Best small luxury cars 2026
Wanting a smaller car makes sense as vehicles get larger and roads and car parks start to feel cramped, but city cars and superminis often lag behind for tech and trim. Downsizing no longer means giving up creature comforts, as small luxury cars cut down the size, not the specification.
What makes a luxury car? Is it the brand, the styling, the impression it makes? Or the technology and convenience? Status comes from obviously spending more – but if you're focused on wanting the latest gadgets and comfort, manufacturers are starting to offer more in their smallest models as well as their range-topping big SUVs and saloons.
Some things are unavoidably linked to size, Small cars can't offer the acres of legroom or enough cargo space to empty Harrods, but thanks to electric power you no longer need acres of bonnet covering a V12 engine for silence and smoothness. We're at the start of a new era where the driver and passengers matter more than the mechanics, and one size no longer fits all.
Here are some of the best small luxury cars you can buy right now.
Best small luxury cars |
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1. BMW 1 Series
- Wide array of individual options, luxury technology
- Competitive entry-level models
- A small hatchback with a bespoke feel
A key element of luxury is having something tailored to your taste. The BMW 1 Series captures that perfectly, with a choice of over 120 colours, front or four-wheel drive, advanced driver assistance and convenience features plus high quality fit and finish. Prices start at around £32,000 for the front-wheel drive Sport, rising to £46,000 for the 300PS M135. For ultimate luxury you could easily spend another £6000 in options, however.
Unlike many cars on the market now, there's a choice of interior colours and materials in addition to upgraded technology, so it's entirely possible to get a unique BMW 1 Series.
For the best deals you will need to go for cars in stock, but you will usually find the options and spec that you want available. It's the BMW Individual paint finishes that need special orders and delays. To keep the luxury feel, stick to the smaller original wheels and choose adaptive suspension where possible.
2. MINI Countryman
- Chunky small SUV with fashion-first approach
- Spoiled for choice with trim and options – at a price
- Don't be fooled, this MINI has big abilities
Sitting at the top of the MINI range, the MINI Countryman is slightly smaller than its sister car, the BMW X1. Already defined by style and fashion, the MINI Countryman is more luxurious than you'd expect even in standard form. It's also practical, with 450 litres of boot space and optional sliding rear seats. But it remains true to the core MINI values of fun handling and brisk progress, starting with 170PS and a dual-clutch automatic in the 1.5-litre Countryman C.
Choose the Exclusive spec, upgrade to the 2.0-litre Countryman S with 218PS and ALL4 four-wheel drive and you get an extremely capable small SUV that can also tow 2000kg. Option packs can add advanced driver assistance, adaptive LED lights, sophisticated connectivity and a choice of four interior colour schemes, letting the large central circular instrument pack and fashionable fabric-wrapped dashboard design feel far more expensive than the usual bland charcoal plastics.
The MINI Countryman can get expensive, but the standard specification Countryman C is less than £30,000 and has features such as dual-zone climate control and ventilation for rear passengers plus the choice of black, white or body colour roof and dark or light interior themes at no extra cost. If you're considering an electric model, the MINI Aceman may be a better choice.
3. Lexus LBX
- Quality materials and precision build quality
- A brand that remains focused on luxury
- Great value for long-term owners thanks to 10 year warranty
How small can your luxury car be? If the Lexus LBX is anything to go by, fairly small. This upmarket interpretation of the Toyota Yaris Cross has appealing scaled-down Lexus style with a high quality interior and an impressive standard specification. Prices start from just under £30,000 - roughly where the Yaris Cross range ends.
The Lexus LBX has 136PS and the Takumi version is available with the electric all-wheel drive option, but if you want to go for a bespoke interior and colour you'll want to look at the cheaper Premium, which offers a choice of shades for seat, door and lower dash trims.
Unlike the Yaris Cross, there's no sunroof for the LBX – but you do get a head up display, 13-speaker Mark Levinson audio and adaptive high beam headlights alongside the standard adaptive cruise and Lexus Safety System.
If the restrained, grown-up luxury of a Lexus appeals, the LBX is an extremely effective blend of small car size and high-end experience, but it's a shame to see the higher-end models lose a lot of the individual choice in trim.
4. MINI Cooper Convertible
- Customisable MINI Convertible offers bespoke fun
- Surprisingly quick, with big-car tech
- Clever top can be a sunroof, or fully open
Open-air motoring is rarer than ever, so it's reassuring to find the MINI Cooper Convertible back for a third generation. Inheriting the distinctive digital central instrument pack and multi-material interior from the Countryman and Aceman, the new convertible has a sleek, uncluttered look with instantly recognisable features.
What's missing is the entry-level, low power option. The basic Cooper C has 163PS and can reach 62mph in 8.2 seconds. Cooper S upgrades that to 204PS and 6.9 seconds while the JCW's 231PS shaves another half a second off. While it has seats for four, it's best as a two-seater, using the rear seats to supplement the 215-litre boot.
Options for advanced driver assistance, connectivity and electric seats, alongside a choice of interior trims and colours and vibrant paint and decals mean the MINI Cooper Convertible has a lot of scope for personalisation and convenience, matching many upmarket models despite it's small size.
5. Genesis GV60
- Big luxury SUV features in a small package
- Electric GV60 feel lavish and special
- Good value, but not cheap
At 4.5-metres long the Genesis GV60 is shorter than many premium electric cars and SUVs - it also undercuts the VW Golf Estate and Ford Kuga. The distinctive exterior design is matched by a different approach to the interior, with bold colours, crystal accents and a striking one-piece 27-inch digital display.
With high specification on all models, the £52,000 price is competitive with rather average-looking EVs in the same sector thanks to advanced technology – right down to fingerprint-sending security and advanced driver assitance. For fashion fans the design language is straight from Seoul boutiques. You'll find it hard to resist co-ordinating bags and accessories.
Embracing fast fashion, the GV60 can reach 62mph in 7.8 seconds in standard form, with the dual motor 490PS version hitting the benchmark in 4.0 seconds. The 84kWh battery delivers a combined range of 384 miles. With fast charging support for 800V and 350kW rates, it should be capable of long-distance trips without excessive planning time.
6. Volvo EX30
- A solid brand backed by quality and safety
- Stylish trim options on Ultra and Cross Country
- Impressive standard equipment
Volvo's small electric car, the EX30, sits in a range than includes the Volvo XC40 and Polestar 2. It's also closely related to the Smart #1. However, we've chosen the Volvo EX30 here because it has a consistent selection of interior styles, a strong bias towards comfort and retains a sense of elegance in a scaled-down format.
Technology is, of course, at the forefront of the EX30's luxury credentials at the entry-level £31,000 standard-range model. It features adaptive cruise control and connected services, but not much choice of interior finishes and a 209-mile range. Taking into account the upgrade to 293-mile extended range (£4200), Ultra models from around £41,000 are the true luxury option.
A panoramic glass roof, dual-zone climate control, 360-degree camera and upgraded audio complete the technical site, but it's the selection of wood-blend interior trims and finishes that make it more like furnishing a living room than specifying a car. For the ultimate EX30 an additional £2500 upgrades to four-wheel drive dual motor performance while the Cross Country package increases ground clearance and adds more body protection.
7. Fiat 500 Armani and La Prima
- Designer version of an affordable small EV
- 500 Armani edition follows lead of La Prima and (red)
- Open-air 500C option for most models
Like the MINI Cooper, the Fiat 500 is a car that transcends its economy roots to be fashionable and desirable to wealthy buyers as well. The electric 500E La Prima is a chunk more expensive than the rest of the range, but it’s loaded with extras including heated seats, a rear parking camera and 360-degree parking sensors along with a premium JBL sound system and leather seats. There's also adaptive cruise control and a panoramic sunroof.
If that's not sufficiently lavish, the Fiat 500E is also offered in a limited edition Armani model. Signature details include Armani logo alloy wheels, Giorgio Armani's signature on the dashboard and coordinated interior and exterior shades from the fashion house. There are few options for tailoring, but it's a very appealing off-the-peg option.
A new Fiat 500 Hybrid joins the range soon, extending the range and versatility for the small Fiat beyond the existing Abarth 500E model. It's likely that fashionable, luxurious models will remain, but very few cars can match the joy of summer countryside and the silence of an electric 500C.
8. Audi A1 Sportback
- Smallest car from Audi
- Few options for personalisation
- Grown-up, prestige feel without showing off
Audi is a brand that earned status and admiration not for giving people lots of shiny things, or rare materials, but for assembling cars that were well-made, built to last and safer than rivals. They weren't always big, either. The first all-new modern Audi was the 1974 Audi 50, one of the first 'supermini' small cars designed to be refined, stable and high quality in a class of cheap cars full of compromises. It's better known as the Volkswagen Polo, a relationship which remains today.
50 years later the Audi A1 Sportback shows how much each sector has grown. It's as big as a 1980s Golf – which means it's a very practical family car, with 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre options from 95PS to 150PS. It shares some traits with the Volkswagen Polo, the SEAT Ibiza and the Skoda Fabia. They're all around the £24,000 price point, with options that are standard on many rivals easily taking the Volkswagen and Audi over £30,000 and the Skoda is not far behind.
This is the point where you decide what 'luxury' means to you. Choose Skoda, and you can get a more powerful 177PS Skoda Fabia 130. Choose Volkswagen, and the VW Polo GTI is a 2.0-litre, 204PS hot-hatch model with adaptive matrix LED lighting. Used buyers can look for the Audi A1 Sportback 40 TFSi for that high-performance edge or an Audi A1 Citycarver for a miniature-SUV style.
9. BMW X1
- BMW's smallest SUV offers a lot of luxury features
- Overtaking rivals through choice
- Not cheap, but many options
It would be nice to have a cheap small luxury car, but when a Fiat 500 with luxury features approaches the price of an entry-level BMW X1 it's easy to understand how buyers may be torn. As with the BMW 1 Series, the X1 benefits from two crucial options for real 21st-century luxury – a wide choice of paint finishes, and a selection of interior colours and materials.
You don't need to start with anything more than the basic sDrive at just under £38,000 to get access to BMW Individual colours and a selection of colourful two-tone interiors, but the bespoke paint costs £3500 – enough to add a lot of features such as adaptive headlights, head up display and parking assistance. You do get more technology by choosing M Sport Pro or xDrive AWD – but then you lose the pothole-friendly 17-inch wheels. Choose an xLine and you get extra options, such as open-pore wood interior trim.
The obvious rival for the BMW X1, the Range Rover Evoque, can feel more luxurious but offers very few custom options, even in Autobiography trim. And for many there's nothing more luxurious than knowing your car is unique. Which a Turkish blue with paprika red interior X1 sDrive almost certainly would be. For silent luxury, the BMW iX1 offers the same versatile small SUV style with electric power.
10. Range Rover Evoque
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- Hatchback-sized Range Rover does luxury well
- Not cheap new, but good value on the used market
- Look for Autobiography or HSE and a good warranty
For many drivers, Range Rover belongs in the same rarified class as Bentley and Rolls Royce. Unlike those brands, it's offered a small and surprisingly affordable model since 2011 – the Range Rover Evoque. The most luxurious model is the Autobiography, which is four-wheel drive and offered with a D200 mild-hybrid diesel, or a petrol plug-in hybrid. The cheapest Evoque S is available as a front-wheel drive P160, but loses a lot of tech and extended-leather trim on the dashboard.
Dynamic SE can be upgraded to have the adaptive pixel matrix headlights and other tech from Autobiography, but it costs more and has lower residual values. Despite the name, Autobiography doesn't offer as much personalisation as BMW's Individual programme. A limited colour selection and just one colourful interior with extended leather trim to match the lavish ambience of full-size Range Rover.
You will want to pay for the adaptive suspension for the optimum ride quality. And while the panoramic glass roof option does make the car much lighter inside, it reduces headroom so taller rear passengers may not be as appreciative as you expect. From the front seats the Evoque is an extremely effective small luxury car.
What’s the difference between a premium car and luxury car?
Premium cars built a reputation for quality at a time when mass-produced affordable models were flimsy, flawed and short-lived. It was worth paying exchange rate, tariff and margins for a Mercedes or Audi when your Vauxhall might last three years before rusting, and it wasn't long before anyone being able to afford the quality of German imports, or the performance focus of Italian marques, was also seen as being wealthier and more successful even when those cars were the most basic specifications available.
Luxury cars, on the other hand, put you in an environment of bespoke comfort. Soft, leather or wool wrapped seats, wood or engineered dashboards, unusual materials and convenience features such as umbrellas hidden in doors, or self-closing electric windows. Suspension that insulates you from the journey. Features that you don't need, but want – and most manufacturers used to offer a luxury version of bigger cars even if the brands themselves were not seen as premium.
Modern cars are built to consistently high standards, technology is mandatory for emissions and safety, and only the most expensive cars from Bentley, Rolls-Royce or Range Rover offer handcrafted luxury outside of the restomod and small volume brands. We've focused on cars and brands that give you a taste of that bespoke experience.
Can a small car be genuinely luxurious?
Small cars just aren't that small anymore, and leather seats, plush materials, expensive alloy wheels and the latest tech have become a standard expectation for mainstream models. Britain's buyers have favoured big alloys and firm suspension for a long time, so few cars offer the ride comfort and serenity of a genuine luxury car.
Look for a longer wheelbase to get closer to the ride comfort of a luxury saloon or SUV, and if possible choose smaller alloy wheels with larger side profiles on the tyres. Ultimately, a small luxury car is going to be defined by how much you can make it your own. Be brave, choose the colour, interior finish and decals that make it your own. The ultimate luxury may simply be being able to wait for a custom order instead of a discounted, resale-silver and black interior model from stock.
What’s the most famous small luxury car?
Remarkably, the most famous small luxury car is probably one of the most famous cars of all. The 1959 Mini. Right from the start it was associated with fashion, and it was adopted by coachbuilders such as Wood & Pickett, trimming and converting the basic economy car for celebrities in the '60s. Luxury models from Riley and Woleseley added baby-Bentley aesthetics and wood-and-leather lavish interiors.
Even as the Mini reached the end of 40 years of production it was given a high-end convertible option and limited editions from designers such as Paul Smith – a name that has returned to the latest MINI range. MINI has retained that bespoke feel for the latest models, offering more consistent personalisation across the range than many bigger cars can muster.
Luxury conversions are not always successful. A long-standing tradition of badge engineering gave us the awkward Vanden Plas Allegro, and famously Aston Martin's Cygnet is a thoroughly-upgraded Toyota iQ. For real scaled-down luxury look to Japan's artisan coachbuilder Mitsuoka. It continues the luxury Mini trend with creations like the Mitsuoka Viewt, a Nissan Micra with a grille and boot to mimic a 1960s Jaguar.
Buying a used small luxury car
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The current crop of small cars can be a bit uninspiring, but go back a few years and you'll find a wider choice of Audi A1, Mercedes A-Class, BMW 1 Series and 3 Series Compact and high-spec versions of the Ford Fiesta, Focus and Puma with Vignale trim.
Modern classic buyers will want to seek out limited editions such as the Renault 5 Monaco; a 1980s supermini with cosseting, deeply-padded leather seats and a big, lazy 1.7-litre engine that was as famous for being the most brown car ever made as it was for being a genuinely pleasant, comfortable small car. Rarities such as the Aston Martin Cygnet share the weaknesses of their base car, so should be checked for rust and mechanical problems just as thoroughly as a cheap one, regardless of price and advertised condition.
In all cases, look for damage to the interior trim and special finishes. It can be difficult to source some pieces and colours even on more recent models, and picking up secondhand replacements can't be taken for granted. For example, the wood-capped door trims on the highest-specification five-door Metros are a unique design that blends into the dashboard. Bright colour finishes on Mercedes interiors are often a soft-touch paint that peels off with damage and age.
Can you suggest a small, premium hybrid?
