If for many months, the Renault 5 E-Tech electric has monopolized the news among versatile city sedans, let’s not forget that the category of queens of the cities just as capable of facing their outskirts as of occasionally venturing out onto the The highway has not yet definitively turned its back on thermal engines.
Ford and Nissan are the main absentees since the respective departures of the Fiesta and Micra, however in 2025, there will still be no less than 25 players in the A and B segments of the market. We take stock of each of them using a classification by price brackets.
The most affordable are below the symbolic bar of €15,000, i.e. that of the 100,000 francs of yesteryear. While the heart of the market is magnetized around €20,000. Finally, a quintet of chic city dwellers are positioned above €25,000.
Less than €15,000
Unsurprisingly, the Dacia Sandero opens the ball with a starting price of €12,490. At this price, you leave behind the wheel of an Essential version powered by the 65 hp Sce petrol engine. At the other end of the range, the price rises to €16,750 for the Journey finish associated with the 90 hp TCe engine. And if you want to stand out with the adventurer look version, the Dacia Sandera Stepway starts at €15,950 in Essential ECO-G 100 finish, running on both gasoline and LPG and reached €19,000 in Extreme powered by the TCe 110 block.
At Citroën, the C3 city car casts a wide net since it is both thermal and electric. If we only consider its non-electric versions here, the range starts at €14,990 in You finish with the unique 100 hp 1.2 PureTech petrol engine and the bill rises to €21,900 in Max finish.
Between €15,000 and €20,000
Once you cross the €15,000 mark, there are many Asian city cars (Japanese and Korean). Starting with the Suzuki Ignis chip whose 3.70 m format is suitable for driving around the city. A universe also perfectly suited to the venerable Fiat Panda marketed in France since early 2012 and now renamed Fiat Pandina.
Due to the arrival of the Fiat Grande Panda which will join the catalog next year first in electric then in thermal. In a pocket handkerchief, in terms of price, the freshly restyled Kia Picanto is also there. Another “little” granny that is resisting, the Mitsubishi Space Star, which arrived in France in 2013, is 3.76 m long. picture
Sole survivor of the triplet formerly formed with the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107 then 108, the Toyota Aygo has reinvented itself in the form of a small SUV, which is affirmed by the “X” associated with its surname. It took the opportunity to increase its ground clearance but also its prices, positioned below €17,000 at the entry level. The Suzuki Swift, the latest version of which was launched last April, targets the top segment (B) with its 3.86 m long format. The Japanese only relies on a single 82 hp mild hybrid engine. Among small city cars, the third version of the Hyundai i10 underwent restyling in the summer of 2023.
Star of the market, the Renault Clio has an entry-level version below €20,000. A lively base version for the 65 hp Sce petrol engine. Big sister of the aforementioned i10, the Hyundai i20 relies on a format of 4.07 m, its engine range covers a spectrum going from 84 to 204 hp for the lively N version, the heart of the range however being the 100 hp version. Finally, with a very competitive price of €19,990, the Chinese MG3 has been offering a hybrid engine with 195 hp since last June, offering performance worthy of a GTI while declaring only 100 g of CO2 per km. A headache for the competition.
Between €20,000 and €25,000
Just above €20,000 is the Opel Corsa available in basic finish with a petrol engine (the famous 1.2 PureTech from Stellantis renamed 1.2 Turbo) with 100 hpcoupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox (priced at €20,200) or with an 8-speed automatic transmission (€22,200). Added to this is a strong light hybrid version, also 100 hp (€23,000). The GS finish adds a mild hybrid version with 136 hp whose price reaches €26,600. A clone of the Renault Clio, the Mitsubishi Colt quite logically has the same arguments without however benefiting from a stripped-down version which would not find a buyer.
At Mazda, the “2” city car is a double blow with first an in-house version presented in the summer of 2014 whose 1.5 petrol engine leaves the choice between a 90 and 115 hp variant and then the Mazda 2 Hybrid version detailed in the following paragraph. The Czech Skoda Fabia and its technical cousins Volkswagen Polo and Seat Ibiza remain faithful to the traditional recipe, now abandoning diesel and still not offering hybridization. The Seat Ibiza will nevertheless undergo restyling at the start of 2025.
The other tricolor star, the Peugeot 208 will keep the pleasure going in thermal, restyled for the first time in 2023, it will go on the operating table a second time in 2026 to allow the lion brand to keep a thermal city car in its range with the arrival of the new 100% electric version of the 208 on this horizon. And let’s not forget the Toyota Yaris which was the pioneer of hybrid technology in this market segment.
Between €25,000 and €30,000
At this price level, we find ourselves a little out of the market with only premium models. Starting with the Lancia Ypsilon available in a 136 hp light hybrid version. We also find the Mazda 2 Hybrid which is none other than a facelifted Toyota Yaris. Moreover, at its beginnings, it was content with a simple change of logo, nothing more. Since the restyling, the muzzle is completely new, very beautiful and more in the Mazda spirit.
Like the Dacia Sandero mentioned above, the Audi A1 Sportback strikes a double blow, leaving the choice between a classic silhouette and an adventurer variant surprisingly named A1 City Carver. at its beginnings before taking the name A1 allstreet, more logical and above all in line with that of its big sister Audi A3 allstreet.
Finally, among chic city cars, the pioneering Mini remains the historical reference. To close this ranking, let’s not forget the Honda Jazz with hybrid technology which, with its base price of €30,190, is already in the upper category of compact sedans. A unique positioning which does not lack any advantages.
