Best used small SUVs (and one to avoid)

The Ford Puma was an instant success, earning our overall What Car? Car of the Year award and becoming one of the best-selling cars in Britain soon after its release. The recipe is simply brilliant, though. You take the tried-and-tested Ford Fiesta as the basis, retain the class-leading, super-sharp driving experience and add a higher driving position and welcomed layer of practicality. 

You can fit six carry-on-sized suitcases in the Puma's main boot compartment – that's one more than the Fiesta can manage. The Puma has a trick up its sleeve, though: if you lift up its 'false' boot floor, you’ll find a large well underneath that can swallow two more cases.

Due to its popularity when new, there are plenty of Pumas on the used market, plus used prices are very reasonable. Running costs are reasonable, too, thanks in part to good fuel economy. 

We found: 2022 Ford Puma 1.0T Ecoboost MHEV Titanium, 38,270 miles, £13,095

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The Seat Arona of the very best small SUVs you can buy used, thanks to its roomy interior, a comfortable ride and perky petrol engines. And like the Puma borrows parts from the Fiesta, the Arona's DNA is shared with the Seat Ibiza – a small car that's a very composed and capable handler, even if it doesn't quite reach Fiesta heights of fun. 

Indeed, if what you want above all is that your small SUV drives well, this is another good one to choose. Thanks to its compact size and relatively light weight, the Arona has decent performance and can tackle corners with enthusiasm.

We found: 2022 Seat Arona 1.0 TSI SE Technology, 14,920 miles, £12,050

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The Audi Q2 is the car that proves that small doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, because it essentially takes all the good qualities of larger Audis and wraps them up in a compact, stylish package. It has bold, chunky styling on the outside and a well-finished, sporty interior inside. It has tidy handling too.

It may be a bit more expensive to buy than your average car in this class, but the Q2 remains great value. In other words, this premium small SUV is worth the premium price. 

We found: 2022 Audi Q2 1.0 TFSI 30 Technik, 33,305 miles, £17,799

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Stick to the cheaper engines and trims, and the VW T-Roc is an even better buy than the rival Skoda Kamiq and the VW T-Cross. The T-Roc’s cosseting ride, superb refinement and practical boot will appeal to families, plus it has one of the best driving positions of any car in the class. Later models have a much-improved interior, with soft materials and bright plastic finishes where you’d want them.

We found: 2022 Volkswagen T-Roc 1.0 TSI Design, 38,495 miles, £17,399

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In contrast to the Cross and T-Roc, the Skoda Kamiq sits you quite low to the ground; in fact, its driving position is barely any more elevated than that of the Skoda Scala family hatchback. However, in every other respect, it's a brilliant little SUV that makes for a great used buy, with a supple, well-controlled ride and a remarkably spacious interior. The interior feels classier than that of the T-Cross, too.

If you’ll mainly be driving in town, then the entry-level 94bhp 1.0-litre petrol engine is peppy enough and the cheapest on the used car forecourt.

We found: 2022 Skoda Kamiq 1.0 TSI SE, 39,034 miles, £13,106

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The Volkswagen T-Cross is comfortable and easy to drive, and surprisingly roomy, too. A couple of six-footers will have plenty of space in the back, and, if you slide the rear bench forwards, there’s almost as much boot space as in some larger family SUVs. Despite that, the T-Cross’s compact dimensions make it easy to handle in town. The T-Cross also comes loaded with safety kit.

We found: 2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI SEL, 44,248 miles, £14,800

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Thanks to its squared-off corners, raised ride height and the option of four-wheel drive, the Suzuki Vitara has some of the off-road abilities people associate with larger SUVs. On the road, the balance between ride and handling is well judged, it's spacious inside and it's even quite fun to drive; it's well equipped, too, and you can pick up a good 2022 car for less than £15,000.

We found: 2022 Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Boosterjet MHEV SZ-T, 31,253 miles, £13,998

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Few small SUVs bank on retro style, but the Mini Countryman is one of them. The model pulls it off, too, thanks to its looks being met with a plush interior and good performance. Moreover, there's a variety of engines to choose from, including a plug-in hybrid version. All of this does demand a premium, but again, it's fairly reasonable given the luxury.  

We found: 2022 Mini Countryman 1.5 Cooper Classic, 21,000 miles, £19,749

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A bit of a wildcard, this: the little Suzuki Ignis is about as small as SUVs come, resembling a city car in most measurements. That has its advantages, though. The Ignis is easy to manoeuvre around town, great on fuel and it goes for relatively cheap money – it's certainly more affordable to buy (and run) than many small SUV rivals. It's pretty practical for such a small car, too, thanks in part to sliding and reclining rear seats. 

We found: 2022 Suzuki Ignis 1.2 Dueljet SZ3, 14,500 miles, £11,490

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The Renault Captur fails to blow any class leaders out of the water in any area, but it's a comprehensively good package and a reasonably priced one at that. It delivers on what many buyers want from their small SUV, too. You sit noticeably higher up than you would in a regular hatchback, for instance. You also have handy, sliding rear bench and a good-sized boot. It's just nothing special to drive, unfortunately, plus a fair few rivals have punchier, more varied engine ranges. 

We found: 2022 Renault Captur 1.0 TCe Iconic, 41,586 miles, £12,000 

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