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Car of the Year Awards 2021: Best small SUV for value

A small SUV's compact size mustn’t come at the expense of practicality and should be reflected by low running costs. It should ride comfortably, too, while maintaining a sense of fun...

Best small SUV for value

Suzuki Ignis 1.2 Dualjet Hybrid SZ3 (Safety Pack)

What Car? Car of the Year 2021 logo with sponsor

Whether you’re judging the Suzuki Ignis as a city car with attitude or a miniature SUV, the dinky Suzuki is utilitarian, characterful and – of course – great value for money. That goes for running costs as well as finance or purchase prices; impressively, the Ignis remains one of the most fuel-efficient cars we’ve ever tested, with a remarkable average of 59.9mpg in our real-world True MPG test.

This entry-level SZ3 model is front-wheel drive, so don’t go expecting proper off-road skills. For that, you need the four-wheel-drive Ignis Allgrip. But the Ignis’s stubby yet tall body and raised ride height make for nifty wieldiness on crowded urban roads.

Suzuki Ignis 2022 interior dashboard

While the Ignis doesn’t have much direct competition, it’s quite something that it fought off more conventional small SUVs such as the excellent Seat Arona to win this award. If you want a high driving position in a car with a tiny footprint and rock-bottom ownership costs, nothing does it quite like the striking Ignis.

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Read about more Car of the Year 2021 winners >>