Toyota Yaris review - a frugal hybrid supermini
The most reliable small cars on sale in 2024
Reliability is a top priority for many small car buyers – here are the most dependable models as voted by the owners themselves
A reliable small car is the ideal transportation tool for urban drivers. Knowing that you can hop in, turn the key and go without any issue provides the peace of mind that makes car ownership a breeze. While we expect large, expensive cars to deliver top-notch build-quality and reliability, today’s small cars are often just as dependable and well put together.
The best small cars and superminis in 2024
Every year, our Driver Power owners survey ranks some of the UK’s most popular new cars across several categories, including reliability. The data comes from the drivers themselves, who can report on any faults or issues that have cropped up during their ownership. Out of the small cars included in this year’s survey, we’ve listed the top 10 finishers in the quality and reliability category. These are the models that posed the fewest issues for owners, but also scored highly in terms of overall quality. There’s a strong mix of different brands and price points, with some traditional city cars and superminis alongside a few small SUVs.
- Priced from £22,640
It comes as no surprise that Toyota tops this list of the most reliable small cars. The brand has garnered a reputation for excellent build quality and dependability over the past eight decades, with both of those traits present in the Yaris. The little supermini is only available as a self-charging hybrid, using tried-and-tested tech that Toyota has been continually refining since the 1990s. It’s not the most exciting engine by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s efficient, smooth and, importantly, reliable – qualities that most small-car buyers are looking for.
Inside the Yaris, you’ll find the odd piece of cheap-feeling plastic, but it's a sturdy, well-built cabin overall. A 2024 facelift brought a sharp 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, and there’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for smartphone connectivity. Further peace of mind is provided thanks to Toyot’s class-leading 10-year/100,000-mile warranty for those who service their car at an official dealership – not that we’d expect anything to go wrong in that time anyway.
- Priced from £17,295
The outright winner of Driver Power 2024, the Dacia Duster is a value-focused small SUV that owners love – it impressed across the board with particularly high scores in practicality, infotainment and reliability categories. Its rugged, no-frills design and simple engine lineup means that there’s little to go wrong with the Duster, with the added bonus that repairs should be relatively affordable should an issue arise.
Owners were also particularly pleased with the servicing costs for the Duster, so it won’t cost the earth to keep it in tip-top shape. The standard warranty is in line with the industry standard at three years and 60,000 miles, but this can be extended to seven years and 100,000 miles for a fee.
If you’re a fan of the second-generation Duster, you better act quick – it’s about to go off sale as Dacia makes way for the all-new model coming in 2024. The new Duster gets a revised set of engines with hybrid tech, so its reliability remains to be seen.
- Priced from £15,595
It might not be the last word in practicality, but the Kia Picanto is the most reliable city car on sale in 2024 according to UK drivers. Owners like the styling, say it's good to drive, inexpensive to run and well built. It helps that the Picanto is one of the most affordable new cars to buy in the UK, proving that you don’t need to pay top dollar for top notch build quality and reliability.
Even if something were to go wrong, you needn’t worry; Kia offers one of the best standard warranties in the business, with up to seven years and 100,000 miles of cover. Sure, we know the Picanto is far from the most exciting car in the world, but as an affordable and reliable way for urban drivers to get across town, it’s hard to fault.
- Priced from £20,410
If you like your superminis sharp and chic, the Peugeot 208 certainly delivers. It’s one of the most stylish cars in its class, with a choice of petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains that have proved to be reliable with owners in the UK. A seventh place finish in the quality and reliability category is an impressive result for a car as affordable as the 208, and contributed towards its overall sixth place finish in the Driver Power survey.
Standout areas for the Peugeot other than styling and reliability were the powertrain and driving experience. Owners loved the 208’s nippy acceleration and feeling of fun from behind the wheel, and even awarded it a trio of first place awards for steering responsiveness, brake feeling and ride quality.
- Priced from £23,150
If you want a luxury small car with plenty of character, the MINI Cooper is the obvious choice. So it’s reassuring to find out that MINI’s Oxford factory does such a good job of screwing the cars together – build quality was ranked as the best in our survey. Out of the 50 new cars in the survey, the MINI came 10th in the quality and reliability category, beating the more expensive BMW 1 Series with which it shares many of its mechanical components.
The third-generation MINI hatchback included in the Driver Power survey has been heavily updated for 2024, as has been re-christened as the MINI Cooper. The petrol version shares the same platform underneath, as well as its range of petrol engines, so we expect it to be just as reliable and well built as the outgoing model.
- Priced from £24,180
Given that the Peugeot 208 supermini holds a spot on this list, it's unsurprising to find its small SUV counterpart, the Peugeot 2008, close by. It uses the same range of petrol and hybrid engines as the supermini, as well as the same electric motor and battery in the E-2008, and proved to be very reliable in the real world. It came 17th out of 50 for overall quality and reliability, beating every other small SUV bar the Dacia Duster.
The 2008’s three-year/60,000-mile warranty isn’t anything to write home about, but electric E-2008 models benefit from Peugeot’s eight-year/100,000-mile cover, providing some added peace of mind for those who plan to keep their car for longer. The 2008’s 20th place in the servicing costs sub-category shows that owners didn’t find maintenance costs to be much of an issue, and a strong third place for the other running costs subcategory means that the Peugeot 2008 should be trouble-free and affordable to run.
- Priced from £16,740
Another small SUV from our neighbours across the Channel, the Citroen C3 Aircross came an impressive 20th out of 50 cars overall for quality and reliability in this year’s Driver Power survey. It’s smaller than the Peugeot 2008, but offers plenty of space to seat four adults in comfort, and the boot’s a decent size, too. From behind the wheel, the C3 Aircross feels more like a supermini than an SUV, but you have the added benefit of extra suspension travel to soak up the worst imperfections on British roads.
An all-new Citroen C3 Aircross is soon to replace the current model, so you better act quick if you want to get your hands on one. Citroen has cut the price of the current model in anticipation of the new one, so you can pick one up today for under £17,000.
- Priced from £35,254
The Volvo XC40 is offered as both a mild-hybrid and a full EV (now called the EX40) and is easy to recommend thanks to its impressive performance in a number of areas. Not only does it make our number one spot in the best premium small SUV category, but you say it’s also one of the most reliable options.
Driver Power survey respondents were clearly very happy with the reliability of the XC40 because it came a respectable 21st out of 50 cars. Of the percentage of owners that reported problems in the first year of ownership, many reported electrical issues, which are likely to have been relatively minor. The XC40 also triumphed in the styling, practicality, comfort and safety categories.
- Priced from £25,650
The Ford Puma is not only one of the UK’s best-selling cars, it’s also one of the most reliable. Owners ranked it in the top half of all cars tested for quality and reliability, coming a respectable 24th out of 50. A 10th place overall finish for Driver Power 2024 proves why the Puma continues to sell in such large quantities – owners find them great to live with.
As a small SUV, the Ford Puma ticks pretty much every box that buyers are looking for. It’s practical, delivers low running costs thanks to its 1.0-litre mild-hybrid engine, and is surprisingly fun to drive. The cabin feels well-built and sturdy enough to deal with everything that family life throws at it, plus a recent facelift upgraded some of the dated interior tech. Its middling three-year/60,000-mile warranty could be better, but that’s less of an issue if you plan on leasing rather than owning long-term.
- Priced from £14,150
The Citroen C3 may be one of the oldest models on this list, but it remains a reliable small car option in 2024. It finished 26th out of 50 cars which, while not particularly impressive on its own, is a decent result for a car as affordable as the C3. Starting from just over £14,000, superminis don’t come much cheaper than this, although you do miss out on some basic equipment like a colour infotainment screen on entry-level models.
The Citroen C3 has been replaced by an all-new model for 2024, featuring chunkier styling, a modernised interior and a different range of engines. While we expect it to be as reliable, if not more so, than the outgoing model, we won’t know for sure until it’s been on sale for some time. In the meantime, you can still order the older car from new if you want to grab a reliable, small car bargain.
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