Perodua Kelisa

Our verdict

The Perodua Kelisa may be the cheapest supermini on sale in the UK, but it will never feel like a bargain. A wheezy little engine, cramped interior, crappy plastics and truly rubbish styling leave you wondering who on earth actually buys this stuff.

Comfort

Perodua has tried to soften the Kelisa up for the UK market, and it rides with a surprising degree of suppleness in spite of those diminutive proportions. But heavy cabin noise at any sort of speed undoes all the good work.

Performance

There's only one engine on offer in the Kelisa, and it's a gutless 1.0-litre 3-cylinder lump squeezing out just 54bhp. This makes for adequate urban progress but the whole thing comes unstuck at motorway speeds.

Cool

There's probably a good chance that the Kelisa is quite cool in its native Malaysia, where it's that or walk, but round these parts it's a mirth magnet of the highest order.

Quality

With Daihatsu underpinnings there is a strong likelihood that the Kelisa is mechanically sound, but fit and finish is pretty awful and the choice of cabin materials truly dreadful.

Handling

There's a significant amount of body roll in the Kelisa if you actually manage to get up enough speed to find out, but grip levels are good enough to just about see you through the corner.

Practicality

Unlike some of the more ingenious new superminis of late, the tiny Kelisa has as little space inside as you'd imagine from the kerbside. Room in the rear is woeful and a small and shallow boot compounds the problems.

Running costs

Dirt cheap to start with and bolstered by good fuel economy and what should be a very low insurance premium, the Kelisa's strongest suit is rock-bottom running costs. But it's a strong suit in a very bad hand.