Best used city cars for less than £5000

Originally launched to a grateful public in 2012 and updated in 2016 and 2020, the diminutive Volkswagen Up was a huge sales success for Volkswagen and is now a great used buy.

The handsome-looking Up has a lot in common with its siblings, the contemporary Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo, but is a little bit classier than both of those cars, offering a much smarter interior.

It's great to drive, relatively spacious inside and has a smooth ride. Avoid automatic versions, though, because the gearbox is a little sluggish. 

The best thing about it is that it's never really felt like a small car – not in the way it drives, the material choices of its interior or the way it rides. It’s only when you get out of it and see how much space is left over in a standard parking space that you remember that you’re in a bantam Volkswagen.

Reliability has always been good. Used prices are highly competitive, and you can buy the earliest ones from just £3000. 

"I think this is one of the nicest and most innovative small cars of all time. It makes every town and A-road journey fun. If the city car class comes to an end soon, this is the car we'll all miss and the one that set the benchmark for what a diminutive hatchback can achieve." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found 2018 Volkswagen Up 1.0 High Up, 54,000 miles, £4995

Read our full used Volkswagen Up review

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Fancy a city car with sharp exterior styling, a well-made and spacious interior and a quiet and comfortable ride, and one that's good to drive and cheap to buy and run?

Welcome to the Hyundai i10 – a car that, in its second-generation form, ran from 2014 until 2020, and has caught the eye of those eager to tick all of the above boxes.

In short, if you're looking for civilised motoring on a sensible budget, the Hyundai i10 is an ideal candidate. More refined than even the Volkswagen Up and the Skoda Citigo, it'll cost you a fraction more like-for-like to buy. It's relatively spacious, comes with a smart-looking interior and great infotainment system, and rides and drives more impressively than plenty of bigger, pricier cars.

This earlier version didn't feature in our most recent reliability survey, but the latest generation of the i10 came in first place in the small car class with a perfect score of 100%. 

"This is a truly grown-up car. It's good to drive and feels like something from a couple of classes up. The interior is nicely finished, too. Anyone downsizing from a larger car will have found the perfect vehicle here." - George Hill, used cars writer

We found 2017 Hyundai i10 1.0 MPi SE Connect, 55,000 miles, £5000

Read our full used Hyundai i10 review

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Trust us, after a few days living with the Kia Picanto, you'll wonder why most people would need anything larger. It's good to drive, practical for its size and decently equipped, not to mention, bought used, cheap to buy and run.

With a couple of facelifts under its belt, this third-generation Picanto continues to impress. City cars often have skimpy equipment levels and meagre engines, but the Kia Picanto offers many big-car features and sprightly motors.

It's a great blend of space, performance, comfort and equipment. The Picanto is good fun to drive, too, and its light steering makes it a doddle to park – ideal for a small city car, really.

You can put one of the earlier cars on your driveway for as little as £3000 now. Reliability is looking good, too. In our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, the Picanto scored 97.2% and finished in 10th place out of 28 cars in the small car class. 

"Like the i10, the Picanto feels remarkably grown up. As a town car, it is without serious faults, and its success means it retains its value well. I drove one happily for a week into town and out of it and down country lanes and was sad to see it go." - George Hill, used cars writer

We found 2017 Kia Picanto 1.25 3, 68,000 miles, £4995

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You might have gathered over the years that the perky Skoda Citigo is a lot like the Volkswagen Up and Seat Mii – in fact, they're almost identical.

That’s because all three cars shared the same basic structure, engines, gearboxes and so on. Park them side by side, remove the badges, and you really would struggle to know which is which.

The Citigo and the near-identical Mii are admittedly the cheaper siblings of the Volkswagen Up, but we see that as a tremendous positive.

You see, while it's true that the Citigo misses out on some of the Up’s smart interior plastics, it's still great to spend time in and it's even more stupendous value as a second-hand buy. What’s more, it shares the Up’s spacious interior, smooth ride and top-notch driving experience.

Used prices for an early car start at under £3000.

"For me, there's something immensely likeable about the Citigo. Within reason, it does all you need of a city car and does it with character. That you can buy one so cheaply now only makes it even more attractive in my eyes." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found 2016 Skoda Citigo 1.0 MPI SE, 65,000 miles, £3500

Read our full used Skoda Citigo review

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When it first hit the streets in 2012, you wouldn't have blamed the Seat Mii for suffering a little from middle child syndrome. Sandwiched as it was between the high-achieving Volkswagen Up and the hard-working Skoda Citigo on shared underpinnings, it was always in danger of feeling a little left out.

Fortunately, Seat gave the Mii an identity all of its own by offering it in several trim levels and special editions, some of which were created as part of collaborations with major fashion brands such as Cosmopolitan and Mango. The Mii, therefore, is the stylish one of the trio.

The Mii is not only a smidge more fashion-conscious than the Citigo, it's also a fraction more expensive used, but there are no other notable differences between them.

Ecomotive versions are a bit more economical than regular models because they’re fitted with low-rolling-resistance tyres and a start-stop system. Fewer examples exist than the Citigo and Up, though, which also makes them slightly harder to source on the used market.

Used prices start at around £3000 for an early car.

"Sharing so much with the Up and the Citigo makes the Mii a winner before it even turns a wheel. It loses little or nothing in overall quality to the other two and for me only its comparative scarcity counts against it." - George Hill, used cars writer

We found 2017 Seat Mii 1.0 Ecomotive SE Technology, 60,000 miles, £4100

Read our full used Seat Mii review

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No, not a Ford Ka, but a Ford Ka+, with two extra doors and a slightly more grown-up stance, but still to our eyes a city car.

Sadly, the Ford Ka+ had rather a short life span because people, over the years it was in production, started to drift more towards small SUVs such as the Ford Puma.

All that means is that used car buyers looking for an inexpensive and practical five-door city car that's easy to park, while also being remarkably capable beyond city limits, should find plenty to like in the Ka+.

It rides extremely well. It steers nicely, too, and, pushed hard, it corners neatly, just like the first-generation Ka. The 1.2-litre engine is most palatable in its most powerful 84bhp form, and we’d recommend you track down Zetec trim since it comes with plenty of kit. 

Interestingly, the more powerful 84bhp engine actually has better running costs than the less powerful 69bhp version: 56.5mpg versus 55.4mpg, respectively.

"Go a size up on these cars and you'll arrive at the Ford Fiesta, one of our favourite small cars and one I actually own. However, if you don't want the extra size of the Fiesta, the Ka+ delivers nearly everything its bigger sibling does and at less cost." - Allan Muir, production editor

We found 2018 Ford Ka+ 1.2 85 Zetec, 58,000 miles, £4995

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The first-generation Toyota Aygo was a sharply styled and well-screwed-together city car that soon gained a reputation for offering thrifty and economical motoring.

It wasn’t a great car to drive, though, or even a particularly practical one to use, and lost its way a little when a rash of younger rivals from the VW Group, Kia and Hyundai stole its thunder.

The answer to those challenges came in this second-generation model – a more mature and yet even more rakishly styled car that was better armed to compete in the class of likeable tiny tots. It shared its underpinnings with the contemporary 2014-2022 Peugeot 108.

A used Aygo is certainly a stylish option, but some rivals are usefully roomier, better to drive and more practical. However, if you are after budget motoring, the Aygo remains hard to beat, especially considering its used prices and how cheap it could be to run. It's economical, and its reliability record is outstanding, beating even that of the closely related Peugeot 108.

This Aygo has, in turn, been replaced by the largely similar Toyota Aygo X, but this older version remains a great used buy today. What's more, the Aygo X finished in second place out of 28 cars in the small car class in our latest What Car? Reliability Survey with a great overall score of 99.7%. 

"It's small and agile and nicely screwed together, this Aygo. The good news is it's very competent on the road, and bought at a few years old, it can be had for buttons." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2019 Toyota Aygo 1.0 X-Play 5dr, 50,000 miles, £5000

Read our full used Toyota Aygo review

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Since it arrived in 2008, the reborn Fiat 500 has been a huge hit. Its cute design, Italian style and compelling affordability have resonated with both new and used car buyers.

Over its long life, the standard 500 has been tweaked and updated many times, and numerous variants of it have been introduced. There's a soft-top cabriolet version for fresh-air fiends, known as the 500 Cabrio, and an all-electric version, the 500 Electric. The last iteration of the hatch was known as the 500 Hybrid, thanks to the addition of a new mild hybrid engine.

The modern 500 reinvented one of the most iconic cars of the Fifties and Sixties, and did so really successfully. Its retro styling, compact dimensions and competitive used prices continued the model's success over its 15-year-plus lifespan.

The 500 isn't all that practical or amazing to drive, mark you, but if that's not what you're after, there's plenty to like here. Spend at least £3000 to put a tidy example on your driveway.

The Fiat 500 did well in our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey. It finished in seventh place out of 28 cars in the small car class with a great overall score of 97.2%. This is a big improvement on the results it's achieved over the years. 

"What can I say about the Fiat 500? What a success story it is. True, it feels a bit compromised inside, especially if you're over 6ft tall, and some rivals ride and handle better, but nothing looks as charming." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2018 Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge, 55,000 miles, £4995

Read our full used Fiat 500 review

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A good used city car isn't just an ideal companion for urban explorations, but it can also be a more cost-effective solution than taking the train.

Indeed, some might say the great-value Suzuki Celerio is a far more reliable choice than any service that runs on National Rail, plus you get to choose your own music and not have to listen to someone else's telephone conversation.

While its interior is relatively cheap-feeling, the Suzuki Celerio gives you a lot of bang for your buck in other areas.

For starters, you get a heap of kit, plus it's practical, with a rear-seat area and boot that are impressively roomy for a car of this size. It’s cheap to run, too, and while it won't set your heart alight, it’s still decent to drive.

There is only the one engine, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol that was offered in standard and 'dualjet' guises, the latter of which offers the better fuel economy. Official economy says the increase was from 65.7mpg to 78.4mpg, that's according to the older NEDC fuel tests that were prevalent at the time.

Prices for the early ones start at just £3000 and, being a Suzuki, you can expect decent reliability. 

"Cheap as chips, the Celerio is a lovely example of a truly tiny city car that feels like a bigger car in terms of its driveability. Comparatively rare on the used market but if you can find one great value." - Darren Moss, deputy editor

We found 2019 Suzuki Celerio 1.0 SZ2, 61,000 miles, £5000

Read our full used Suzuki Celerio review

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If you're looking for a good-value used city car, the 2014-2022 Peugeot 108 is well worth a look - it's easy to park, cheap to run, and it's able to connect to your smartphone. This generation of 108 shares a platform and engines with the Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1. 

For those new to driving, it's also cheap to insure. The good news is that it was a popular car in its time on sale, and there are many of them to choose from on the used car market.

The 108 should be extremely easy on your wallet. Even if you're looking at a four-year-old example, as here, the model remains temptingly affordable to buy. You'll find insurance groups in the single digits (for many variants) and official fuel economy at a 68.9mpg average (under the older NEDC fuel tests) for the 68bhp 1.0-litre petrol engine.

Performance is decent enough when compared with rivals, even in its base 1.0-litre 68bhp form. If you need a bit more go, there’s the 1.2-litre 81bhp three-cylinder petrol, which has noticeably more zip.

True, there are more spacious city cars out there, and its reliability was never quite as good as the Aygo's, but few are as pleasantly inexpensive to own. Prices start from around £2000. 

"This tiny Peugeot is a surprisingly competent little car. I used one every day for a week and soon got used to its foibles and learned how much fun it can be. It's also easy to drive and cheap to buy." - Chris Haining, sub-editor

We found 2019 Peugeot 108 1.0 72 Active 5dr, 56,000 miles, £4950

Read our full used Peugeot 108 review

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