Best small family car 2014

I am looking at buying a new car. I am pregnant with my first so will only have one child and plan is to keep it that way for at least several years. I don’t want a big car/4wd type car. I want a small car but a small car that can fit one baby car seat and other assorted baby requirements. I have been previously recommended a Honda Jazz for these requirements. Anyone have a Honda Jazz in a similar situation or other suggestions?

• We just sold our Hyundai i30 as hubby got a work car. Big boot and lots of car room. Very good on fuel as well. It was 23,000 new and we sold it for 13,000 with 26000 kms and only 2 years old. Sad to see gone. Annie

• I have a Mazda 3 hatch and it is a lot bigger then you would expect still lots of room in the back seats with my 5 month old and I have quite a bulky Pram that folds down to a 2 piece and can still fit shopping etc in the boot wasn’t sure if I would need a bigger car but plenty of room! Bree

• the Hyundai i30 wagon is a great size Sally

• A hatch of any sort with a decent size boot would be ideal, I have a sedan and is a little awkward getting the pram in and out of the boot. Christine

• I just traded my Mazda 3 in because there was not enough room in the front passenger seat with a rear facing capsule behind I loved my Mazda but just not enough room for a passenger to ride comfortably Tara

• I have a Mazda 3 & it fits my capsule, pram etc in it all nicely. The front passenger seat can’t go back all the way but unless someone really tall will be sitting in the front it hasn’t been an issue. Generally it’s just me & bubs in the car. Samantha

• Our mazda 3 hatchback has been pretty good just a bit of a squeeze when the car seat is rear facing for my 6f4 hubby to sit in the passenger seat, so he drove most paces when we went out as a fam. Now the seat is around the other way it’s not as bad. I thought the boot space was deeper than a mazda CX-5 when I saw a lady packing groceries parked next to me at the shops. All the best! JoJo

• Make sure whatever you buy has good boot space to fit the pram and shopping etc Alison

• I have a 2012 Hyundai Accent hatchback and it’s a perfect size & a great little car with heaps of ‘accessories’ and great value for what you get. Belinda

• My in-laws have a Jazz and they love it. We use it when we visit (they live interstate) and it is a very practical car – lots of room for baby seats, carseats that move around in different positions when u need extra space and a higher seating position. Oh also has a hundred or so cup holders LOL Plus lots and lots of visibility! Definitely worth a test drive. I personally drive a VW Golf. Fits a baby seat comfortably and has plenty of room in the boot for pram and shopping. It is a GTI model so I especially love it because it isn’t a typical ‘Mummy car’. Melanie

• I have a Toyota corolla hatchback. Mine us a 2008 model and we have had it for 4 years. It has a 5 star a cap safety rating and fits our baby in the back seat nicely. Plus we had a cousin and his gf over from overseas last week and we all fit in the car (5 of us) including their luggage. We didn’t take the pram to the airport but we did on the days we went out Regine
• I find my kia cerato to be good we have no issues its a little bigger then the jazz but still easy to drive and roomy and has a decent sized boot Jess

• I have a 2009 Honda Jazz and a 18 month old. I love my jazz! I used a Steelcraft capsule in the centre seat, now have a maxi cosi Goliath on the passenger side now she is older. I have a steelcraft agile plus and it fits beautifully in the boot, with a full load of shopping. If in doubt, take the parcel shelf out (we do this when we go on holidays at Christmas – kid, presents, dog, luggage). The seats fold flat, or the bases flip up to store stuff under the seats/ on the floor too. Before the baby we used to take it to Bunnings and ikea too. Very fuel efficient as well. The new models have cruise control which I wish mine did. Highly recommend! Katie

• mazdas are great cars never had a problem smooth driving great boot space very large Sasha

• I’d recommend not getting anything 2 door, as you will quickly tire of climbing in to get bub in and out all the time Hyundai i30 is a fabulous economic small car, with plenty of boot space! If you can afford it, get the wagon, as the extra boot space will be great. My suggestion is to get your pram first, then take it to fit into the boot of any cars you look at and maybe chuck a couple more bags in there as well, just to get an idea Libby

• Ford fiesta… I bought one new a few years back and it’s the best car I have ever owned!! Boot is a great size. Very roomy in the cabin. And nice and small to zip everywhere. When it’s time to upgrade, we will more than likely but another one. Alexis
• If you do plan on eventually having another child then look at a car that has decent boot space otherwise you may find when it’s time to buy a pram the one you really want doesn’t fit. Also measure the distance from the back of the rear seat (on the set and midway up the rear seat) to the drivers seat in the position that suits the tallest person who may be likely to drive the car. Then jump onto a website like CREP and research what infant seats may fit in rearfacing mode keeping in mind that you need to allow 5-10cm between the infancy seat and the front seats (or do the seat research first and scratch off your list any that are too close). Generally most newish cars will easily fit two child restraints (boosters or infant seat) and a pram. A friend drives an old Mazda 121 and has two child restraints (booster and convertible infant seat) in the back with no problems. The only restriction was that the infant seat had to be behind the passenger seat as in rear facing mode it was too close to the back of the drivers seat. Nicole

• Mazda3 are good. Ruby

• Do it right the first time, get a car with a decent sized boot and also a decent sized back seat so it can fit a reverse facing car seat Jess

• I just got an Impreza hatch. It’s soo awesome Kat

• I found the mitsubishi lancer is a great sized medium car without being a big car, great safety features as well. We have had a baby seat in the back with adults in 3 other seats with plenty of room… im actually thinking of selling mine as Im upgrading to accomodate our two giant dogs (danes) but otherwise its perfect & I love it to bits! I used to have a jazz & its very spacious for a small car but a bit crowded in the back Dani

• I too purchased a Ford Focus. I did a lot of research on boot capacity as my pram is rather large and found that a hatchback was a must but still wanted a car on the small side. Focus ticked all my boxes. Leza

• I have a ford focus and love it. Fits 2 seats in and child in the back fine. Great on fuel cheap to run. Kiri

• We’ve got a 6 mo and looking at a car also. We’ve been tossing up with Mazda 3, yaris etc but the yaris boot is definitely too small for us, can’t even fit our pram. My mum has a jazz and it’s fantastic as far as space goes for such a small car, I think that’s what were going to end up getting as well! Lee

• the Mazda 4 are good to fit everything Tessa

• look at a 5 door Toyota Yaris. They rock! Nessa

Which small car do you recommend?