Best used small car for 2019

By the time Ford Australia announced it was closing its local manufacturing plants in 2013, small cars had long before overtaken the once dominant large-car segment of the Australian market.

In fact, small cars accounted for nearly a quarter of all vehicles sold in Australia during 2013, a year that is not only a watershed in the history of the local manufacturing industry, but also the focus of the carsales best used cars awards for 2019.

Small cars remain a popular choice for new-car buyers in 2019 – although they are now outsold by medium SUVs.

Not everyone wants an SUV, however. Buyers in the market for a small car want a vehicle that's easy to drive in highly-congested urban areas and slips in and out of tight parking spots. If the small car is roomy and well packaged, that's icing on the cake.

But what has set small cars apart from their pre-GFC predecessors is the level of equipment offered, plus the gains made in driveability, running costs and safety.

For the carsales Best Used Car Awards for 2019, the small-car winner from 2013 and the two 'honourable mentions' were decided by aggregating a RedBook score out of 50 and individual scores out of 10 from each of five judges.

And in 2019, the carsales best used small car is the 2013...

Finishing with a total of 85.5 points (43.5 from RedBook and 42 from the judges), the Mazda3 powered ahead of last year's winner, the Hyundai i30, on the strength of the Mazda's SKYACTIV powertrain technology. RedBook values the 2013 Mazda3 Maxx at $14,350, sold privately in average retail condition.

Road Test Editor at carsales, Matt Brogan, says of the Mazda3 that: "I'd almost go as far as saying the Mazda3 is bulletproof. A clear stand-out in its class."

You can read more about the Mazda3 in our launch review. In that review, Matt Brogan wrote at the time: "The dynamic improvements of the new Mazda3 see it lose the nervousness it once had in demanding conditions. It’s more fluid, and far more secure in holding the road beneath."

Honourable mentions:

The previous winner in the category scored 43.1 points from RedBook and 40.0 points from the judges for a total of 83.1.
Red Book value: $11,700

"Hyundai came of age with this generation of i30 and it's still a terrific small car today" – Matt Brogan, carsales Road Test Editor

Scored 41.0 points from RedBook and 32.0 points from the judges for a total of 73.0
Red Book value: $12,150

"Dependable functional Japanese build quality, let down by six-month service intervals" – Ross Booth, RedBook Data Services Director

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars Awards?
• Less than six years old,
• Standard side-curtain airbags,
• Standard Bluetooth,
• Standard stability control,
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs.

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale,
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating,
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership,
• Five per cent for service intervals,
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell

Read all about carsales Best Used Cars for 2019 here.