If you walked through the cities and towns of the UK, you might think that us Brits have forgotten the idiom “good things come in small packages”, such is the prevalence of SUVs.
The reality for a lot of us, though, is that most journeys are short hops around town, with just one person in the car.
To exacerbate this problem, over the last few years we have waved goodbye to some of our finest small cars. For instance, the UK's former bestseller, the Ford Fiesta, has exited stage left.
Yet. The small car isn’t dead. It is in fact thriving, bolstered by the addition of cracking little electric cars that are zippy and extremely cheap to run.
Below are our top 10 favorite pint-sized performers, each bursting with clever features, low running costs, and bags of charm.
We rate the Fiat Grande Panda as the jewel in the crown. Our testers were bowled over by its chic retro look, fun interior and the fact that it’s available as a hybrid and full EV. It even took home our ‘Best Small Car’ award at our annual gong.
Best for: Style
The Fiat Grande Panda is our pick for 2025's Best Small Car, and it's easy to see why.
The distinctive small crossover boasts a unique, retro-infused design to stand out from the crowd, including its platform-mates, the Citroën ë-C3 and the Vauxhall Frontera.
We've tested the model in both hybrid and all-electric form and we like both. The latter is powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine aided by a 29bhp electric motor, while the former gets 111bhp and 90lb ft from a single, front-mounted electric motor.
As for range, the official claimed figure for the electric version is 199 miles. Either way you go, all versions of the Grande Panda should offer a frugal and characterful package.
Read our Fiat Grande Panda review
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After reading Autocar’s 2025 small car list, I found the Fiat Grande Panda impressive because of its retro Granny Game design, but with an EV option – a rarity in this segment. For inner-city travel and fuel economy, I would consider this model instead of the traditional Toyota Yaris.
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