Volkswagen T-Cross

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Mazda CX-30

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New Skoda Kamiq

best-used-small-suvs-for-less-than-pound15000

The SUV class used to be&nbsp;a lot less varied than it is today, with most models&nbsp;being big and expensive. Now, you can get them in all sorts of shapes and sizes, including small and affordable, like this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/small-suvs/n17050">small SUV</a>&nbsp;segment.

The best of the bunch&nbsp;combine&nbsp;a raised driving position with a&nbsp;practical and versatile interior that offers plenty of room for the whole family. They're also&nbsp;light and easy to drive and&nbsp;park, noticeably more so than their larger SUV counterparts.&nbsp;

Here, we’ve rounded up our top 10 favourites&nbsp;for less than £15,000.

Slideshow story: please click the right-hand arrow above to continue, or simply scroll down if you’re reading on your mobile

Best used small SUVs for less than £15,000

Hatchback

Nissan turned up early to the SUV party, with its Qashqai paving the way for the countless models we see today. The Qashqai continues to sell in big numbers in the UK, too, and was also our overall Car of the Year in 2014.

Don’t think Nissan is just about SUVs, though. As well as the Qashqai, the smaller Juke and the larger X-Trail, the Japanese brand has the Micra hatchback, GT-R sports car and Navara pick-up truck.

Nissan was also one of the first big car makers to launch a fully electric car, with its latest Leaf being one of the best on the market.

Despite being based in Japan, Nissan has long committed to building cars in the UK, making several of its best-selling models at a huge factory in Sunderland.

NISSAN

JUKE

Sure, the previous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/juke/hatchback/used-review/n785">2010-2019 Nissan Juke</a>&nbsp;was popular, but it&nbsp;was never a car to write home about. This current-gen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/juke/hatchback/review/n45">Nissan Juke</a>, mind you,&nbsp;is a big step in the right direction, even if it still isn't perfect. It's&nbsp;strong in some key areas, including interior quality, safety and equipment levels, not to mention you can pick up a 2022&nbsp;example within our budget.&nbsp;

We found:&nbsp;2022&nbsp;Nissan Juke&nbsp;1.0 DiG-T 114 Acenta, 38,798 miles, £14,989

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/nissan/juke?">used Nissan Juke cars for sale</a>

10: Nissan Juke

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Plenty of space</li>
	<li>Smart and practical interior</li>
	<li>Well equipped</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Not as fun to drive as some rivals</li>
	<li>Ride can be jiggly</li>
	<li>Pronounced wind and road noise</li>
</ul>

Suzuki is well known as a motorcycle manufacturer, but the car brand has been enjoying decent success in recent years, thanks to a line-up of neat, well-equipped and keenly priced models.

Its expertise focuses on smaller cars, although its high-riding SUV range is also hugely credible, especially the Ignis and Vitara, which are both rated highly by What Car?’s testers and which have enjoyed success at the What Car? Awards as a result.

Well priced, decent to drive and full of useful tech, Suzuki’s cars also generally stand out for delivering good fuel economy. The Ignis, Celerio and Baleno have all stood head and shoulders above the competition during our True MPG testing.

SUZUKI

IGNIS

A bit of a wildcard, this;&nbsp;you can pick up a nearly new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/ignis/hatchback/review/n17225">Suzuki Ignis</a>&nbsp;for this money, but the caveat&nbsp;is that it's smaller and less spacious than most of the other cars we've chosen here. Why is it here, then? Because it's great fun to drive and it's&nbsp;a characterful city car, and about the only option if you need four-wheel drive or hybrid technology in a car of this size.

We found:&nbsp;2023&nbsp;Suzuki Ignis&nbsp;1.2 Dualjet MHEV SZ3, 1000 miles, £14,490

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/suzuki/ignis?">used Suzuki Ignis cars for sale</a>

9: Suzuki Ignis

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Spacious for a city car</li>
	<li>Most models well equipped</li>
	<li>Agile in corners</li>
	<li>Top-notch reliability</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Jiggly ride quality</li>
	<li>Vague steering</li>
	<li>Fiddly touchscreen system</li>
</ul>

Talk about taking an idea and running with it. The big-selling Mini hatchback is still at the core of the firm’s range, but its cute styling and relatively compact dimensions have been spun off into an estate (the Clubman) and an SUV (the Countryman), as well as a convertible.

Despite its small size, the Mini is a firmly premium product, and the three-door hatchback counts the Audi A1 and Volkswagen Polo among its key rivals.

The fact that Mini is owned by BMW brings some big advantages –&nbsp;not least the fact that its infotainment system is based on BMW’s industry-leading iDrive.

MINI

COUNTRYMAN

Let's face it, there are loads of&nbsp;used small SUVs out there, but very few have that extra&nbsp;panache to make them stand out from the masses. Apart from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/countryman/hatchback/review/n71">Mini Countryman</a>, which is stuffed with so many retro styling cues that you couldn't mistake it for anything else.&nbsp;It's fun and fashionable, but its ride is a bit firm, it's not the most spacious car on our list and it's still a little&nbsp;expensive.&nbsp;

We found:&nbsp;2020&nbsp;Mini Countryman&nbsp;1.5 Cooper Classic, 29,600&nbsp;miles, £14,490

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/mini/countryman?">used Mini Countryman cars for sale</a>

8: Mini Countryman

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Neat handling</li>
	<li>Strong engines</li>
	<li>Luxurious interior and large boot</li>
	<li>Reliability</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Firm ride</li>
	<li>Average rear space</li>
	<li>There are larger SUVs available for similar money</li>
</ul>

VITARA

Thanks to its squared-off corners, raised ride height and the option of four-wheel drive, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/vitara/4x4/review/n76">Suzuki Vitara</a>&nbsp;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 our budget buys you a 2020 car with a low mileage.

We found:&nbsp;2022&nbsp;Suzuki Vitara 1.4 SZ4&nbsp;MHEV, 30,265 miles, £14,995

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/suzuki/vitara?">used Suzuki Vitaras&nbsp;for sale</a>

7: Suzuki Vitara

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Good driving manners</li>
	<li>Spacious and practical interior</li>
	<li>Well equipped</li>
	<li>Reliability</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>High emissions on some petrol models</li>
	<li>Diesel engines can be noisy</li>
	<li>Some of the trim feels flimsy</li>
</ul>

Estate

The VW Group famously spends more money on research and development than any rival – and as a result, perhaps it should be no surprise that our testers rate its cars so consistently highly.

The fact that many of those cars use the same underpinnings also helps, because it means that if they get it right once, they have the foundations to keep on getting it right.

However, the Volkswagen brand faces plenty of tough competition, often from within, because the rapidly rising Seat and Skoda brands that are also part of the group have access to the same technology.

VOLKSWAGEN

T-CROSS

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-cross/estate/review/n19039">Volkswagen T-Cross</a>&nbsp;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 and would have finished even higher if you could have got a newer one&nbsp;for our budget.&nbsp;

We found:&nbsp;2021&nbsp;Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 95 SE,&nbsp;29,250 miles, £14,995

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/volkswagen/t-cross?">used Volkswagen T-Cross cars&nbsp;for sale</a>

6: Volkswagen T-Cross

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Spacious, flexible interior</li>
	<li>Impressive for safety</li>
	<li>Good to drive</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>The older T-Roc is still a superior purchase</li>
	<li>Interior is hardly plush</li>
	<li>SEL and R-Line trims don't offer good value for money</li>
</ul>

One of the greatest success stories in the car world of recent decades is Skoda’s rise to become a hugely credible mainstream maker of good-value, good-sense cars.

Central to that success has been its place within the VW Group, alongside the Volkswagen brand itself, plus the likes of Seat and Audi. That has given it access to exactly the same underpinnings for its cars as the other brands, and it has complemented this by adding its own developments, from the way the cars drive and ride through to the features they have and the pricing.

The result is a range that extends from a city car to a large executive saloon, with family and large seven-seat SUVs too. There’s a wide variety of petrol and diesel engines, all of which are competitive for the class.

As a result, Skoda has a range of cars that is almost entirely class-leading or among the class leaders, and it has enjoyed long-time success at the What Car? Awards as a result.

SKODA

KAMIQ

In contrast to the Volkswagen T-Cross below, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kamiq/hatchback/review/n19999">Skoda Kamiq</a>&nbsp;puts you quite low to the ground; in fact, its driving position is barely any more elevated than that of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/scala/hatchback/review/n19190">Skoda Scala</a>&nbsp;family hatchback. However, in every other respect, it's a brilliant used choice, with a supple, well-controlled ride and a remarkably spacious interior. That 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:&nbsp;2022&nbsp;Skoda Kamiq 1.0 TSI 95 SE, 45,563 miles, £14,899

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/skoda/kamiq?">used Skoda Kamiq cars for sale</a>

5: Skoda Kamiq

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Remarkably roomy interior and large boot</li>
	<li>Better-finished inside than many of its rivals</li>
	<li>Comfortable ride</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>No sliding or reclining rear seats</li>
	<li>Not especially well equipped</li>
	<li>Other small SUVs have a higher driving position</li>
	<li>Reliability mixed</li>
</ul>

T-ROC

Stick to the cheaper engines and trims, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-roc/hatchback/review/n17376">VW T-Roc</a>&nbsp;is an even better buy than the 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.&nbsp;

We found:&nbsp;2020&nbsp;Volkswagen T-Roc 1.0 TSI 115&nbsp;SE, 58,464 miles, £14,900

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/volkswagen/t-roc?">used Volkswagen T-Roc cars for sale</a>

4: Volkswagen T-Roc

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Comfortable ride</li>
	<li>Impressive safety</li>
	<li>Good boot by class standards</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Low-rent interior on earlier cars</li>
	<li>Only top spec gets sat-nav</li>
	<li>Lumbar support is an option</li>
	<li>Reliability mixed</li>
</ul>

Audi is a brand that sets the standard for interior quality, and this, combined with its vast and ever-growing model line-up, has helped it become one of the ‘big three’ German prestige car makers, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The A3 hatchback, A4 executive saloon and Q7 SUV have all won their classes at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in recent years, while the TT coupé is the most decorated car in the history of the ceremony.

At least some of Audi's success over the past 30 years can be attributed to the growth in sales of vehicles with four-wheel drive; the company arguably led the way in bringing 4x4 technology into the mainstream, with its Quattro coupé in the early 1980s.

Today, most Audis are available with at least the option of four-wheel drive, while the list of SUVs from the brand includes the Q2, Q3, Q5 and Q7.

AUDI

Another great buy in this class is the suave&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q2/estate/review/n120">Audi Q2</a>. This is the car that proves that small doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, but it certainly takes all the good qualities of larger Audis and wraps them up in a compact and very attractive package.&nbsp;It has bold styling on the outside, a well-finished and sporty interior and tidy handling; on top of all that, it's good&nbsp;value too.

We found:&nbsp;2020&nbsp;Audi Q2 1.0 TFSI Sport, 30,000&nbsp;miles, £15,000

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/audi/q2?">used Audi Q2 cars for sale</a>

3: Audi Q2

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Classy and user-friendly interior</li>
	<li>Tidy handling</li>
	<li>Excellent infotainment</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Not as spacious as rivals</li>
	<li>Firm ride</li>
	<li>Four-wheel drive reserved for top models</li>
	<li>Reliability mixed</li>
</ul>

Today, the resurgent Seat brand is selling better cars than at any time in its history.

In large part, that’s because it is one of the brands owned by the VW Group. Underneath, all of the cars it sells are strongly related to similar models sold by Volkswagen itself, or the likes of Skoda and even Audi. If you are buying a Leon, for example, the hardware will be similar to that of the Golf, Octavia and A3.

But while Seat makes the most of this tie-up to offer everything from city, small and family cars, including estates, through to a full range of SUVs, it also adds in its own slice of character, both with its distinctive styling approach and because its engineers generally tune the cars to deliver sportier handling.

While all of its cars are decent, it is the SUVs that stand out. The Arona and Ateca are among the class leaders and have enjoyed triumphs at the What Car? Awards.

SEAT

ARONA

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/arona/hatchback/review/n117">Seat Arona</a>&nbsp;is another one of our tip-top favourites here. It's one of the very best small SUVs you can buy used thanks to&nbsp;its roomy interior, comfortable ride and peppy&nbsp;petrol engines. Add to that its value when bought used, and it's unbeatable –&nbsp;you can easily&nbsp;pick up a 2022&nbsp;example within our budget.&nbsp;Indeed,&nbsp;if what you want above all is that your small SUV drives well, this is the one&nbsp;to choose; thanks to its&nbsp;compact size and relatively light weight, it has plenty of punch and can tackle corners with enthusiasm.

We found:&nbsp;2022&nbsp;Seat Arona&nbsp;1.0 TSI SE Technology,&nbsp;22,411&nbsp;miles, £13,499

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/seat/arona?">used Seat Arona cars for sale</a>

2: Seat Arona

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Ride comfort on standard suspension</li>
	<li>Big boot for class</li>
	<li>Excellent 1.0-litre petrol</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Average interior</li>
	<li>Noisy diesel engine</li>
	<li>Road noise</li>
	<li>Reliability can be an issue</li>
</ul>

Ford builds some of the most popular cars in the UK, including the Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks.

This success is partly down to longevity and the fact that there’s a Ford dealer around every corner. However, it’s also because Fords tend to offer good value and be among the best cars in their respective classes to drive.

The company’s huge range also helps; it offers everything from the small – but surprisingly practical – Ka+ to the large and lavishly equipped Edge SUV.

Meanwhile, other highlights of the range include the S-Max and Galaxy people carriers, the Mondeo executive car and the Ranger pick-up.

FORD

PUMA

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n20838">Ford Puma</a>&nbsp;is our current What Car?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/used-car-of-the-year-awards-suvs/n25092">Used SUV of the Year</a>, and it's not surprising. It’s not only impressively economical but also great fun to drive, with pin-sharp steering and eager handling. All the engine options are gutsy, but we’d seek out the 155 version of the 1.0-litre Ecoboost for its easy oomph. It's supremely practical and so far proving reliable, too. And here’s the best news of all: the Puma now undercuts its main rivals here on price as a used buy.&nbsp;

We found:&nbsp;2021 Ford Puma 1.0 Ecoboost 155 ST-Line, 36,000&nbsp;miles, £14,995

Find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/ford/puma?sort=distance">used Ford Puma&nbsp;cars for sale</a>

1: Ford Puma

<h3>Strengths</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Excellent to drive</li>
	<li>Practical, flexible boot</li>
	<li>Quick and economical</li>
</ul>

<h3>Weaknesses</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Passenger space isn’t outstanding</li>
	<li>Reliability isn’t rock-solid</li>
	<li>Visibility could be better</li>
</ul>

<hr />
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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Running costs that won’t break the bank </li> <li>Generous kit</li> <li>Pokey engine and tidy handling</li> <li>Spacious interior</li> <li>Boot big enough to cope with family life</li></ul>

The car-buying public has fallen in love with small SUVs, or crossovers as they’re often called, with thousands turning away from conventional hatchbacks in favour of something that rides that little bit higher.

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