Citroen C1 - £7,995

Citroen's joint effort with Peugeot and Toyota to create the C1, Aygo and 108 platform-sharing city cars has to compete with cars such as the Skoda Citigo and Hyundai i10, and that's strong competition.

At least the C1 makes a good first impression with distinctive styling, thanks to quirky split-level headlights, and an extensive range of contrasting colour and trim options. The inside is colourful, cheerful and more lavishly equipped, too.

Despite the completely new styling, the new C1 carries over much of its from the previous model. This means the rear seats and boot are quite cramped compared to rivals . Nevertheless the new 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech engine finally gives the French city car a bit more motorway cruising ability, despite remaining efficient (sub-100g/km of CO2). Its low kerbweight means plenty of agility around town.