Best First Car 2021: The verdict

City-cars remain a popular choice in Australia, representing a sensible, practical and economical choice for many buyers.

But making cars like these that tick all the boxes for new drivers is a tough ask.

We insist on them being affordable, having the best possible safety, representing good value when it comes to maintenance and, not least of all, having a healthy dose of character and charm that makes them appealing to not only their owners but to onlookers as well.

New drivers are statistically the most vulnerable on our roads. While their budget may preclude them from buying cars with the highest possible level of automotive safety equipment, that doesn’t mean they have to miss out on key safety items.

To be considered a contender for carsales’ Best First Car of 2021, we required that the models meet certain benchmarks and key among them were high safety credentials and a high level of safety equipment.

So prerequisites were a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and a reversing camera.

Other minimum requirements included an automatic transmission and a manufacturer’s list price of no more than $25,000 (before on road costs are added).

So from 11 models we’ve short-listed the seven best, safest and most popular candidates.

Launched last year, the Toyota Yaris is the most recent to have undergone a generational change, but the other contenders have seen at least a spec refresh, facelift or new generation model arrive within the past three years.

All were matched against more than 100 criteria across five main areas of assessment: safety, technology, comfort and convenience, driving performance and ownership costs.

Despite their similar execution, we found a diverse list of attributes across the seven cars.

The net result was a narrow spread of points separating most of them, but there was a clear winner for carsales’ Best First Car of 2021.

Let’s count them down…

If price alone was the key measure, the pint-size 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage would have won this contest.

It is comfortably $4000 cheaper than its nearest competitor in this group, even in the pricier top-spec LS version tested here.

The Mirage is also quite well specified for such a low-priced car, even carrying some features that none of the others have, such as automatic high-beam.

However, the driving experience is less than inspiring against its competition, and in the all-important category of safety the Mirage not only lacks the features of the best on test, its ANCAP rating is the most dated.

How much does the 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage LS cost?
Price: $17,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol
Output: 57kW/100Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 5.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 115g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2013)

If driving performance is paramount, then the 2021 Volkswagen Polo is a very good choice.

It also has a commendable grouping of safety features, such as high-speed AEB, driver fatigue monitoring, secondary collision mitigation and tyre pressure warning.

Yet in many other areas the equipment list is sparse compared to its key rivals and the cost of ownership – especially service costs and resale value – is not as attractive as others in this group.

How much does the 2021 Volkswagen Polo 70TSI Trendline cost?
Price: $21,790 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 70kW/175Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 113g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)

Our Best First Car winner in 2019 and 2020, the Skoda Fabia, still shines with its adroitness on the road and its overall safety package.

It is also rare among our 2021 contenders in offering active cruise control as standard.

However, the Fabia is the most expensive car on test here and was squeezed out in the overall rankings by fresher cars that simply offer better cost-of-ownership provisions and better in-car technology.

How much does the 2021 Skoda Fabia 81TSI Run-Out Edition cost?
Price: $23,790 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 81kW/200Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 4.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 109g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)

The 2021 Mazda2 scored better than average across most of our key assessment areas and was particularly impressive in the area of safety equipment, where a long list of life-saving features can be found.

It does, however, have an ANCAP rating that dates back to 2015, which means it was tested under conditions that are not as rigorous as they are today.

We note that the Mazda2 has some very attractive aftersales provisions, such as free roadside assistance for five years.

Yet the Mazda falls short on comfort and convenience features, with the only standout inclusion being keyless entry.

How much does the 2021 Mazda2 Pure cost?
Price: $22,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 82kW/144Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 123g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)

The 2021 Toyota Yaris is the freshest car here, and it shows, achieving high scores for its safety features and carrying the latest ANCAP safety rating.

Although expensive compared to its predecessor, its price is actually not that much higher than most of its major competitors, and it offers by far the cheapest capped-price servicing. So on that front, the Yaris scored well in terms of ownership costs.

Only a less-than-class-leading driving experience and a relatively sparse comfort and convenience list pulled back the Yaris’ overall score.

How much does the 2021 Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport cost?
Price: $23,740 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol
Output: 88kW/145Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 4.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 114g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)

The 2021 Suzuki Swift achieved strong results in comfort and convenience, safety and technology.

Safety in particular was well accommodated, with the right mix of important features such as high-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

The only area where the Swift did not quite do so well was in its driving performance, where it was outdone by more accomplished rivals.

The 2021 Kia Rio notched up an overwhelmingly strong performances in all five key areas of assessment.

It had a very strong showing in the all-important safety and technology departments, backed up by impressive scores for cost of ownership and driving performance.

The plucky Korean contender is slightly thirstier on average than the other cars on test here and isn’t totally on point with nice-to-have features such as fog lights.

Put simply, however, the Kia Rio shines the brightest everywhere it really matters and that’s why it’s a worthy winner of carsales’ Best First Car for 2021.

How much does the 2021 Kia Rio Sport cost?
Price: $22,890 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 74kW/133Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 143g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)