What Car? Car of the Year awards 2011 - Small family car contenders

What Car? Awards 2012 website



Best buy less than £15,000
Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI SE
List price £14,865
Target Price £12,678

We've always been huge fans of the Skoda Octavia. After all, what’s not to like when it provides family car space and quality for the price of a top-end supermini?

What gave the Octavia the edge over its rivals this year, though, was the introduction of the brilliant new 1.2 TSI petrol engine.

You need to experience it to believe just how smooth and flexible it is. There’s also the lure of a diesel-rivalling 49.6mpg.

As ever, the Octavia is great to drive, well made and more practical than any of its rivals. SE trim includes alloy wheels, air-conditioning and four electric windows, but you need to pay extra for stability control and curtain airbags.

Those come as standard with the Hyundai i30 1.4 Comfort, which has been our recommendation here for the past three years. It still represents outstanding value for money – with more kit than the Octavia at a lower price – and comes with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.

It was a tough call, but the Octavia’s superb engine and extra space were just enough to push it to the top spot.

Skoda Octavia review


Best buy £15,000-£20,000
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 122 Match 5dr
List price £18,910
Target Price £17,636

A third consequtive victory in the mid-price category suggests that the Volkswagen Golf's position here is set in stone.

Far from it. This year in particular it faced a strong challenge from the new Ford Focus, which gave it a real fright thanks to its sensational handling, keen prices and excellent refinement. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta’s beguiling blend of style and value ruffled a few feathers, too.

Once again, though, the Golf’s exceptional all-round abilities were enough to keep it at number one. Where some rivals are brilliant in a couple of areas and so-so in others, the Golf is outstanding in every single one.

No rival strikes such a sweet balance between driver appeal and comfort, or is as impressively refined. Then there’s the Golf’s cabin, which is simple to use and oozes class.

Add to that a punchy, silky-smooth engine and low ownership costs, and the VW’ position here is thoroughly deserved. True, it’s rather pricey to buy, but Match trim provides lots of kit and the Golf holds its value well.

Volkswagen Golf review


Best buy more than £20,000
Toyota Prius 1.8 VVT-i T3
List price £20,695
Target Price £19,448

At this price, a small family car needs to do something a bit special to justify a pricetag that’s on a par with many bigger, more versatile alternatives.

How special do CO2 emissions of just 89g/km sound? Or an average of 72.4mpg? They come courtesy of a hybrid petrol/electric powertrain that allows the Toyota Prius to run on battery power alone at low speeds.

As well as the obvious environmental benefits, the Prius is cheap to run, thanks to low fuel, company car and road tax bills.

The Toyota’s green credentials would mean little if it wasn’t accomplished in other areas. The good news is that it is. It’s a fine family car, with a practical cabin, strong performance and a generally comfortable ride.

Only the Prius’s slippery shape and futuristic dash give the game away that it’s anything more, but at least people can see you’re doing your bit.

If the Prius’s price looks high, bear in mind that it holds its value well, the T3 trim includes all the kit you’re likely to need and you get Toyota’s five-year, 100,000-mile warranty.

Toyota Prius review