Best small luxury cars 2022
When it comes to the best small luxury cars, good things can come in small packages. You might think you need to splash out on an expensive limousine to live the high life, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s possible to find some of the plushest materials and latest technology in many of today’s small cars, so that Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz or Bentley you’re looking at might not be required after all.
Sure, you might look a little out of place in the VIP car park, and you won’t be able to stretch out in comfort as you make your way home from a black tie dinner (chauffeured, of course), but you’re more likely to find a parking space.
You’ll also save money, so you can spend the extra cash on the latest fashion, expensive hotel rooms and the odd bottle of bubbly. Here are some of the best small luxury cars you can buy.
Ford Fiesta Titanium Vignale
The Ford Fiesta is Britain’s most popular new car, so buying one won’t deliver any exclusivity. But fear not, because the Titanium Vignale trim is properly posh. Highlights include machine polished alloy wheels, LED headlights, LED rear lights, rear privacy glass, a heated windscreen, an 8-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, premium seats finished in Sensico artificial leather, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, climate control and a rear-view camera. Got all that? The Vignale pack is also available on the rugged Active and sporty ST-Line trim levels, with the spec varying according to the model.
Audi A1 Sportback
You know what they say about buying the cheapest house on the most expensive estate? You can use that analogy to justify an A1 Sportback, because it offers many benefits of the more expensive cars in Audi’s range. These include the right badge, the right image and higher build quality than its immediate rivals. Even the entry-level Technik trim feels upmarket, but the true luxury comes with the Vorsprung model. Highlights here include Audi’s Virtual Cockpit driver display, 18-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara and leatherette heated seats, rear privacy glass, dual-zone climate control and ambient lighting. At around £33,500, it’s not cheap for a small car, but it’s definitely luxurious.
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MINI Hatch 5-door
For all its premium aspirations, the three-door MINI Hatch cannot claim to be a luxury car. Could you imagine a chauffeur tilting a seat forward to allow a captain of industry access to the rear seats? Precisely, which is why the MINI Hatch 5-door makes our list of the best small luxury cars. It’s still a MINI, so you shouldn’t expect limo-like levels of rear legroom, but it’s more practical and a touch more mature than the three-door version. The Exclusive trim features leather seats, 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels, an 8.8-inch media display, LED headlights, LED rear lights and ambient interior lighting.
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Lexus UX
Following the demise of the CT hatchback, the UX is the smallest Lexus you can buy. It’s also the only Lexus to slip below the £30,000 mark, but only just. Bold styling, a high-quality interior and a smooth hybrid powertrain are three of its strongest points, plus you get a generous level of standard equipment. Opt for plush Takumi trim for front and rear parking sensors, 18-inch alloy wheels, heated and ventilated leather seats, a 10.3-inch touchscreen with navigation, a head-up display and an impressive 13-speaker Mark Levinson surround-sound audio system. The UX is also available with an all-electric powertrain.
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Volvo XC40
There are plenty of compact SUVs to choose from, but few are as special as the Volvo XC40. It feels a class above its mainstream rivals and refreshingly different to the premium players from Germany. The styling is chunky and upmarket, the interior oozes Scandinavian chic, and the car’s safety credentials are second to none. Overall, the XC40 feels like it rolled straight out of the ‘class whispers and doesn’t shout’ school of luxury, and is all the better for it. The pure electric XC40 Recharge model feels even more opulent and offers up to 275 miles of near-silent electric range.
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DS 3 Crossback
DS has been pushing further upmarket ever since it separated from the Citroen brand. The DS 3 Crossback is the smallest car in the stable and one of the most distinctive cars in its class. The level of perceived luxury is extremely high, with DS making good use of plush materials and lavish finishes. Actual quality isn’t as high as its premium rivals, sadly, but few cars of this size offer the same feelgood factor. Neat details include the intricate design of the headlights, a genuinely distinctive dashboard and door handles that open for you.
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Other premium hatchbacks are available, but the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is the classiest of the lot. The popular AMG Line Premium Edition feels particularly upmarket, especially when you notice the pair of 10.25-inch digital screens. These combine to create a seamless dashboard display that is a match for the larger and more expensive models in the Mercedes-Benz range. This trim level also offers a choice of 64 (yes, 64) different ambient interior lighting options, which add some colour to this small luxury car. For some extra horsepower with your luxury car, consider upgrading to one of the feisty Mercedes-AMG models.
Renault Clio R.S. Line
Renault mastered the art of building small luxury cars when it unveiled Monaco, Bacarra and Initiale versions of superminis like the R5, Clio, Twingo and Modus. The R.S. Line version of the current Clio does a passable impression of a luxury car, aided by the fact that the Clio feels like a larger, more mature vehicle. Highlights include 17-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, climate control, a leather steering wheel and gear knob, a 9.3-inch touchscreen media display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, chrome and gunmetal grey exterior accents, plus a full R.S. Line interior makeover.
Vauxhall Corsa Ultimate
Don’t be fooled by the badge, because the Vauxhall Corsa features the kind of kit you’d associate with a larger and more expensive car. Take the Ultimate trim, which includes everything you get on the Elite Edition, plus LED matrix headlights, LED rear lights, front seats with a massage function, a 10-inch colour touchscreen, adaptive cruise control and keyless entry and start. It’s worth noting that the Elite Edition already boasts heated seats, a heated steering wheel, a panoramic rear-view camera, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and, well, the list goes on...
Fiat 500 Dolcevita Plus
The Dolcevita Plus trim adds a touch of luxury to one of the most chic and stylish small cars you can buy. On the outside, you get chrome accents, 16-inch alloy wheels with a polished finish, a panoramic sunroof and Dolcevita badges. On the inside, there’s a 7-inch display with Apple CarPlay, stylish seats, automatic climate control and a 7-inch digital instrument cluster. For a different take, you could consider the Fiat 500C Dolcevita Plus, which features an electric fabric sunroof in a choice of colours. What’s more luxurious than some al fresco driving?
What’s the difference between a premium car and luxury car?
You can draw a fuzzy line between the worlds of premium and luxury cars. The premium car market is dominated by brands like Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, while luxury brands include Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. The quality, craftsmanship and choice of materials pushes a car into luxury territory, but that’s not to say a premium car cannot be considered luxurious. Indeed, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a luxury car from a premium brand.
Can a small car be genuinely luxurious?
Leather seats, plush materials, expensive alloy wheels and the latest tech are great, but small cars lack the space, ride comfort and aura of a genuine luxury car. A short wheelbase prevents a small car from benefiting from the ride comfort of a luxury saloon or SUV, while the shortage of headroom and rear legroom prevents them from being a genuine player. Still, a little touch of class never did anyone any harm.
What’s the most famous small luxury car?
There are plenty of examples of coachbuilt small luxury cars of the past. Wood & Pickett worked wonders with the original Mini and we should also tip our hats to the Vanden Plas version of the Austin Allegro. More recently, Aston Martin created the Cygnet using a humble Toyota iQ city car. Highlights included a glass-like paint finish, hand-finished interior and bespoke alloy wheels. It cost £30,000, but some used examples fetch significantly more than that.
