stretch of the M25. Where you might get tense at the thought of squeezing a large saloon car between a row of bollards and a bus in central London, you wouldn't so much as bat an eyelid in a city car.
You'll also save money with a city car. Firstly, they're cheap to buy, and also good value with finance, especially on the used market. Then once you're sat in the driving seat it wont cost you an awful lot more either, their small engines use less fuel and are normally much cheaper to insure. In many cases they're more efficient too, meaning fewer emissions and cheaper road tax. This should be of particular interest to young drivers looking for a first car.
So, if you're after something that's easy to manoeuvre, cheap to buy, cheap to run and individually stylish, you can't go wrong with a city car. The best ones will also come well equipped, and with enough space for four adults to sit comfortably. Don't worry about trying to find the best ones though, that's what we've done with this list of 10 of the best city cars that you can find available with cheap finance deals right here on BuyaCar.
1. Skoda Citigo
Best city car for value for money
Our pick Skoda Citigo 1.0 MPi
Used deals from £6,422
Monthly finance from £119.01*
Cover up the badges and the Citigo looks very much like the VW Up and Seat Mii. That’s because all three are virtually identical.
The interior was improved in 2017, when all but entry-level Citigo S models gained a smartphone holder, making it easier to use your phone as a sat-nav and entertainment centre: recognition that your gadgets will probably be more advanced than a car that was designed several years ago.
Both petrol engines have enough zip for town driving, but are slow to accelerate and noisy on the motorway. A more powerful 90 horsepower engine, only available in the Volkswagen Up, is better for long-distance journeys. Apart from this, there's little else to split the Citigo from the Up and Mii. The Skoda is often the better choice simply because it's generally a little cheaper.
2. Volkswagen Up
Best city car for the feel of a bigger car
Our pick Volkswagen Up 1.0
Used deals from £8,295
Monthly finance from £158.13*
Volkswagen has taken the ingredients that made its Golf a success and downsized them into the Up. This looks like a conventional car and behaves like one, with a smooth ride in town and enough power on faster roads, as long as you avoid the slowest 1.0-litre engine with 60 horsepower.
There’s space in the back for two adults, for short journeys at least, and the boot is amongst the largest of all city cars too. A recent update has improved the car’s technology, replacing the sat-nav with the option of a VW app that you download to your smartphone which, clipped into a dashboard holder, is then used to navigate.
3. Hyundai i10
Best city car for peace of mind
Our pick Hyundai i10 1.0 MPi
Used deals from £5,899
Monthly finance from £138.76*
With a five-year warranty that has no mileage limit, the Hyundai i10 comes with peace of mind as standard, making it impressive even before you’ve tried it for size.
It feels well made and is spacious inside. With the back seats folded down, you’ll have a 1,046-litre luggage area that no other city car can match. Put them up and you’ve got three seatbelts, so you can fit in five – so long as nobody minds rubbing shoulders.
Neither one of the two engines available feel sporty, but the smallest 1.0-litre motor has enough power in town, while the larger 1.2-litre engine is better if you’ll be taking your i10 on the motorway. The 1.0 SE Blue is meant to be more frugal but only comes in four-seat form and independent testing suggests it's no more efficient than the standard 1.0-litre car in real-world driving.
4. Smart ForTwo
Best city car for easy parking
Our pick Smart EQ ForTwo
Used deals from £6,250
Monthly finance from £211.47*
Not everyone needs more than two seats. And for those that can get by with just a pair, the benefit of driving a small car like the Smart ForTwo is that parking is a doddle.
It means that drivers can laugh in the face of crowded city streets or busy car parks. If you spot a gap, no matter how small, the chances are the ForTwo will fit like a glove – and you won’t come out in a cold sweat as you guide it in. You also sit relatively high up, giving a commanding view of pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers around you.
The outgoing car offers the choice of two petrol engines, an automatic gearbox on the more powerful unit, and even an electric model. Smart now only sells an updated electric version, called 'EQ'. The boot is barely any bigger than a handbag, and the car’s short proportions mean that the ride comfort is a little, well, unsettled. That's the case if you buy the current car or the previous version, which is curvier.
5. Renault Twingo
Best city car for driving fun and personalisation
Our pick Renault Twingo SCe 70
Used deals from £5,495
Monthly finance from £220.52*
Designed with a bit more style than your average city car, the Renault Twingo’s looks benefit from a short bonnet because the engine isn’t underneath there - it’s fitted at the back of the car. This helps to make the Renault more manoeuvrable: able to turn in a smaller area than many other city cars. It also makes the car reasonably spacious, although rear passengers will have to make do with windows that pop out rather than wind down, which isn’t ideal for anyone suffering from travel sickness.
6. Kia Picanto
Best city car for the longest warranty
Our pick Kia Picanto 1.0 MPi
Used deals from £6,900
Monthly finance from £129.92*
Kia's latest Picanto shares its mechanical parts with the Hyundai i10, which means that it offers a similarly-spacious boot and interior, with rear seats that can accommodate adults in relative comfort - providing the journey isn't too long.
It's nimble in town and reasonably nippy too. The larger 1.0 litre will happily zip along at motorway speeds, although you'll need a little bit of patience to accelerate to 70mph. The Picanto is also the city car that offers the greatest peace of mind, thanks to its seven-year warranty that's capped at 100,000 miles. It applies to the current car, which went on sale in 2017 and cheaper earlier models.
7. Fiat 500
Best city car for retro style
Our pick Fiat 500 1.0 MHEV
Used deals from £4,995
Monthly finance from £117.52*
Say what you will about the Fiat 500 – it's far from perfect – you'll struggle to find anything with more chic and a lower price. Despite passing its tenth birthday last year, it can still turn heads on the high-street and attract envious glances.
The longest gazes are likely to be in the direction of cars in the optimum specification: pastel shades, retro wheel designs and contrasting paint schemes all enhance the car's style, and with various ways to personalise the interior, you can elevate it to catwalk status - but watch out for the less tasteful combinations on the used market. All 500 models have two doors, and it’s one of the few city cars available as a convertible.
Previously, there were two engines, a 1.2 and a 0.9 available in two power outputs. The 1.2 is cheaper while the 0.9 has more power, but no better fuel economy in the real world - no matter what the official figures suggest. Later models come with a 1.0-litre mild hybrid option, which strikes a balance between fuel economy and performance.
8. Vauxhall Viva
Best city car for space at a low price
Our pick Vauxhall Viva 1.0
Used deals from £5,795
Monthly finance from £125.90*
The Viva may not do much to set your pulse racing or turn the neighbours green with envy, but it is fair value for money and comes with plenty of equipment. Cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and split-fold rear seats are included. If you want air-conditioning, the list price of SE A/C models is £500 more. If a sat nav is your feature of choice you’ll need to spend more on the SE Nav.
The back of the Viva is roomy enough for three people, although don’t expect the biggest boot; something had to give. The model is best in town, where its 1.0-litre engine feels nippy. Take it on a motorway and it becomes noisy, and you’ll constantly be changing gear unless you can keep a steady speed.
9. Citroen C1
Best city car for open-sky driving
Our pick Citroen C1 1.0 VTi
Used deals from £6,590
Monthly finance from £132.66*
The Citroen C1 was developed together with the Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo. It means than beneath the surface, they have much in common. However, the C1's design is more distinctive than the 108 and the Aygo has the longest warranty at five years, so those are the two that we’d suggest putting on your shortlist.
Another feature that may appeal is the optional full-length fabric sunroof – a great addition that transforms this humble city car into something decidedly more glamorous - almost like a convertible.
The interior is a mix of interesting styling features but the quality is more cheap and cheerful than impress-your-friends. Space in the back seats, even on five-door versions, isn’t the best in this class. It’s quite enjoyable to drive, with nippy performance in town and responsive steering but longer drives can be a little tiring.
10. Toyota Aygo
Best city car for a design with attitude
Our pick Toyota Aygo 1.0 VVT-i
Used deals from £5,995
Monthly finance from £122.80*
The little car with lots of attitude: that’s the Aygo. Its edgy styling won’t please everyone but those who fall for it will find plenty more to admire – including Toyota’s five year, 100,000 mile warranty. Go for a model built in 2021 if you want to benefit from Toyota's new 10-year warranty.
The Japanese company has thought about how and where these sorts of cars will be used, so all but base versions of the Aygo have a rear-view camera, too, helping to make light work of parking.
Being small and light, it can nip about with vigour, but its small dimensions do make themselves felt inside. No city car has a big boot but some are better shaped than others. Unfortunately, the Aygo’s isn't one of them. It isn't exactly spacious in the back either. Cosy is a more accurate description. It’s fine for short journeys but longer ones can be a real chore.
*Representative PCP finance - Ford Fiesta:
48 monthly payments of £192
Deposit: £0
Mileage limit: 8,000 per year
Optional final payment to buy car: £2,923
Total amount payable to buy car: £11,926
Total cost of credit: £2,426
Amount borrowed: £9,500
APR: 9.9%
BuyaCar is a credit broker, not a lender. Our rates start from 6.9% APR. The rate you are offered will depend on your individual circumstances.