Car experts name best small SUV on sale in the UK and it’s not a Ford or Kia

Deciding what car you need for your family can be a difficult task, especially when there are so many options out there. Do you go for a big SUV, small SUV, medium SUV, big estate, small estate, medium estate, 4×4? Do you go petrol? Do you go hybrid? Do you go electric? Do you even go diesel?

Fortunately, there are many options out there for families and lifestyles of all shapes and sizes. One of the most popular car body shapes is the SUV, with small SUVs becoming especially popular.

With this in mind, Auto Express has put together a list of what they think are the best small SUVs on sale in the UK.

Coming in third was the £21,800 Dacia Duster. This was praised for being comfortable, spacious, having a “well designed interior” and being “genuinely desirable”.

However, it lost marks for having a “high boot lip” with louder wind noise at “higher speeds” and not the highest Euro NCAP rating. The Euro NCAP rating is a safety rating for cars.

Coming in second was the £22,000 Citroen C3 Aircross that was praised for being able to fit seven in such a small area, for having a comfortable ride, and “plush seats”.

However, the Citroen lost marks for the third row of seats being “only suitable for temporary use”, for having “numb steering” with not much feedback, and speedometer Auto Express said “isn’t very accurate”.

In first ahead of the Citroen and the Dacia was the £23,400 Renault 4 that the reviewers said compared well to the Renault 5. The Renault 4 was praised for its “competitive pricing” and “generous standard equipment”.

However, it lost marks over the space around its back seats, for having a maximum 100kW charging speed, and the fact the shifter used to switch between gears could be mistaken for the windscreen wiper controls.

Talking about the car, the publication’s deputy editor Richard Ingram remarked: “On the road, the R4 feels neatly tied down, despite Renault claiming it has a slightly softer set-up than the 5, with a willingness to change direction that’s missing in plenty of its rivals.

“The Renault 4 is still quite stiffly sprung, with a hard-ish edge to the ride around town, but things are much smoother at higher speeds.”

Whilst Auto Express has named, for now, the best small SUV on sale in the UK, one city has considered introducing an SUV parking tax that would see people with larger cars charged more to park.

Said city is Bath with the specific council taking action that of Bath and North East Somerset Council which has started consulting the public over the new tax.

Whilst the measure has proved divisive, with people emphasising the need for such a tax to be properly integrated and considered before implementation, one councillor has defended the move.

Joel Hirst, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport Strategy, said: “The way we manage parking has a direct impact on road safety, fairness, and the council’s ability to maintain essential services. What we’ve proposing to do will help us achieve this. Higher charges for larger vehicles and discounts for smaller ones will encourage more people to use safer, smaller and cleaner vehicles, which will also help improve air quality.”