Many car buyers have spent the past decade upsizing to SUVs, but there’s a still a strong market for city cars that come into their own in urban areas.
They’re the smallest passenger cars you can buy, which means they’re easy to manoeuvre and a cinch to park in narrow streets, while tight turning circles and typically light steering usually help. They also make ideal first cars for the same reasons, and because their compact dimensions enable new drivers to get a feel for space on the road. Low running costs are often an added bonus.
Our budget of £10,000 is enough to bag some of the best used city cars on the market, often newer models with some of the latest technology, so you can guarantee a great all-rounder, in good condition and with sensible mileage. Read on for our roundup of the very best small cars on the used market.
Best Used City Cars Under £10,000 in 2024
- Kia Picanto (2017-)
- Ford Ka+ (2016-2020)
- Volkswagen Up (2012-2023)
- Fiat 500C (2009-)
- Suzuki Ignis (2018-)
- Toyota Aygo (2014-2022)
- Hyundai i10 (2014-2019)
- Seat Mii (2012-2021)
Kia Picanto (2017-)
The Kia Picanto has been a city car staple for more than a decade, and it has consistently proved popular with buyers. Regular updates and a relatively short life cycle have kept it fresh and, at this budget, you can easily get hold of a third-generation version from 2017 onwards, which has plenty of the latest technology. There are also lots of cheaper, older examples, which still make excellent second-hand city cars for those with less to spend.
The cabin materials are a wee bit cheap, but that’s something the Kia has in common with all of its rivals in the segment. The interior is very well laid out, though, and Kia has also managed to shoehorn a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system into the dashboard on high-spec cars, although entry-level cars make do with a less sophisticated system.
The Picanto’s wheels are positioned right at the corners of the car, which makes it feel nimble and gives it a tight turning circle, so it’s engaging to drive, as well as ideal for the city, while the petrol engines supply enough power for most owners’ needs. As with all Kias, the Picanto comes with a seven-year warranty from new, which still covers every third-generation model with less than 100,000 miles on the clock.
Kia Picanto Review
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Ford Ka+ (2016-2020)
The Ford Ka was introduced in 1996 and instantly became a mainstay of the city car scene, spanning two decades and two generations, and it was immensely popular with new drivers. The manufacturer transformed it in 2016, making it a bit bigger and bolder, and adding a + to its name, to denote the size increase.
One of the most significant changes – apart from fact that it was much bigger than the previous Ka – was the inclusion of rear doors, rendering it a five-door for the first time. This makes the rear seats far more usable than before, while the higher roofline improves headroom.
The Ka+ rides and handles very well, but that’s hardly a surprise for a Ford. It shares some of its underpinnings with the Ford Fiesta, too, so it has a similarly engaging driving experience to its supermini sibling. Unfortunately, this is somewhat offset by a pair of lacklustre engines, 1.2-litre petrol units with two power outputs, neither of which is particularly punchy. There is also a 1.5-litre diesel, which is something of a rarity.
Ford Ka+ Review
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Volkswagen Up (2012-2023)
The Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers and includes multiple well-known brands, such as Seat and Skoda, and it’s common for companies of this size to spread the cost of developing new cars across a number of models from different marques, and that is exactly what happened with the Volkswagen Up.
It was launched in 2012, around the same time as the Skoda Citigo and the Seat Mii, and underneath each car’s exterior, you’ll find exactly the same platform and mechanical parts. That said, the Up is recognisably a Volkswagen, and not just from the badge on the nose and the boot lid. It has the look and feel of a VW, with neat styling and a well-ordered interior, while build quality is about as good as it gets by city car standards. The Up was slightly more expensive and a little more polished than its Seat and Skoda stablemates when new, and it still feels posher than pretty much every one of its tiny hatchback rivals.
Aside from the e-Up electric car, all Ups have a 1.0-litre engine, but there are a few different power outputs to choose from; each has more than enough clout to handle town and city traffic, and all but the lowest-powered petrol engine feel up to the task of motorway journeys. The most powerful version, the GTI, is out of reach at our £10,000 budget, but it will buy a late, low-mileage Up, so expect one in good condition, maybe with some warranty.
Volkswagen Up Review
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Fiat 500C (2009-)
When Fiat decided to revive the spirit of the original Fiat 500 back in 2007 with a retro-styled city car based on the same underpinnings as the Fiat Panda, it was a decision that would pay enormous financial dividends for the company, because the car was one of the biggest successes in the recent history of modern motoring. It also offered heaps of personalisation options so that buyers could really make the car their own: this was an approach also followed by the Mini and the Vauxhall Adam, but neither could achieve it with the same level of affordability as the little Fiat. And when compared with dreary rivals of the time such as the Nissan Pixo and Renault Twingo, the cute Fiat was in a different class for appeal.
So, when the company then decided to introduce a version with a folding fabric roof, to give buyers a taste of open-air thrills on top of all that retro cuteness, the desirability levels went off the scale. Sure, the 500C is as dynamically compromised as the regular 500, and it’s also woefully impractical, but when it’s this stylish, who cares, frankly.
Fiat 500C Review
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Suzuki Ignis (2018-)
Is the Ignis a city car, or a small SUV? It certainly looks like an SUV, because of its boxy shape, upright sides and roof rails, but its relatively diminutive stature is more akin to a city car, so we think it’s worth including it in this selection. That unconventional styling means it offers city car buyers something a little bit different.
Inside, the Ignis is a simple affair, but the use of colour to reflect the exterior paint tone gives it a lift, as does the touchscreen system that emerges from the dashboard on cars with higher trim levels.
A 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine is the only available option, but official fuel economy is impressive at 69.4mpg. That might not be likely in real-world driving, especially in urban situations, but it should still be possible to wring more than 50mpg out of it.
Suzuki Ignis Review
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Toyota Aygo (2014-2022)
Toyota has a solid reputation for reliability, even outdoing domestic rival Honda in that regard, which is a real boon to anyone looking for an inexpensive used city car. And the Aygo, which shares its underpinnings with the Peugeot 108 and the Citroen C1, is definitely worth a look.
The first-generation model was launched in 2005, so there are lots of examples available for just a few thousand pounds. They’re still great little cars, and even early examples should prove cheap and hassle-free to run. The second-generation was launched in 2014 and revised in 2018, and our budget will comfortably bag you a well-specced, low-mileage version of the latter, so expect big car features such as air conditioning, a reversing camera, Bluetooth connectivity and a DAB radio.
Power comes from a 1.0-litre petrol engine, which is common in the city car segment. It’s not particularly powerful or quick, but the Aygo doesn’t need to be: there’s enough push to keep it hustling around urban streets, and you only feel its limitations on faster roads out of town.
Toyota Aygo Review
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Hyundai i10 (2014-2019)
The Hyundai i10 is very similar to the Kia Picanto under the skin, but the two cars have taken different design directions. Hyundai managed to create the impression that the i10 is slightly bigger, even if there’s actually very little in it.
It also feels surprisingly spacious inside, and the textured hard-wearing plastics exude quality. Standard equipment is also impressive; higher trim levels – which can easily be found at this price – come with a 7.0-inch touchscreen that can also mirror the display of your smartphone, courtesy of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Sure, you can have a bigger Dacia Sandero for similar money, but you’ll get way, way more creature comforts with the Hyundai.
There’s a choice of small petrol engines – a three-cylinder 1.0-litre unit or four-cylinder 1.2 – both of which are fuel efficient with low emissions, and offer more than enough performance for most drivers. The i10 is also a good bet if you’re after an automatic gearbox, because it’s offered with one that’s much better than those in most other city cars. It’s also fun to drive, with plenty of grip and light but accurate steering.
Hyundai i10 Review
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Seat Mii (2012-2021)
The Seat Mii is another of the trio of closely related city cars built by the Volkswagen Group that includes the VW Up and the Skoda Citigo. However, each car has its own styling, which allows the Mii to differentiate itself from its stablemates.
Seat has always been known as the trendier of the mainstream VW Group brands, so the Mii looks a little sharper than the Up and the Citigo. The standard versions don’t have a huge amount of equipment, but drivers can use slot their smartphones into a holder on top of the dashboard and hook them up to the Mii’s infotainment system.
It’s obviously a small car, but it’s packaged in such a way that the interior feels more spacious than it looks, and adults are able to sit in the back without much trouble. The boot is also one of the bigger ones in the city car class, and the rear bench folds down to create extra luggage space. At this price, seek out a late FR-Line version with low mileage – it will include lots of equipment and has sharper styling.
Seat Mii Review
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