Best automatic cars for city driving
With ever-increasing traffic, it's hardly a surprise that the popularity of the automatic city car is on the rise today. In fact, automatic cars outsold manuals last year. If you're looking to make driving through bumper-to-bumper traffic a whole lot easier, scroll down for the top performers among city cars with automatic gearboxes.
1. Renault Zoe
For city driving, nothing beats a small and affordable car that parks easily and can quickly take you through packed streets. The peppy Renault Zoe ticks all the boxes. Add to it a sprightly all-electric engine that has a decent range of 245 miles and incurs little in the way of running costs, and you’ve got the perfect city car. The Zoe is a top choice for urban-dwellers thanks to the well-equipped and comfortable interiors that can easily fit a family of four.
2. Fiat 500
Fiat reprised the popular 500 name badge in 2014, and on offer today is a small city car that’s fun to drive and cheap to run. The automatic is available with a nippy 0.9-litre engine that’s more economical than the manual. Although more expensive than competitors, the 500’s charm is its cute retro looks with plenty of trims and colour options for personalisation. In 2020 the 500 went all-electric, providing a driving range of 114 miles.
3. VW Up!
Offering a smooth ride, generous space and an efficient engine in a stylish package, the Volkswagen Up! is the ideal city car if you’re expecting to do some amount of motorway driving. It’s available in a choice of two petrol engines and three trims for customising the car to your needs. There’s also one all-electric model that provides a range of 116 miles. High-tech gear comes as standard on all models, and you can also connect your phone to the car for satnav and entertainment in the latest versions.
4. Kia Picanto
Offering a class-leading seven-year warranty package, the Kia Picanto is a great option if you expect to do a fair amount of city-driving and want to make a reliable long-term purchase. A large 1.3-litre engine provides smooth power delivery and the turbocharged versions from the latest generation are efficient too. Decent build quality, lots of practical features and enough space for a small family make the Kia Picanto a pleasure to own.
5. Hyundai i10
Sharing a platform with the Kia Picanto, the Hyundai i10 is a comfortable city car with plenty of practical detailing. It’s affordable, cheap to run and comes with a generous set of standard tech. A spacious cabin with enough room for five adults and decent boot space make it a great choice for young learners and families. Much like its sister car, the i10 automatic also comes with a 1.3-litre engine that delivers an efficiency of 47 mpg. Although a five-year warranty isn’t class-leading, it’s still a strong contender compared to rivals.
6. MINI Cooper
Thanks to its retro looks and fun handling with front-wheel drive, the MINI hatch has a following of its own in the supermini segment. On the automatic version, the dual-clutch Steptronic gearbox delivers smooth shifts. However, if you do want some control, paddle-shifters make for a simpler driving experience with fingertip access. If you’re in the market for a stylish supermini that lets you enjoy both a manual and automatic driving experience, the MINI Cooper is your best bet.
7. SEAT Ibiza
Sharing its platform with the Audi A1 and the Volkswagen Polo, the Seat Ibiza is a seriously grown-up automatic city car. An efficient engine offers 58 mpg even in the automatic variant, making the Ibiza quite cheap to run. Expect great handling with smooth gear changes and a comfortable ride, with roomy interiors and lots of standard tech adding to its practicality. All in all, it’s a fun car with stylish design features and decent reliability.
8. Ford Fiesta
With good interior space and fine handling, the Ford Fiesta has long been a top-seller in the UK. For those who want to ditch the clutch pedal, it’s available as an automatic with the 1.0 EcoBoost 123 bhp turbo engine. Achieving almost 54 mpg, it’s fairly efficient (just 4 mpg short of the manual equivalent). The Fiesta makes for a brilliant all-rounder, combining sensible pricing with decent practicality and superior comfort.
9. Toyota Yaris
The smallest hybrid on sale, the Toyota Yaris’ impressive economy figure of 68 mpg makes it an appealing option in the city car market. Given that the Yaris has been around since 1999 as an electric model, its engines are refined and deliver decent performance even on the motorway, while the reasonable build quality with plenty of interior space makes it a very practical purchase. This is a good option if you want an automatic city car that’s efficient and smooth, rather than fun.
10. Peugeot 208
With sophisticated styling and an upmarket cabin, the Peugeot 208 is not the cheapest option given here. However, it makes our best automatic city car list thanks to its efficient engines. The automatic version is available with a 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine, and you can choose between 99 bhp and 129 bhp outputs. Another option is the all-electric variant, which has a decent 211-mile range. The rapid charge option gets you enough juice to go 100 miles after just 20 minutes of charging, making it more practical for urban driving. Easy-going, refined and comfortable, the Peugeot 208 is a great option – especially on the used market.
A smooth feel on the road, excellent efficiency and, of course, no gear changes make these automatics ideal for comfortable city driving. To find the right small automatic car for you, head over to our listings, or check out more advice guides and reviews.