Renault Twingo

It's practial too, with a usable boot. There's more room inside than you'd find in the likes of a Toyota Aygo or Citroen C1. That said, RenaultSport hot hatch versions are quick and great fun to drive.

What is it like to drive?

With it's light steering and compact dimensions, Renault's Twingo is well suited to navigating city streets and squeezing into tight parking spaces. The 1.2-litre petrol engines need to be worked hard to get the Twingo going and they feel quite short on power, especially on motorways. It's a different story with the RenaultSport version, which is engaging to drive.

Is it comfortable?

The cabin is spacious, the ride is comfortable and the Twingo absorbs bumps and undulations in the road well for a small car. Wind and road noise are quite pronounced, so it's not particularly refined. The fact that the small 1.2-litre engines have to be worked hard to get any kind of pace out of the car also adds to the noise inside the cabin.

Is it practical?

The Twingo's lack of rear passenger doors blunts practicality and makes the rear difficult to access. However, the Renault makes up for this with an ingenious rear seat set-up. The back seats slide back and forth, so boot space varies from 165- to 285 litres, which is impressive for such a small car. Fold the seats down and there's 959 litres available, which is also good. There are also plenty of storage spaces throughout the cabin, so the Twingo more than compensates for its lack of rear doors in this respect.

Quality, safety and reliability?

Renault's reliability history has been patchy in the past and electrical problems have been known to occur on many of its cars. The Twingo's build quality is quite poor - it feels built to a price and the cabin materials are cheap. However, it is much more basic than most models in Renault's range, which means there's less to go wrong with it and electrical niggles are less likely.

Is it value for money?

Entry-level Expression models are keenly priced, so it's hardly fair to call the Twingo expensive. However cars offer a very basic specification, so don't expect much for your money.

Running costs

The most efficient Twingo is the 1.2 16v Dynamique, which will average 55.4mpg and emits 119g/km of CO2, which means a low annual road tax bill. The Twingo is no ecomomy champion, however. Many rival superminis - including the Toyota iQ and the Volkswagen Polo - are cheaper to run and offer a greater variety of engines.

YOU'LL LOVE

•    Very practical boot and rear seats
•    Low cost
•    RenaultSport version is great to drive

YOU'LL HATE

•    Bland looks
•    Dodgy build quality
•    Access to rear seats