There was a time when a hybrid Toyota was a sensible but uninspiring choice of family car. The old Toyota Auris is a prime example of that - dependable and cheap-to-run, yes, but lacking even the slightest hint of charisma. But the latest Toyota Corolla is genuinely a very good car. There are no...

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...

The T-Cross is Volkswagen's answer to the likes of the Nissan Juke and Peugeot 2008 - a small SUV that's designed to be practical, good to drive and have a dash of style too.  Of course there's no shortage of small crossovers on the market, but the VW T-Cross makes a strong case for itself as the...

The Skoda Fabia has always been a sensible choice of small car and the latest incarnation keeps up the tradition. It’s reasonably priced, cheap to run, comfortable and practical, but gets an added dash of upmarket appeal thanks to new Skoda family styling and extra technology, including standard DAB...

The Hyundai ix20 mini- MPV was Hyundai’s version of the Kia Venga and the two were even built at the same factory. Like the Kia, the Hyundai ix20 offers generous standard equipment levels, a high-quality interior and low running costs thanks to efficient engines. All of that makes it a sound used...

The bigger, better "bigsmall" second-generation Yaris has been around in other parts of the world for well over a year now. I spotted one on rental in Bali in June 2005. And I'm also fairly close to the model because we have owned the saloon version, the ‘Soluna Vios', (which came first) in Thailand...