Once again the most practical car in the Top 100 is… a supermini. If ever you needed proof that versatility is down to good design rather than size, just go to your Honda dealer. With the cleverest folding seats on the market and masses of room up front, the Jazz can teach cars from the class above a thing or two about stowage space. Taking a very different approach, Land Rover’s Discovery is second. Designed with families in mind, it has seven seats and huge luggage capacity. The top five is completed by a family car, a compact MPV and a van-based people carrier, showing practical models come in all shapes and sizes. In last place is Mazda’s old-shape MX-5. A tiny boot and tight cabin space do it no favours here.

Will anything ever get between the Honda Jazz and its annual supermini gold medal? Consistently topping its class, the Japanese baby is hard to beat for practical, frugal small-car motoring. However, its slip to eighth place in the Top 100 – and the relatively poor scores of other superminis – makes this the lowest-scoring sector. Second place goes to the latest Yaris, with Skoda’s Fabia separating the new Toyota and its predecessor. Top-sellers including Vauxhall’s Corsa and the Ford Fiesta don’t get a look in. Renault’s current Clio is fifth, but is only 46th in the Top 100. Supermini drivers clearly feel they’re getting a raw deal compared with other car buyers.