If you’re looking for the best small 4x4, the Suzuki Jimny is our top choice. It has permanent four-wheel drive and a low-range gearbox to help you keep moving on slippery ground, and it also has plenty of clearance for tackling rocks and ruts.

The Tonka toy style that you see on the outside is continued inside. The dashboard is chunky, and there are cool toggle switches and circular air vents, as well as a colourful infotainment screen. The two back seat are tight on space, but you can fold them away to make the Jimny a spacious two-seater.

Do be warned, however, that the same things that make the Jimny so good off-road are the very same things that make the car feel quite wayward on it. The body leans over a lot in bends, while the power-sapping four-wheel drive makes the car quite slow and quite expensive to run. If you’re being charitable, the Jimny is certainly ‘characterful’, but do make sure you test drive before you buy to make sure you can live with its clumsy road manners. You'll have to buy one used, too, because Suzuki no longer sells the Jimny as a new car, and prices are still very high because these little cars are very much in demand.

Based on its cutesy design and diminutive dimensions, it would be easy to write-off the Fiat Panda 4x4’s off-roading credentials, but it's a lot more capable than it might look. Yet it’s also practical for its size, relatively cheap-to-run and easy to drive on-road, too. 

The Panda’s four-wheel-drive only engages when it’s needed, sending power to the back wheels when the front wheels slip. But, aided by the Fiat’s light weight, impressive approach and departure angles, and Terrain Select system – which lets you set the car up for different types of surface – it all works a treat.

Mind you, it’s innovative twin-cylinder petrol engine gives it decent performance and cheap running costs, and in town, the Panda feels like any other city car to drive. Its interior is good to look at – with its cheery 'squircle' design motif and two-tone colour scheme – and relatively practical for its size, plus you get five-door access. Bear in mind, though, that the Panda 4x4 is another car that can only be found on the used market, as new Pandas don't have four-wheel drive.

The Dacia Duster is another small car that’s excellent off-road when specified in four-wheel drive form. It uses old Renault parts to keep prices low, but it feels less bargain-basement than other Dacias and it looks pretty good on the outside, too.

Inside, the Duster has a simple but inoffensive design, with plastics that are a little bland but hard-wearing and robust. There's space inside for four tall adults to get comfortable, and the boot is very large for a small SUV.

Hunt around on the used car market, and you can have a four-wheel-drive Duster (again, brand new ones aren't available with 4WD) with a 115PS 1.5-litre diesel engine, which gives it all the grunt you need for off-roading and also doesn’t cost a fortune to run. Don't expect the last word in refinement, though.

The Suzuki Ignis is a cheekily styled city car that’s available with four-wheel drive if you need some extra grip to tackle slippery roads and tracks. Its tiny size makes it easy to drive, easy to park and cheap to run.

It comes fitted with a 1.2-litre petrol engine that has a mild hybrid system to help it return good fuel economy. Take it off-road and the Ignis can send power to the back wheels if it detects the fronts slipping.

Its interior reflects the smart-looking exterior thanks to its two-tone colour finish and you also get a little infotainment screen on the dashboard. Its upright seating means the Ignis can carry four adults, but the boot is rather small.

Okay, so the Volvo EX30 isn't a small SUV that's designed to go off-road at the drop of a hat, but it is one of the few that's available with genuine four-wheel drive when specified with its range-topping twin-motor all-electric powertrain. The front wheels usually only receive drive when the rear wheels start to slip, but selecting the car's performance mode locks the four-wheel drive on.

There's plenty of other stuff to like about the small Volvo, too. It looks great inside and out, it's well equipped, and the pliant suspension keeps things comfortable yet controlled on the road. With the range-topping powertrain, it's also hugely fast, capable of seeing off the 0-62mph dash in just 3.6 seconds, although we wouldn't recommend trying that when you're off the Tarmac.