When it comes to choosing the right small car for your day-to-day commuting, it's often a balancing act between comfort and practicality.
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That even applies to the smallest cars on sale in Australia. We've looked at cars within the micro, light under $30,000, and light over $30,000 categories on the VFACTS sales charts, to see which has the biggest boot.
Each car has been measured by the variant with the most boot space, as some trim or powertrain options can cause some slight differences within models.
Skoda Fabia
The largest boot of the light car lot belongs to the Skoda Fabia at 380L, which expands to 1190L with the rear seats folded down.
Its one variant also undercuts a number of its rivals with premium badges, coming in at $38,590 before on-road costs.
It packs a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and claimed 4.9L/100km fuel economy on the combined cycle.
Volkswagen Polo
Sitting below the Fabia on the list is its corporate cousin, the Volkswagen Polo. It has 351L of standard cargo space, that expands to 1125L at full capacity.
Starting at $29,490 before on-road costs for the base Life and climbing as high as $40,390 before on-roads for the range-topping GTI, the Polo comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty but lacks wireless phone connectivity.
With the GTI comes a more powerful but thirstier 2.0L engine, but it's still nearly $2000 more expensive than the more spacious Fabia.
Audi A1
With its most expensive variant priced at $50,800 before on-roads, the Audi A1 is the second most expensive car on this list – but its 330L of boot space puts it behind the cheaper Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia with which it shares many of its parts.
The A1 range starts at $36,200 before on-road costs, but for that price it lacks any spare wheel and instead opts for a tyre repair kit.
It also has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and offers wireless Apple CarPlay only in the pricey range-topping A1 40.
Hyundai i20 N
The Hyundai i20 is only offered in hot N guise, but it's still relatively practical. It offers a 310L boot.
With the rear seats folded the cargo space is just two litres smaller than the Polo, making this a surprisingly practical little hatchback.
The only i20 variant comes in at $35,990 before on-road costs, and offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
MG 3
As the cheapest new car in Australia at $18,990 drive-away for its cheapest Core variant, the MG 3 offers a respectable 307L boot that expands to 1081L while retaining a space saver spare wheel.
This is also the only light car in the sub-$30,000 VFACTS category that offers a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
The MG 3 misses out on autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assist, but does feature a reversing camera.
Citroen C3
At $32,267 before on-road costs the C3 is the cheapest car in its VFACTS class, but its boot space is the second-smallest in the category.
With the rear seats folded the C3 offers 922L of storage, which shrinks to a square 300L in the normal rear seat configuration.
For the money Citroen does offer a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.
Toyota Yaris
As the only car on this list that has gone hybrid-only for 2024, the Toyota Yaris has a 270L boot capacity that sits it right in the middle of its rivals.
The Yaris is, however, one of the most expensive in the category and starts at $28,500 before on-road costs for the base Ascent Sport, but it does come standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
On par for the category, Toyota offers a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
Kia Picanto
The Kia Picanto is considered a 'micro car', but its boot capacity with the rear seats folded is less than 100L shy of what's on offer in the i20 and MG 3 – and comfortably clears the cars below it on this list.
For its price that's especially impressive, as the Picanto is one of the cheapest cars here.
Its range starts at $17,890 before on-road costs for the base Sport model, while the GT-Line sneaks in below $20,000 before on-roads.
Interior comforts have also not been cut back as features including automatic headlights, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard for both variants.
The whole Picanto range comes standard with seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Mazda 2
A relatively high-selling car for 2023, the modest Mazda 2 is one of very few cars where the entire range fits under $30,000 before on-road costs, however it does compromise on boot space compared to its competitors.
The Mazda 2 has the second smallest boot among its rivals with just 250L, which expands to 852L with the seats down.
The range-topping G15 GT comes in at $28,070 before on-roads and is a rare sedan offering in this category, while the entire Mazda 2 range comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and wireless Apple CarPlay – but only wired Android Auto.
Suzuki Swift
The Swift offers the smallest boot of the whole micro car category with just 556L available with the rear seats folded.
Buyers in Queensland can purchase the entry-level Swift GL Navi for $23,490 before on-road costs, while the same car is $1000 more expensive in the rest of the country.
For the money the car features a 242L boot capacity with the rear seats up, however Suzuki has opted for a tyre repair kit in lieu of a spare wheel.
A five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty is present.
Mini Cooper
The last, most expensive of the premium light cars on this list, the Mini Cooper offers just 219L of boot space in its regular configuration and a sub-par 800L with the rear seats folded in its electric variant.
Petrol options top out at $54,990 before on-road costs but come with less boot space, offering a reduced 725L with the rear seats down.
Despite its the range-topping electric Cooper SE coming in at $58,990 before on-roads, spare wheels do not come as standard and are instead replaced by a tyre repair kit.
The entire range does, however, feature wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
Fiat 500, Abarth 695
Fiat and Abarth dominate the micro car category with four offerings, however both marques only recorded combined 755 sales for all four models in 2023.
The offerings start at $27,220 before on-road costs for the base petrol Fiat 500 and reach as high as $39,900 before on-roads for the performance Abarth 695.
Both cars are limited to just 185L of boot space with the seats up and 550L expanded, while a reduced three-year, 150,000km-warranty comes standard for both cars.
Fiat 500e, Abarth 500e
Abarth's most expensive car is priced at $60,500 before on-road costs for the 500e, while the less sporty Fiat 500e still has a hefty $52,500 price tag before on-road costs.
Both electric cars come with a unique 50/50 rear seat split and space saver spares, alongside the same boot capacity as their petrol siblings.
Fiat and Abarth also add wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to their electric models.
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
