Best Compact Cars of 2023 and 2024

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.

If you're looking for a little more comfort and sophistication than what the typical hot hatch offers, the Golf R could be your answer. Expensive at first glance, the R vindicates its price with well-rounded performance, practicality and mature styling.

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 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.

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 Mazda CX-50 is comfortable, spacious and well appointed, with an interior that looks and feels a cut above anything else in this class. It commands a bit of a premium, but if you're looking for a small utility vehicle, it doesn't get much better than this.

There's a reason many consider the Honda CR-V the benchmark small SUV for families. Its latest version pulls off this feat yet again with a smooth ride, helpful tech features and excellent storage space. Still, competitors have improved significantly. The CR-V is a good choice but no longer the clear leader.

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.