Hyundai i10

Why it won...

With last year’s winner, the Fiat 500, now a contender for the new Premium Supermini Award, we knew we would have a fresh city car champion for 2010... and the Hyundai i10 is a deserving recipient.

Few small models have such a big-car feel inside, and the grown-up dynamics make this one city car you won’t mind taking on long trips. Equipment is typically generous and you get the reassurance of the Korean brand’s brilliant five-year warranty.

There is only one engine, but the 1.2-litre is perfectly suited to urban life – buyers have the option of an auto box, too. Prices start at £7,725, and even the entry-level Classic has air-con. Splash out on a top-spec Style, and you get big-car toys such as heated front seats and a tilt-and-slide sunroof.

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Commended:

Fiat Panda
The Panda was crowned Car of the Year at our New Car Awards in 2004, and it still cuts the mustard in the competitive city car sector today. It is affordable and fun in equal measure, and won’t leave you feeling as if you’ve taken the cheap option. Also, the 4x4 Panda Cross is one of our all-time favourites...