Best small SUVs 2024

The Ford Puma is one of the best small SUVs there is. It's a simply brilliant alternative to the Nissan Juke that can be picked up for less than £20,000 on heycar.

Being a Ford, it's a lot of fun to drive, with handling akin to the now-defunct Ford Fiesta on which it's based. There's a superb mix of petrol engines on offer, including some with mild-hybrid assistance and even a hot Puma ST model. But the Puma isn't just about darting along country lanes; it's pretty comfortable and refined everywhere else, and manages respectable fuel economy. 

While it's not as big as some alternatives, the Ford Puma is still a very practical little car. Its party piece is the so-called 'Megabox', a deep plastic-lined well underneath the boot floor, which even comes with a drain plug so you can use it for washing your wellies or even cleaning the dog after a muddy walk. An impressively likeable crossover SUV.

You might associate Volvo with boxy old estate cars, but today it makes some of the sexiest SUVs on the market. The XC40 - later renamed as the EX40 to fit in with Volvo's rejigged naming strategy - is a good example: it's an uber-stylish small SUV that'll make you feel good about life every time you drive it.

The chunky-looking alternative to a BMW X1 or Audi Q3 is available with a range of engines, and there's also a pure-electric model known at the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric. You can also pick between two- or four-wheel-drive, allowing you to prioritise low running costs or go-anywhere capability. It's not the sharpest handling SUV, but it is composed and comfortable. 

Of course, being a Volvo, one of the XC40's selling points is its safety record. Not only does it perform extremely well in independent crash tests, it's also available with a whole host of clever tech to prevent you from being involved in an accident in the first place. It's certainly one of the best small SUVs you can buy today.

The Skoda Kamiq is a prime example of Skoda doing what Skoda does well. It's a no-nonsense small family SUV that undercuts its rivals on price and over-delivers on practicality. Indeed, with a big boot and plenty of space for rear passengers, the Kamiq is a small SUV that's big and well-appointed enough to be your main family car.

Just £11,000 will get you a 2020 Kamiq in not-so-basic SE trim (the S is even cheaper but a bit sparse). If you'd prefer a flashier model, a 2021 Skoda Kamiq Monte Carlo could be yours for around £15,000. 2024 Kamiqs with very low miles start from around £20,000.

It'll be dirt cheap to run, too. OK, you can't buy a hybrid Kamiq, but the 1.0-litre petrol engine is capable of around 50mpg. It's pretty punchy, and while the Kamiq isn't the most exciting car to drive, it's an impressive all-rounder with decent comfort and refinement. The interior is again not exactly luxurious or dramatic, but it's hard-wearing and solidly put together.

The Toyota Yaris Cross does exactly what it says on the tin: it takes the excellent Toyota Yaris supermini and instils some crossover-SUV design cues and a more practical body. 

The Yaris is one of our favourite small cars, so it's no surprise that the Yaris Cross makes the grade among small SUVs. Its stylish design hides a solid (if unexciting) interior, while being a Toyota, it should prove very reliable, and there's a warranty that could last ten years/100,000 miles if it's not. The Cross is more spacious than the Yaris on which it's based, too, although the rear is still a little cramped and the boot isn't the biggest in this class.

A big part of the Yaris Cross's appeal is its standard hybrid powertrain. Using Toyota's self-charging tech, there's no need to faff about charging up, while over 60mpg is achievable without much bother. Although it's not huge fun, the rest of the driving experience is smooth and composed.

The previous-generation BMW X1 was a popular and well-liked small SUV, but the latest version, which arrived on the market late in 2022, is even better.

The new car adopts the angular, aggressively-surfaced look that BMW has been pushing in recent years, but while some of the firm's models are an acquired taste, we reckon the X1 has plenty of presence for a small SUV. 

It's also really practical and bigger than you might expect, with lots of space in the front, sliding seats in the rear and a boot big enough to deal with all the family car duties. The technology has come on quite a bit, too, as has the fit and finish of the interior, which is among the best of any premium small SUV. 

You have a wide choice of engines, with petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and even a fully electric model called the BMW iX1. This replaces the old BMW i3, ditching the quirky design but bringing a much more useful 272 miles of range on a charge. 

On the road, the BMW X1 is just about the best handling small SUV there is. If you're a parent that's not quite ready to totally give up on driver appeal, you'll love the way it drives, although models with the sportier suspension and bigger wheels are more firm than some of the cars in this list.

The Avenger is a great small SUV and it will never need to visit a petrol pump if you choose the electric version that we favour (it's also available as a hybrid). While it may bear the Jeep badge, this isn’t an SUV made for true off-roading. Its diminutive frame is best suited to city streets, although it can also stretch its legs on the motorway when required.

A range of up to 244 miles means the Avenger can zip around town without any charging worries, and it’ll even cope with a few longer stretches, too, making it a highly practical EV. Stop at a fast charger and you’ll be able to replenish from 20% to 80% in as little as 24 minutes.

The Avenger also impresses with its nippy driving style and elevated ride height, giving you a good view of the road ahead. There’s enough poke to keep you engaged around town, and if you do find yourself on less familiar surfaces, the Avenger comes with a suite of all-terrain modes and a hill descent system.

There’s a decent amount of kit in the entry-level Longitude model, but we’d opt for the mid-tier Altitude trim if budget allows, as it gets you 17-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, and a reversing camera among a few other goodies.

Get ready to see a lot of Kia Niros around if you haven't already. The old Niro was hugely popular despite its ugly-duckling looks, and the latest version gets much bolder - maybe too bold for some? - styling that makes it stand out a mile.

The love-it-or-hate it design is certainly better than the old car's bland anonymity, but all the virtues we know and love from the old car are present and correct. It still comes in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric forms, and you get extremely low running costs, plenty of standard equipment, a really user-friendly cabin and a good amount of space. 

Other than the quirky shape, the new Kia Niro also benefits from a load of extra technology, some of it borrowed from one of our favourite electric cars, the Kia EV6. We really like the new 'Greenzone' drive mode, which will automatically put the car into electric mode when you drive into certain areas. 

The Kia Niro's driving experience is not exceptional, but all versions are easy, relaxing and comfortable to drive. And even with the new model's price increase, it's still affordable. 

Well, you did say that you wanted a small SUV, and they don't come much smaller than the Suzuki Ignis...

Don't be fooled by the little Suzuki's pint-sized proportions, though: it's rather more rough-and-tumble than it might first appear. For starters, it's one of those rare SUVs these days that is actually genuinely available with four-wheel drive, and that instantly gives it a more rugged edge than many much larger SUVs.

Being the size of a city car, interior space is of course limited, but it'll still accommodate four adults in relative comfort, thanks largely to the height of the cabin. And yes, the cabin does feature some plastics and finishes that concentrate on function rather than form, but the Ignis is still a cheerful place to sit.

In fact, cheerful is a good word to describe the Ignis generally. It looks really funky and it has an up-and-at-'em nature on the road, with perky performance and sharp responses. It's at its best around town, but doesn't feel out of its depth on faster routes.

The first iteration of the MG ZS SUV (the nameplate was previously used years before on a small Rover 25-based hot hatch) was a huge success for the old British brand, not least because as well as being available as a petrol car, it was also available as a roomy yet affordable all-electric car. That really struck a chord with many eco-conscious yet budget-focused buyers.

The second-generation MG ZS is a little different, because it won't be offered as an electric car (there will be a replacement for the first-gen MG ZS EV, but it won't be called the ZS and it'll be based on a different platform to this car). However, the latest ZS is convincing enough as an all-rounder to thrive regardless. For starters, it looks much sharper than the previous ZS, and it has a roomy cabin that feels surprisingly high in quality given the car's budget pricetag. And it really is a budget pricetag. You can have a spacious SUV with a self-charging hybrid powertrain for the same money as a much smaller mainstream supermini hatchback with pure petrol power. That hybrid system does a good job on both performance and economy, too.

Like a few other cars in this list, the latest Hyundai Kona is a car that's grown quite a bit in comparison to its predecessor, and is actually quite a bit bigger than you might think. That helps greatly on the practicality front, and makes the Kona a better family car than ever before.

It also looks like nothing else on the road these days, with a bold, futuristic design: you might love it, or you might hate it, but there's no denying that it stands out. The interior isn't quite as interesting to look at, but it feels sturdily built and is stuffed with luxury kit.

The Kona is available with petrol power, self-charging hybrid power (there's no plug-in hybrid version, though), or as a fully electric car. The petrols are pretty flawed, unfortunately, but the hybrid is fine, and it's actually the electric version that's the pick of the bunch, with eager acceleration and a smoother ride.