Peugeot Bipper Tepee MPV (2009-2014)

The Peugeot Bipper Tepee MPV was developed alongside the Citroen Nemo and Fiat Qubo, and the resemblance is clear. The sliding rear doors are useful in tight car parks, while the boot is a good size. Split-folding and tilting rear seats make it even more useable, letting you carry large items with ease. There's only one engine: a 1.3-litre turbodiesel that produces 75bhp, which is plenty for this type of car. The Tepee comes with manual or automatic gearboxes, and is as efficient and cheap to run as it is versatile.

For a car this big and practical, the Bipper Tepee offers very competitive running costs. When fitted with the EGC automatic gearbox, it's capable of 67.2mpg. The manual version isn’t quite as efficient, returning 65.6mpg, but CO2 emissions are very similar, so road tax costs £30 a year for both versions. Insurance and servicing bills are also very low.

This is Peugeot's version of the Citroen Nemo, and it's sold with just one engine: a 1.3-litre diesel that produces 75bhp. The Bipper Tepee is easy to drive, and is happiest at slower speeds in and around town. On open roads or steep hills, the engine feels rather gutless, although it's perfectly capable of cruising along at the motorway limit. The high front seats and upright driving position provide a great view of the road, but the cabin is poorly insulated and noisy at times.

On rough, bumpy roads the Bipper Tepee struggles to maintain a smooth ride, betraying the commercial-vehicle origins of its suspension. The rear seats offer enough legroom for most, but passengers approaching six feet tall may find their knees touch the front seats. Fitted higher than the front seats, the rear bench provides passengers with a great view of the road and plenty of headroom. On longer journeys, however, the seats' limited support can become quite uncomfortable. Also, the pop-out back windows don't open fully, making the rear cabin quite stuffy – especially in hot weather.

The Tepee's sliding rear passenger doors allow easy access to the rear cabin and are especially useful in crowded car parks or where space is an issue. The 356-litre boot is accessed through a large, roof-hinged tailgate that creates a wide and low opening – making loading shopping and bulky items very easy. Removing the split-folding rear seats frees up the Bipper's maximum 2,500 litres of luggage space. The front of the cabin is light and airy, but could do with more handy storage areas.

Electronic stability control is standard on S and Outdoor models, as are driver, passenger and side airbags. There are no official crash-test results for the Bipper, but the virtually identical Citroen Nemo was awarded just three out of five stars by Euro NCAP in 2010. Even though Peugeot doesn't have the best reliability record, the Bipper Tepee should prove reliable as it shares a platform with the simple and durable Bipper Van.

Bipper Teppe prices are almost exactly the same as for the Citroen Nemo, but the Peugeot is slightly more expensive than rivals like the Nissan Note or Skoda Roomster. Entry-level S models are poorly equipped as standard, but for an extra £700 the Outdoor version features manual air-conditioning, front foglights and roof bars. Rear parking sensors are available as a £210 option, while metallic paint is priced at £440. All models come with stop-start technology as standard.