Nissan Micra

An excellent little car in everything but styling, the Nissan Micra is the sort of car you buy for your daughter on the grounds that it’ll never go wrong and won’t attract boys.

• Comfort

   Despite those diminutive dimensions the Micra rides very well, soaking up bumps like a much larger car, making it the ideal city transport that occasionally has to step in for longer journeys.

  

• Performance

  The right choice of a broad selection of engines is the 1.5-litre diesel. It's comparably quick with the numerous petrol options, has the same top speed but delivers a genuinely impressive 60mpg.

  

• Cool

  A Micra is never going to cut it, unless you can rescue some vestige of cool from the fact that you've bought a car that cares far more about being good than actually looking good.

  

• Quality

  No worries here. Nissan makes the Micra like it makes all its cars. Despite being the entry level car, it's nigh-on bomb proof and the materials used are all impressively upmarket.

  

• Handling

  There's a competent chassis lurking under that mumsy body. Grip levels are surprisingly good, body roll is kept to a minimum and the steering is positive and nicely weighted.

  

• Practicality

  There are various tricks within the already quite spacious Micra. The rear seats slide forwards to make more room in the boot, and there are hidden compartments all over the place.

  

• Running costs

  Insurance costs are low on the undeniably unsportyMicra, and the diesel offers cracking distance on a tank. Residuals on reliable Japanese hatches are generally strong too.