Best small city SUV recommendations

[december2020]

I am taking driving lessons after years of not needing to drive due to living in big cities with amazing public transport.
However, we moved into a commuter town and now a car makes sense with errands and school runs.

As I'm getting closer in owning my own car (very exciting) I'm looking for recommendations for a small city SUV.

Things I'm looking for:

• fits 1-2 car seats in the back comfortably and/or an adult (I have a 4 year old DC)
• has some height, so when you drive you sit a bit higher up
• a decent boot - doesn't need to be huge but enough for shopping or school/general hobby kit
• parking camera
• some sort of car dashboard screen/monitor

Looking for a used car, ideally under 20K but ok to push to 25-28K for the right car.

Currently I had been looking at the Toyota C-HR or Yaris Cross.
Please give me your beloved recommendations of cars that could fit the bill and are a pleasure to drive.

Honda HR-V Hybrid?

Honda Jazz Hybrid?

As you said, Yaris Cross?

VW troc or tcross (not sure about car seats - you’d need to check this)

We have a VW T-cross and really like it.

You're looking at good options and @HelplessSoul has suggested the most reliable high spec alternatives.

I'd throw the skoda Kamiq and Karoq into the mix as alternatives for family practicality.

I wouldnt touch any VW/German/Euro car with a shitty stick.

Unreliable, overpriced, poorly equipped...fuck that.

Japanese all the way (and not French tat Nissan!).

Volvo XC40 or XC60

You're limited if you want any SUV, let alone a small one, that will fit 2 child car seats and an adult. That's a push in something as big as a Discovery or XC90, let alone a smaller car.

It might be a bit bigger than you'd like, but look at the Peugeot 5008.

We're currently looking for similar and like the BMW X1 and X2 (used under £30k) which are both classed as small SUVs. Also eyed up VW T-roc. We took our car seats and bases to the car dealers (only done BMWs so far) and actually fitted them in the cars and they fit fine in the back with enough leg room in the front for adults. So I disagree with the previous poster that it can't be done. Were now just deciding between the X1 and X2 but the X1 is slightly bigger.

I resent the huge SUVs as they take up so much space and we don't have a drive. Like with houses, the more space you have the more you use, the less space, the more sensible you'll be about not packing uncessary stuff...

I would suggest fitting your car seats in the car when you go look at it, or if you're buying second hand, going to a dealer and treating out a newer version to assess space.

I’d go for one of the toyotas (I have one). They generally come with a pretty good spec as standard. I have a mid range one and it has parking camera and all round sensors with a whole load of other useful extras. They also have excellent reliability and because they’re hybrid the fuel costs are low.
A top level volkswagon still didn’t come with a parking camera when we looked and I found the interior looked a bit cheap/plastic.

I took that the OP was looking for a car that could get up to 2 car seats and an adult in the 2nd row. As for leg room for adults in the front, it's all relative - both DH and I are over 6', there are plenty of cars that don't allow enough leg room in the front when car seats are in the 2nd row.

Would you include a Skoda Kamiq in the Euro category? On paper it looks a great option for us and our last Toyota had rust issues.

I took the post as the same, but OP had asked for small SUV recommendations and I was suggesting that they could be found. I agree that room in the front is relative to size, hence suggestion of testing the smaller SUV with the car seats and an adult in the back then seeing if there's enough room in the front. Rather than jumping straight to a beast of a car on the assumption the smaller ones won't be suitable.

Suzuki Vitara
I've had a Suzuki Grand Vitara (they don't make that anymore) and a Suzuki Vitara, they are great cars, Suzuki is a very reliable brand, neither car ever let me down. Definitely recommend the Vitara, you can easily fit 2 car seats in the back, it's higher up but it's not a huge car.
I've got a Skoda Kodiaq now, which I love, but it's a lot bigger than the Vitara.

Edited to add, my Vitara had all round parking sensors and a rear view camera, it made parking it very easy.

Yes I would because it is a Euro car.

As for rust, that can befall any car - the issue is reliability. An nigh on all Toyota models will be infinitely more reliable, robust and cheaper to repair by comparison.

Theres a reason why European cars always languish at the bottom of reliability charts - because they are shit and inferior to Japanese brands.

Mazda CX-3 might be a good option (although they have been discontinued - there’s the CX-30 or the CX-5 is bigger but might suit you?)

Otherwise, the Yaris Cross and (surprisingly getting good reviews) the Ford Puma.

Another vote for the VW t-cross. Love mine! It’s basically a Polo on stilts

I am reading through all of these!!
The general verdict feels like a Toyota, Honda or Mazda from the Japanese makers and otherwise the Skoda Kodiaq and T-Roc?

Would it make sense for me to go to some dealers to have a look at the cars in general? I've never done this before so forgive my ignorance!

Also apologies for the badly written sentence on car seats!
It'd be 1-2 car seats or then likely 1 car seat and 2 adults. Essentially looking for something that has space for car seats but also where a teen/adult could sit quite comfortably in the back.

I'm very short at 5'2 so whoever is sitting behind the driver's seat would have plenty of room.

Volvo xc40 is really safe and easy to drive

Mini countryman could be an option

If you're going to look at cars, take your car seats with you and try to fit them. Also check for compatibility on the car seat manufacturer's website. Just bear in mind that most cars do not have 3 full seats in the back, so two adults and car seat might still be a squish width ways.

Go and test drive each of your short list from different makers and take the car seats along to test. Then make a shorter list of what to buy and start looking. Organisations such as the AA will do car inspections if you are buying privately (the dealer warranty comes with a higher car price tag). Check also the cost of insurance for each of the models as it varies quite a lot between makes and models and finish.

The T-Roc is great for accessibility if that is a factor in choosing an SUV style of car and its quite compact for the internal space. If you want a smallish practical family car then it is worth a test drive. The driving position is particularly good for me (mobility issues) but would probably work well for someone a bit shorter than average.

I've never had a problem with German cars - my Touran (the world's most practical box on wheels) did 250k miles before I finally had to replace it and never a sniff of rust. The only parts which ever needed replacing were tyres and brake linings in line with mileage.

We had an old RAV4 for years which was a decent size (and a great car) but you’d struggle with a car seat and two adults in the back. You could get three large teens in there though.

I've got a Skoda Kodiaq which doesn't really meet your needs as it's not small but I've been very happy with it and I would imagine the smaller members of the same "family" will be similar.
It was one of very few cars of the class that I looked at that had properly lie flat rear searts which was important to me as I regularly carry bulky stuff in mine, plus a low enough sill and big enough aperture for me to be able to lift heavy stuff into. Now I'm guessing you probably won't be lugging hay and animal feed around in yours so maybe that's not so important to you, but pushchairs, sports kit etc can be awkward. A lot of the cars I looked at were kind of inverse tardises - looked big from the outside but actually not that spacious inside. I would recommend that you take your kids and their stuff with you when you look and practice loading/unloading. Doing that narrowed my shortlist considerably!

A Mum friend of mine has a Toyota C-HR and loves it; her kids are 7 and 9. She came to it from a diesel Astra and is particularly impressed with the fuel economy.

If it has to be an SUV also consider the Dacia Duster. There's a new model just gone on sale in UK last year, and a brand new one is easily within reach on your budget. If you get it serviced once a year at a Dacia dealer then the warranty extends out to 7 years.

I love my Skoda Karoq. It comfortably sits 3 adults in the back and has a good sized boot but it's not too big for parking.