Best Small Car 2021: The verdict

Short-listed from a super-competitive field of 14 models, the nine finalists rounded up here for carsales’ Best Small Car 2021 are all fine examples of the breed.

As ever, there’s a mix of the brand-spanking new and cars that are nearing the end of their current generation, which soon becomes obvious when assessing them against our rigorous criteria of more than 100 individual attributes across the areas of safety, technology, comfort and convenience, driving performance and ownership costs.

But that doesn’t automatically mean the Volkswagen Golf Mk8, as the newest arrival, is the winner here. Nor the all-new Skoda Scala that also recently landed.

There’s a host of well-credentialled nameplates for these two new Volkswagen Group models to contend with: Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30, Kia Cerato, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Honda Civic and Ford Focus.

As we’ve described in detail in each section of this mega-test, decisions made by each brand in terms of how they design, engineer, package, tune and specify their small cars – combined with the quality of execution and upgrades during each lifecycle – has a major bearing on their overall standing.

Unsurprisingly, carsales’ Best Small Car 2021 turned out to be a close-run race, with only a few points separating the top candidates.

Let’s count them down…

The 2021 Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S gets a tick for those who want the assurance afforded by all wheel-drive and a solid level of appointment when it comes to comfort and convenience items.

Although it hits some high notes in its safety resume, the oldest ANCAP rating in this group (date-stamped 2016) puts the Impreza at a disadvantage.

Unfortunately, the unique boxer four-cylinder engine is also the thirstiest in this group and lacks responsiveness. This is not an especially rewarding hatch to drive dynamically, either.

The Subaru is on the high side for service costs and has less-than-generous service intervals too.

How much does the Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S cost?
Price: $31,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 115kW/196Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 163g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2016)

With an all-new Honda Civic hatch just around the corner, it doesn’t come as a total surprise that the current model has placed towards the back of this classy field.

The 2021 Honda Civic RS returned stellar results for cost of ownership – in no small way due to its $125 capped-price servicing program – and covers off key comfort and convenience features well.

Holding it back in this group, however, was its uninspiring drive and lack of key safety and technology features such as rear cross traffic alert, sat-nav and wireless phone charging.

How much does the Honda Civic RS cost?
Price: $39,600 (drive-away)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 127kW/220Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 142g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)

The 2021 Ford Focus ST-Line has a unique selling point with its embedded SIM allowing all sorts of remote functionality that’s unavailable elsewhere in this class.

Combine that with all boxes ticked for other tech features, and the Blue Oval brand’s European-bred small car is a stand-out in this area.

The Focus is also a reasonable proposition when it comes to cost of ownership.

That said, the Focus ST-Line does lack standard safety equipment, and comes up short for comfort and convenience features. A few negatives in the drive experience also held the Focus back when compared to our top contenders.

How much does the Ford Focus ST-Line cost?
Price: $30,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 134kW/240Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 148g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)

For technology, and comfort and equipment features, the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Premium scored well in this mega-test, backing up its high specification with decent performance on the road.

But it’s not the complete package.

Despite having some commendable safety features such as leading vehicle departure warning, the i30 loses points because it lacks important safety equipment such as blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

How much does the Hyundai i30 N Line Premium cost?
Price: $37,690 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 150kW/265Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 167g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)

The 2021 Toyota Corolla ZR achieved a high score for cost of ownership, due mostly to its cheap capped-price servicing program, attractive warranty period and its standing as one of the few here with relatively long service intervals.

Its safety, technology and comfort and convenience features are about average for the group, but the Corolla doesn't score so well for its less-than-inspiring driving performance.

How much does the Toyota Corolla ZR cost?
Price: $34,195 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 125kW/200Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 139g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)

The 2021 Skoda Scala Signature is a great hatch to drive, and one that’s packed with plenty of safety gear and – despite the lack of digital radio – good infotainment technology.

However, our Czech mate's comfort and convenience score was diminished by a lack of key standard features such as a sunroof, and the cost of ownership – in particular, service costs – counted against the this otherwise very impressive new small car.

How much does the Skoda Scala Signature cost?
Price: $36,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 127g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)

The 2021 Kia Cerato GT scored very well across a variety of areas, including driving performance, safety and costs of ownership, the latter aided by its reassuringly long seven-year warranty.

Its comfort and convenience score would have been higher if not for unexpected omissions such as rain-sensing windscreen wipers, while there was no sizzle in the technology department either – no wireless Apple/Android smartphone mirroring, for example, which pegged back the Cerato’s overall result.

How much does the Kia Cerato GT cost?
Price: $35,290 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 150kW/265Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 158g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)

The new eighth-generation 2021 Volkswagen Golf R-Line has an enviable ride, handling and performance balance and a high level of safety equipment that together place it as one of the standout small cars in the Australian marketplace.

While it rates better than average for infotainment tech – the only item lacking is digital radio – it doesn’t score quite as well for comfort and convenience, with no sunroof or leather seat trim as standard.

Servicing prices are relatively high too, pushing down the Golf’s cost of ownership score, and its overall ranking despite its commendable driving performance.

How much does the Volkswagen Golf R-Line cost?
Price: $37,450 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 159g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)

It may no longer be Australia's top-selling small car like its predecessor, but the more upmarket new Mazda3 has proven the benchmark in this class, where it stands tall in every area of assessment.

The 2021 Mazda3 G25 Astina has the most comprehensive list of standard comfort and convenience features among our short-listed contenders, with everything from a heated steering wheel to a head-up display and leather upholstery included, plus so much more.

It’s a great all-rounder in terms of driving performance, too, with one of the most powerful engines in this segment and a brilliant compromise between handling dynamics and ride quality.

The Mazda3 also scored well for its comprehensive safety suite, which covers off all key areas except for high-speed autonomous emergency braking.

A good sweep of technology fitted as standard and high marks for ownership costs also saw the Mazda3 score well relative to its rivals, which is no mean feat in such a competitive set of small cars.

Indeed, its consistently strong performance across all key areas of testing is what makes the Mazda3 carsales’ Best Small Car for 2021.

How much does the Mazda3 G25 Astina cost?
Price: $37,790 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 139kW/252Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 154g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)