SMALL: Under $25,000

1ST - Peugeot 207 XT manual
French flair on a beer budget still costs 20 percent more than the Corolla, but fuel-wise the diminutive 207 Pug is super frugal. It’s also the only in-category contender featuring side airbags, and comes fully stocked with hi-tech braking hardware. All that safety kit saw the 207 scale the dizzying heights of 10 points on the GSC safety ladder, compared with only five for the Corolla and two for the Civic. Downside? The 207 is expensive to insure and, due to its dead-feeling steering, and poor NVH and ride quality, the Corolla and Civic are both a cut above dynamically.

2ND - Toyota Corolla Ascent hatch (man)
Sky-high resale value and razor-sharp pricing shunt the Corolla firmly in the ‘value’ zone. Dirt-cheap insurance is also a winner, and dynamics are top-notch in class. Had ESP been available – a no-brainer, one would have thought – the Corolla would have been the victor.




3RD - Honda Civic VTi (man)
Cleverest small-car interior ever, great dynamics and Corolla-beating fuel costs (and line-ball insurance cost) see the Civic on the podium. But third place? Safety kit just didn’t add up, plus service interval means potentially fronting up at the dealership twice as often as the Corolla or Pug.