Best Compact Cars of 2022 and 2023

The Honda Civic boasts praiseworthy performance, high fuel economy, excellent passenger space and a refined design. There are a few minor drawbacks, such as elevated road noise on the highway, but overall the Civic is a great pick for a small sedan.

The Kia Forte sedan has been redesigned for 2019. Overall, it more than satisfies with its mix of great features, attractive style and appealing price.

The Elantra stands out with its high fuel economy, impressive technology and safety features, and roomy cabin. It's also comfortable and strong on value. The base engine is lackluster but otherwise this is a great pick for a small sedan.

The Volkswagen GTI is simply fun to drive all the time, thanks to a stout engine and sharp handling. It's comfortable and offers plenty of cargo space too. It's a winning formula that's truly hard to top as far as hot hatches go.

The Civic Type R is friendly, flexible and practical while managing to push the performance envelope of a front-wheel-drive car. Its combination of four usable seats, a sizable trunk and agreeable ride quality makes it a highly desirable daily driver.

The Veloster N is fun to drive, affordably priced, and bundled with one of the best warranties in the business. On the downside, you sacrifice pretty much all of the Veloster's available driver aids plus quite a bit of comfort.

The Audi A4 allroad has a lot of appeal thanks to an expansive cargo area, a comfortable ride, enhanced off-road capability and a wealth of standard features. The allroad is both an excellent luxury wagon and an enticing alternative to a crossover SUV.

As an attractive and engaging alternative to sedans and SUVs, the Volvo V60 may surprise you with its combination of convenience and confidence.

If Volvo's compact V60 wagon interests you but you need a bit more capability, check out the Volvo V60 Cross Country. It has more ground clearance and added body protection, while the V60's stylish interior and comfortable seats carry right over to this application.

The Honda CR-V is easy to recommend since its spunky turbocharged engine and a comfortable, roomy interior with tons of cargo space make it a strong pick. There are a few mild annoyances from the infotainment system, but overall this Honda is a front-runner in multiple ways.

The Mazda CX-5 has interior quality and driving dynamics to challenge some luxury vehicles. Cargo space behind the second row isn't class-leading, but the Mazda's strengths still make it a top pick.

Nissan's Rogue scores well for the qualities most people consider priorities for a small SUV. It's comfortable, practical and comes with a lot of features for the money. There are a few issues, such as elevated road noise, but overall the latest Rogue is a smart pick.