Compact Comparison

For our most recent compact car comparison test we put 400 miles on each of seven small cars to confirm past conclusions and solidify some new ones.

The Specialists

The

Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer are the only cars in this group to offer all-wheel drive, the Jetta is the only one offered with a hybrid powertrain, and only the Focus is offered as a (much pricier) all-electric car. Several now offer highway fuel economy of 40+ mpg. 

Actual Price

Most compact cars start under $18,000, but most buyers upgrade to an automatic transmission and other popular equipment, making the average price paid for a compact car right about $20,000. The average price paid for a midsize sedan, for reference, is closer to $25,000.

This Year's Winners

The redesigned 2016 Honda Civic isn't just our Small Car Best Buy of 2016, its impressive redesigned earned it this year's Overall Best Buy Award. The Toyota Corolla is the category's most recent 5-Year Cost to Own Award winner, and the Subaru Impreza took home our most recent Best Resale Value Award in the compact car category.