What will they cost?

The Suzuki Vitara might have the lower list price, but the Citroen C4 Cactus works out cheaper over three years – by some £900 once all the bills you’re likely to face have been factored in. This is mainly because of its slower depreciation, but also its cheaper servicing bills and lower road tax.

Company car drivers will also be financially better off with the Cactus. Its much lower CO2 emissions and cheaper price combine to save 40% rate taxpayers some £470 over three years in benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax. The Cactus will also cost you less to lease.

Despite the Cactus’s more modern engine, these two are closely matched when it comes to real-world fuel economy. Our True MPG testers averaged 50mpg in the Citroen, while the Suzuki returned a similarly respectable 49.4mpg. The Vitara does have a slightly smaller fuel tank, though, so you will need to fill up that bit more often.

The saving grace for the Vitara is its more extensive list of standard equipment. Both cars come with alloy wheels, Bluetooth, cruise control, a 7.0in touchscreen, DAB and some form of air-conditioning, but Suzuki builds on that with the addition of sat-nav, a rear parking camera and climate control.

The Vitara also achieved the maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, whereas the Cactus managed only four stars.

Security experts Thatcham did rate the Cactus more highly, though; it got a four-star rating for guarding against being stolen and three stars for resisting being broken into; the Vitara managed four and two stars respectively. Despite this, the Vitara is slightly cheaper to insure.