JOINING UP THE TOTS

Small, cheap cars bring numerous benefits, especially if most of your driving is around town. We take three leading examples on a road trip to see which of them paints the most complete picture

Do you struggle with parking in a multi-storey car park? Find squeezing your car down a narrow lane challenging? Does it barely fit in your garage? Ever pondered whether your car might just be too darned big?

Well, you're not alone. Since the 1970s, cars have been growing in size, with the average car's width increasing by 1cm (0.4in) every two years, according to non-profit organisation Transport and Environment, a leading European advocate for clean transport and energy. Factors that drive this growth include the perception that bigger cars are safer and more refined.

But is it really necessary? We're not so sure. That's why we've rounded up three of the smallest cars currently on sale for a road trip. We'll navigate everything from the narrowest street in London to the (hopefully) fasterflowing M25 motorway, with a visit to a famous test track to keep things interesting.

THE CONTENDERS

The first candidate is one of the most recognisable cars on the road today. With chic, retro, typically Italian looks, the Fiat 500 is one of the best-selling city cars in the UK, despite being launched way back in 2007.

Over the years, Fiat has made minor tweaks to the 500's exterior and interior, with the most significant update being the introduction of a new 69bhp 1.0-litre mild hybrid engine in 2020. However, the competition in this class is far from weak, with many of its rivals having more modern underpinnings.

One such rival is the Hyundai i10. Like the 500, it was first launched in 2007, but we've seen two more generations since, each better than the last. It comes with a range of peppy petrol engines - including our preferred 78bhp 1.2, which we've lined up here and has the added practicality of two more doors than the three-door-only 500. Its dimensions are very similar to those of the Peugeot 205 - a car that was considered a fantastic small car in the 1980s and '90s.