Many cars get larger as they are replaced with a new generation, but Ford has resisted this with its current eighth incarnation of the Fiesta. Instead, the present bearer of this illustrious name manages to feel more grown up and provide more interior space all while occupying much the same space on...

Downsizing is the flavour of the month. Fuel prices are rising , space on the road is decreasing and cars are getting bulkier and more refined than ever. So do you really need anything bigger than the Volkswagen Polo? The latest, MK6 Polo is basically where the VW Golf was 20 years ago in terms...

I don't have to persuade people into buying a Jazz. They love it anyway, for all of the sensible reasons I'd have used in my sales pitch. So it's not an emotional decision based on looks alone, as it might be for a Fiat 500 or a MINI. It's the whole package: a car that's going to do everything you...

With the previous MINI Hatch, Cooper was the middle-ranking performance and trim combination, sandwiched between the humbler One and faster Cooper S. Leaving the rapid John Cooper Works version aside, this new-era MINI Cooper now has just two levels of petrol-powered urgency — C with 156PS and S packing...

The entry-level MINI Cooper E comes with a relatively small battery and 190-mile official range, but many buyers are expected to go for the MINI Cooper SE. This comes with a bigger battery pack and an official range of up to 249 miles. Now that's the ‘head’ stuff out of the way, does the new MINI...

Their numbers may be on the decline, but there are still plenty of petrol-powered small cars out there – the budget-focused Dacia Sandero , for example, or the Hyundai i20 . Or if you fancy a used model, there is no shortage of Ford Fiestas . Smaller, shorter and lighter than most of its small...