Best small cars for tall drivers

City cars and small hatchbacks are a clever buy because they mix low running costs with easy manoeuvrability and parking options. Trouble is, if you’re a non-city-sized human being, ie over six feet tall, your head will be banging against the roof of many small cars.

Luckily, there are some well-designed mini-motors around that will accommodate super-sizers while also providing the kit and comfort you’d expect in a full-sized car. We’re listing the six that are our favourites, plus another two that aren’t.

Skoda Fabia

We love the Fabia. It has everything: urban agility and driving ease, comfort and refinement at higher speeds, great build quality and lots of safety kit. It’ll take four, along with their luggage in a well-designed boot, and the driving position gives you loads of head and leg room.

Ford Fiesta

For the solo driver, the Fiesta is hard to beat. Usually that’s a reference to its high level of driving involvement, but what it’s less known for is its surprising practicality. Yes, rear seat and boot space aren’t class leading, but if you hardly ever carry more than one passenger you’ll be delighted by the adjustability and airiness up front. Big discounts should be on the cards too, because a new model will be along later this year.

Hyundai i20

Head and leg room are obviously important, but so is width, and the Hyundai i20 scores well on that front: you’ll not be banging against your passenger’s elbow in one of these. Unlike the Fiesta, the i20’s rear space matches many family cars, but its ride and steering don’t come up to the Ford mark. Petrol engines are smooth though, and there’s plenty of standard equipment.

Kia Rio

Whatever you might think about Rios of a few years ago, the fact is that they have always delivered lots of space for not very much money. The newest model is no exception, with a wide range of fore and aft and up/down adjustment in the driver’s seat. Shame the ride is rather nobbly and the handling a bit stodgy.

Volkswagen Polo

You’ll get more rear space in an i20 or a Rio than in a Polo, but the VW hardly scrunches up its rear passengers and the front compartment has clearly been designed with big folk in mind. Its classy cabin, secure handling and brand image keep used values high and go some way to justifying the higher initial purchase price. Like the Fiesta, it’s due for replacement later this year.

Mini hatchback

Slide the 3-door Mini’s front seats all the way back and there won’t be much legroom left for rear seat passengers, but both the 3- and the more practical 5-door models look after front passengers well with well-shaped seats and stacks of head and leg room. Offset pedals compromise the driving position a little, but that apart the Mini is a nice drive.

Worst cars for tall drivers

Fiat 500

The retro Fiat has gathered up a big posse of fans, thanks partly to it being a lot cheaper than the Mini, but the downside is a poorer driving experience and a flawed driving position for taller drivers. You can only move the steering wheel up and down, not in and out, and the driver’s seat has a limited range of fore-and-aft movement. There’s not much room for your feet in the pedal area either.

Vauxhall Adam

A more modern take on the Fiat 500, the Adam scores on style but not so much on comfort with relatively little room for passengers in either the front or the back. It’s got quite firm suspension and it’s not cheap, but the Adam does have a neat looking interior and a huge range of personalisation options.