It's great news that the cheapest car on our list is also one of the few that comes with an almost-perfect 9/10 heycar rating. The cheapest version of the Kia Picanto - the 1-trimmed car - is admittedly a little bit sparse on kit, but as you'll find out, that goes for most of the cars on this list as the savings have to come from somewhere. Besides, it's not like you have to settle for some entry-level engine, because all Picantos come with the same 67PS 1.0-litre petrol engine.

All Kia Picantos also come with a cabin that's surprisingly spacious, meaning four reasonably tall adults can travel in reasonable comfort, and even bring a bit of luggage along for the ride. The interior is also smartly trimmed, and the Kia Picantos is a lively, agile, yet surprisingly civilised car to drive. And, because of the 1 version's teeny 14-inch wheels, this is the most comfortable-riding Picanto there is.

The Dacia Sandero has, for a long time, been renowned for being the cheapest new car you can buy in the UK, but as you can see, that's no longer the case. When the second-generation Sandero first went on sale in 2021, it had a headline-grabbing starting price of just £7,995, but these days, the cheapest version will set you back almost £14,000. That's not just because the world has gone bananas and everything costs way more than it used to (which it admittedly has!). It's also because Dacia no longer offers the cheapest, most basic variants with breathless engines and hardly any equipment.

That's good news in one sense, because it means more in the way of standard equipment. For the same price, the now-entry-level car Essential-trimmed car can be had with either the TCe 90 turbocharged petrol engine - which is a good little unit - or the TCe 100 Bi-fuel, which is also pretty sweet and also runs on Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) as well as regular petrol (LPG is way cheaper). Again, good news.

Admittedly, you do pay for that low price in other areas. The interior is a little bland, the car only has a two-star Euro NCAP crash test rating, and although quite comfortable, the Sandero is far from being the most dynamically polished car you'll ever drive. Still, given the low price, you might still be surprised that the Sandero is as good as it is in each of these areas.

The Citroen C3 You! is a budget variant of the French firm's supermini contender, helping to make up for the fact that the smaller Citroen C1 is no longer on sale. Starting from £13,995, it's  a full £3,500 cheaper than the next trim level up. Predictably, it has a lot less equipment as a result, but there's still a decent amount, with LED headlights, cruise control, DAB radio and a touchscreen infotainment system. It's also a great buy for those who find the Dacia Sandero too dull to look at, with a funky design inside and out, and a pleasant cabin with very comfortable seats. 

To drive the Citroen C3 majors on comfort, with a soft ride and light steering. It cruises along nicely as a result, although the 83PS 1.2-litre petrol engine delivers pretty sedate performance.. At least you're unlikely to get caught speeding.

The MG3 is the car that truly re-launched the MG brand under its Chinese ownership in 2013. The car might be getting on a bit, then, although it was revised extensively in 2018, and it's still a fun and honest little hatchback with prices starting at a little over £14,000. You also get a comprehensive seven-year-warranty, limited to 80,000 miles. 

There are lots of colours and personalisation options to choose from, and the interior is intelligently designed, with all versions getting a fairly large touchscreen mounted in the centre of the dashboard. It's not exactly luxurious inside, though, with some cheap-feeling plastics on show. By the standards of most other cars on this list, though, equipment levels are pretty generous.

The MG3 is more fun to drive than you might expect, too, with plenty of grip and agile handling. The ride is on the firm side, though. There is just one engine available, a 1.5-litre petrol, which puts out a perky 106PS, but it needs revving hard to get the best out of it, and isn't very efficient.

The Hyundai i10 shares a great deal with the Kia Picanto that sits on top of this list, so it's no surprise to see it feature eventually. It's a brilliant little car, with the same 9/10 heycar rating as its sister model, but the reason it doesn't feature higher up this list is that it's a good bit more expensive. However, that's mostly because Hyundai doesn't offer a stripped-out bargain-basement version, so all versions come generously equipped. For instance, the entry-level Advance trim comes with niceties including alloy wheels, cruise control, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Hyundai i10's talents don't stop with plentiful creature comforts, either. It's impressively roomy for a city car so four adult travel comfortably, and five can squeeze in (and it will be a squeeze) at a push. The boot is very decent, too: not big enough for a pushchair perhaps, but enough for a weekly shop. Best of all, the Hyundai i10 is a great little car to drive, with a comfortable ride, easy controls and agile handling.

The original Toyota Aygo immediately became city car royalty when it was first released in 2005, thanks to its funky looks, cheery demeanour and affordable price. You can no longer buy a regular Aygo as a brand new car, but Toyota still offers something that's just as dinky and arguably even more cheerful - the Toyota Aygo X. This teeny little city runabout taps into the fashion for crossover-style looks with its jacked-up suspension and chunky body cladding. You can also get it with an opening canvas roof for some open-air fun.

Sure the cabin isn't the roomiest, and there are plenty of hard plastics on display, but the interior design is smart, and a decent amount of kit is supplied. The 72PS 1.0-litre petrol engine means the Aygo X is no ball of fire, but it moves along well enough if you're prepared to keep the revs on the boil. The handling feels compesed and planted, while the ride is comfortable enough.

Fun, affordable and stylish, the Suzuki Swift is a simple and enjoyable small hatch. The funky exterior design has stood the test of time since it launched in 2017, and bright colour choices help it stand out further. The interior is well equipped and smart looking, but it's fair to say that the Suzuki doesn't exactly have the most luxurious materials around. Still, you get what you pay for, and standard equipment such as 16-inch alloys, LED headlamps and adaptive cruise control is generous at the entry level. 

The Suzuki Swift is good fun to drive, helped by its very low weight, with sharp handling and an edgy ride. The entry-level price gets you a 1.2-litre mild hybrid petrol engine with 83PS. That's not much, but the other advantage of the car's low weight is that the engine is strong enough to pull it around with reasonable purpose.

The latest version of the Renault Clio was first released in 2019, but when it underwent an extensive facelift in 2023, Renault dropped the entry-level turbocharged petrol models, leaving only the E-Tech hybrid version, and this sent the purchase prices of the entry-level car rocketing. Not long after, Renault reversed that decision: recognising that many folk were struggling with the cost of living and simply couldn't stretch to the hybrid model, the French company did the decent thing. That means you can now get the Clio in low-end Evolution trim, with the excellent TCe 90 turbo petrol engine, for less than £18,000.

It's a brilliant little car, too. The facelift made the looks much sharper, while the interior is roomy, stylish, high in quality and packed with a very decent slice of standard equipment. The Clio also happens to have the biggest boot in the class when the hybrid drivetrain isn't specified. It's a comfortable and compesed car to drive, with a smooth ride and impressive refinement.

The Suzuki Ignis is the Japanese brand's 4x4-inspired city car, making it similar in character - that character being cheerful and charming - as the Toyota Aygo X we mentioned earlier. It perhaps seems a little mad that the teeny Ignis costs more than the bigger Swift supermini in Suzuki's line-up, but that's where we find ourselves, and the slightly loftier pricetag doesn't make the Ignis any less appealing.

The Ignis looks like nothing else on the road with its matchbox dimensions and bluff off-roader styling. The tall body also makes it deceptively spacious for a car with such a small footprint, too, and boot space isn't bad, either. The budget gets you a car with the same 83PS 1.2-litre mild hybrid powertrain as the Swift we mentioned earlier, so performance is modest but fine, and running costs are low. The car feels very easy to drive and manoeuvrable in town, and rides comfortably enough most of the time.

Just scraping into this list is the excellent Skoda Fabia. It's easily the biggest, most practical car here, and that's perhaps why it's not the cheapest, but you do get a lot for your money. 

The Fabia used to be a lot more affordable at the entry level but it was also a lot more basic. Today's entry-level price gets you a Skoda Fabia SE Comfort with equipment such as alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 6.5-inch colour touchscreen with smartphone connectivity and the very latest safety and driver assist equipment. 

You also get a logical, high-quality interior with plenty of space: it's very nearly as roomy as cars from the class above, with enough space for four adults to stretch out comfortably. The 380-litre boot is also easily the largest here (it's only one litre short of the Volkswagen Golf's), while Skoda's practical Simply Clever features are a great touch. 

The Fabia is impressively refined, a trait it shares with Skoda’s larger cars. Road- and wind noise is well suppressed, while the well-balanced suspension means decent handling and a very smooth ride.