Top 10 best pocket rockets 2022

The i20 is impressively roomy and well equipped, too, given the strides its maker has taken these past 10 years in drawing level with the best small cars that Europe can offer. If the i20 N has a fault, it may only be that it's too grippy, precise and composed – and some may want a fast supermini that takes itself a little less seriously.

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3. Caterham 170 S & 170 R

This may not be a hot hatchback, nor really anything like one - but no discussion of the affordable driver's car firmament ought to omit one of the true and enduring champions of having fun on a budget: the Caterham Seven.

Representing the entry-point to Seven ownership, the 170 is the lightest that the company has ever built. Using the latest version of the 660cc three-cylinder Suzuki petrol engine that the company first adopted for the Seven 160, the car's model-nomenclature-defining power-to-weight ratio rises to '170' by dint of the fact that the car itself weighs just 440kg, and also conforms to Japan's 'kei' car class criteria. It can be yours for less than £25,000 - with an option or two - if only you're prepared to do up the car's bolts yourself as a kit, which for many is part of the fun.

This Caterham has a character all of its own, with an unassuming but likable power delivery and engine note. The live rear axle and modest power outputs make for a less naughty, throttle-steerable dynamic character than some Sevens have. With just 86lb ft on tap, there isn't enough torque here to move the driven rear axle around easily with power, and there's more fun to be had in simply carrying speed rather than deploying grunt through the contact patches.

While this might not be the very best Caterham, it's still be more fun than most other new cars you might get into for the same outlay and - depreciation considered - considerably cheaper to own overall too. It's clearly not as usable as a hot hatchback nor as quick, but would more rewarding when the occasion to drive it did come along.

4. Mini Cooper S

The modern fast Mini is a more upmarket and refined take on what a compelling pocket rocket can be, although the car's famously terrierish handling directness also still defines it just as vividly.

The Cooper S a touch softer around the edges than the most focused cars in this class - the Fiesta ST is a far sharper, firmer package in this respect - but as an all-rounder, it does itself a lot of favours, and has a well-judged blend of grip, body control, performance and value.

It won't be as taxing or tiresome to drive about town as other cars in this list, while out on some proper B-roads, there's still an abundance of the (cliche alert!) go-kart handling characteristics that Mini has always been renowned for, despite the fact that these BMW-era ones have grown in size considerably.

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5. Mazda MX-5 1.5

The pricing of most fast superminis invites comparison with one of the world's most famous sports cars because it can be had for around the same budget. That's provided you're happy enough to have a hard-working, free-revving, 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine in your Mazda MX-5, as well as a slightly simpler mechanical and equipment specification that puts the focus of the car right where it ought to be: on the fine detail of the driving experience.

The MX-5 1.5 produces 130bhp these days, which is a slug more power than the famous first-generation 1.6-litre car had, while the smaller of two of the modern Mazda's engines also gives the current car more of the flyweight, rev-hungry charm of the Mk1 (especially as this entry-level model barely tips the scales at a tonne). Like the Caterham above, it's only a two-seater with a small, non-expandable boot; and although you could probably get quite a bit more daily use out of the MX-5 than you could a modern Seven, it would still fall well short of matching even a three-door hatchback for versatility.

But there is a delicacy and a purity to the driving reward on offer here that no powerful front-driven car elsewhere on this list could equal. Thekind of stride that a moderately sprung MX-5 can adopt over an enticing cross-country road is like little else in motordom: effortless, manually involving, and beautifully fluent at brisk but sensible real-world speeds. It's easy to get the best out of this car, and a bit of a revelation when you do.

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6. Volkswagen Up GTI

The Up GTI is clearly not the most powerful car to be included in this list, or the most sophisticated from a technical point of view. In fact, most of the cars included here would likely run rings around it on any instrumented performance test you can think of.

But to knock it down for such reasons would be to miss the point of its existence entirely. The fact that it can extract a huge amount of laughs from its driver at reasonably low speeds is what the little Up GTI is all about. And despite the fact that the asking price has risen from just under £14,000 to just over £16,000, we'd still recommend you try one out.

Its rorty and eager three-pot motor is charming, and its sheer willingness to be thrown about on twisty B-road, at speeds that'd pose no threat whatsoever to your licence, is something you could cherish for years. Fun really doesn't come in a more endearing package than this. That it looks as great as it does is an added bonus.

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7. Suzuki Swift Sport

This third-generation Swift Sport marks something of a departure from its predecessors. For starters, its previously zesty naturally aspirated motor was first swapped out for a more charmless turbocharged unit, and that has now evolved with electrification. Moreover, an increase in pricing now sees it facing off against the likes of Ford's excellent new Fiesta ST, which is not only the better driver's car, but much more powerful too.

Still, there's plenty to like here. The Suzuki feels just as agile as you'd expect a peppy supermini to be, and responds nicely to mid-corner throttle and brake adjustments. The driving position is pretty spot on, too, and there's a heap of standard kit for the money. No, there's not quite as much appetite for revs as once there was, but the trade-off is that the muscular turbocharged motor turns this into a surprisingly potent pocket rocket.

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8. Volkswagen Polo GTI

The latest Polo GTI is no longer just a spicier trim level for VW's ever-popular supermini; there's now a credible performance hatchback on offer here.

It shares its engine with the legendary Golf GTI - albeit here in a slightly lower state of tune - lending it a fairly potent level of performance, while the sophistication of its chassis allows for excellent composure and impressive dynamism on even the most battered British roads.

It is typically rounded and desirable and inspires plenty of confidence in its abilities but, for all of its strengths, does leave you wanting just a little bit more in terms of character and fun. And that's arguably what cars of this type are all about, isn't it? In many respects it's more mini executive express than all-out funster, but there's not denying its grown-up demeanour makes it easy to rub along with day to day.

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9. Abarth 595 Competizione

If there's one thing the Abarth 595 Competizione isn't short on, it's character. On start-up, its 1.4-litre turbocharged four-pot burbles into life with an aggressive timbre that seems entirely at odds with the beefed-up Fiat 500's rather cutesy image. And then it goes and lends the steroidal city car impressive straight-line punch, which, from a car of this size and type, seems just as unlikely.

However, there are a few flies in its ointment. For starters, it's pricey next to more accomplished pocket rockets, and it's not quite as dynamically well sorted, often washing into understeer and demanding more input and management from its driver at cornering speeds that its rivals would simply eat up. The interior is also relatively cramped, and the driving position isn't great.

Between one thing and another, then, this little bundle of boisterous trouble gets off to an imperfect start as a driver's car and, in strictly objective terms, it never quite recovers. And yet it's nothing if not a giggle.

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10. Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo

Skoda used to be a practitioner of the pocket rocket art with its Fabia vRS models, which served up thrills in slightly different ways from the competition. The original was famously diesel-powered only, while its replacement packed a novel engine that combined turbocharging and supercharging. However, the Czech firm decided a while ago that the vRS badge would be applied only to the Octavia and several SUVs, including an electrified one. Yet the latest Fabia Monte Carlo proves the spirit of the fast Fabia still exits. Just.