Which small car has the best boot space?

Despite their popularity, dual-cab utes and SUVs aren’t the solution for everyone. Luckily, there are still plenty of options to choose from in the small car segment.

The small-car segment may be a shadow of its former self, but it does provide the choosy buyer various body styles, and petrol, turbo-petrol, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full EV powertrains as an alternative.

According to VFACTS, 32,838 buyers opted to purchase a small car for less than $40,000 in Australia for the year to date, ending July 2025.

Small-car buyers typically want ease of use, low running costs, comfort, safety and possibly even driving dynamics. But how about the one aspect for which small cars have often come up short? Boot space…

Boot space is calculated using one of two methods, SAE or VDA. Society of Automotive Engineers or SAE for short, is an American method using small objects to fill all the cargo area, including the nooks and crannies, that aren’t always accessible.

The Vehicle Design Area (VDA) employs one-litre size blocks measuring 200x100x50mm – the blocks loaded in, counted, and the tally converted into cubic metres.

We’ve used the manufacturers’ official figures utilising the VDA method, where possible, in compiling the information, separating the figures with the rear seat upright as well as lowered into the floor for extra space.

Currently available only as a sedan – but a hatchback is on the way – the Kia K4 takes over from its predecessor, the Cerato, as the small sedan with the winningest boot.

Kia quotes both VDA and SAE figures for the K4, which will swallow 502 litres and 413 litres, according to each respective method of calculation. The K4’s luggage capacity is enhanced by the company’s choice of a temporary-use spare wheel.

And like the Cerato sedan before it, the K4 has a 60/40 split-folding rear seat that will accept longer items poked through from the boot into the cabin, should that be necessary. The rear seats also come with a centre armrest and height-adjustable headrests. Rear-seat passengers also benefit from cupholders, USB-C ports and air vents.

Kia K4 dimensions
Length – 4710mm
Width – 1850mm
Height – 1425mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 508L (413L SAE)

Hyundai’s well-liked i30 grabs the second spot on the podium. And that shouldn’t surprise anyone, given it is the parent company to Kia.

The i30 comes in both sedan and hatchback form with the choice of turbo-petrol and hybrid engines. Of the two body styles, the sedan is the newer, and its predecessor was named Elantra in the past, before Hyundai aligned the two body types under the i30 name, a popular choice for Australians.

The i30 sedan grabs the headlines in this contest, with its 474-litre cargo capacity, while the hatchback comes in at 395 litres. A suspension brace in the rear of the i30 N hatch has an impact on the sporty hatch’s luggage capacity, which is reduced to 381 litres.

Both i30 sedan and hatch feature 60/40 split-folding rear seats, but it’s the hatchback’s boot that balloons to 1301 litres with them stowed.

The hatch also gains some handy features such as two bag hooks to secure shopping items as well as four tie-down points for larger items.

Hyundai i30 hatchback dimensions
Length – 4340mm
Width – 1795mm
Height – 1453mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 395L/seats down: 1301L

Hyundai i30 sedan dimensions
Length – 4710mm
Width – 1825mm
Height – 1420mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 474L

Claiming third-place honours is one of Australia’s most popular cars, the Toyota Corolla.

However, like the i30 ahead of it – and probably the K4 as well, after the hatchback arrives – the sedan does most of the heavy hauling here with its sizeable 470-litre boot.

Apart from the sporty GR variant, the venerated Corolla range is also now exclusively hybrid.

While the hatchback ultimately offers great carrying versatility with the rear 60:40 split-folding seats stowed, the five-door Corolla struggles with them in place. The cargo bay drops to just 217 litres in this arrangement.

The sedan also utilises 60/40 split-folding back seats for extra convenience and is only 54 litres shy of its bigger sibling, the Camry.

Toyota Corolla hatchback dimensions
Length – 4375mm
Width – 1790mm
Height – 1435mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 217L/seats down: 1052L

Toyota Corolla sedan dimensions
Length – 4630mm
Width – 1780mm
Height – 1435mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 470L

While the Skoda Scala misses out on a top three finish, it can take solace in being the most commodious hatchback in the small car segment.

The Scala achieves its 467-litre boot capacity with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats in the upright position.

Folding them expands the usable space to an SUV-like 1410 litres while the Scala has an assortment of useful hooks for shopping bags and a profusion of restraint net. Skoda’s traditional umbrella also features in the front door for the driver.

There are two variants on offer in the Scala range with two differing turbo-petrol engines powering the front wheels via a dual-clutch gearbox.

Skoda Scala dimensions
Length – 4362mm
Width – 1793mm
Height – 1471mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 467L/seats down: 1410L

The Mazda3 is a fan favourite in Australia for a reason.

Mazda’s small car player comes in both sedan and hatchback form, with the latter lagging in both function and outright capacity due to its design.

So, there are no prizes for guessing it’s the sedan’s 444-litre boot that does the heavy lifting here. The booted Mazda3’s practicality is further aided by its 60/40 split-folding rear seats to accommodate longer items.

The hatchback makes do with 295 litres of storage space, but that figure jumps to 1026 litres with the 60/40 split-folding back seats stowed.

Mazda3 hatchback dimensions
Length – 4460mm
Width – 1795mm
Height – 1435mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 295L/seats down: 1026L.

Mazda3 sedan dimensions
Length – 4660mm
Width – 1795mm
Height – 1440mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 444L

The Honda Civic no longer sneaks in under the $45,000 threshold that separates mainstream small cars from their prestige brethren, according to VFACTS. It hasn’t been that affordable for some time, either. But to compile a list like this without including the Civic just seems wrong, somehow.

Granted the Civic has sold fewer than half the cars for the year to date that BMW has sold units of 1 Series or Audi has sold for the A3. But that’s arguably a reflection of Honda’s pricing and its retail strategy in Australia rather than anything inherently wrong with the Civic.

Available in two trim levels, the hybrid Civic musters a healthy 409 litres of boot space, which extends to 1187 litres by the simple expedient of lowering the 60/40 split-folding rear seats.

Honda Civic hatchback dimensions
Length – 4560mm
Width – 1802mm
Height – 1415mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 409L/seats down: 1187L.

One brand presently reacquainting Aussie buyers with its product range is MG. No longer the pride of British motoring, the MG brand is now Chinese owned.

An unfortunate ANCAP rating has left the brand’s MG5 compact sedan flailing around for a place in the market, which explains why the importer has scaled back the range to just one variant, the MG5 Essence. Stocks of the previous entry-level MG5 Vibe and the Essence grade remain available from the 2024 model year.

Buyers might want to consider the safety implications of the ANCAP result before signing on the bottom line, but some are sure to be seduced by the MG5’s appeal, all the same. And while it’s by no means class-leading for luggage capacity, the swoopy styling of the MG5 sedan still yields 401 litres of boot space.

MG5 dimensions
Length – 4675mm
Width – 1842mm
Height – 1473mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 401L

In Australia, the Toyota Corolla has long been the gold standard for small cars. But in Europe, it’s the Volkswagen Golf that enjoys that standing.

The Golf has grown over the five decades of its existence, which is how it manages to be roomy inside and also provide respectable volume for luggage and other goods.

At the peak of the range, the Golf fields GTI and R performance variants. More pedestrian variants are also powered by a four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, driving through an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission to the front wheels.

The rear seat is a 60/40 split-folding unit, and the boot accommodates 374 litres of luggage with the rear pews in place. Fold them and there’s a generous 1230 litres available.

Volkswagen Golf dimensions
Length – 4282mm
Width – 1789mm
Height – 1480mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 374L/seats down: 1230L

BYD was at the forefront of the surge in EVs from China, and while the brand is likely best known for its Atto 3 medium SUV, it’s also building its profile with the Seal large car and the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute.

But it’s the Dolphin hatchback that is our focus here. A fully electric vehicle available in two variants, Essential and Premium, the BYD Dolphin is the only vehicle in the small car segment to sell in larger numbers this year than it did for the same period in 2024.

And no wonder. The entry-level BYD Dolphin Essential slides in just under $30,000 and claims an official 410 kilometre range while the Premium betters that, at 490 kilometres. The battery packs come with an eight year-160,000 km warranty.

With the 60/40 split-folding rear seats in place, the cargo capacity is a respectable 345 litres. Drop both seat sections down and that figure expands to 1310 litres.

BYD Dolphin dimensions
Length – 4290mm
Width – 1770mm
Height – 1570mm
Boot capacity – seats up: 345L/seats down: 1310L

Once available as a sedan, the Subaru Impreza is now an all-hatchback line-up comprising three trim levels. Like all Subarus, the Impreza is all-wheel drive with the signature boxer engine mated to a CVT.

To keep prying eyes invisible to its contents, the boot area has a retractable cargo blind and 291 litres of space with the rear seats upright.

With the 60/40 split-folding back pews lowered the space expands to 883 litres.

Subaru Impreza dimensions
Length – 4490mm
Width – 1780mm
Height – 1480mm
Cargo capacity – seats up: 291L/seats down: 883L

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au