Best simple cars 2026

As well as not paying extra for tech that you simply won’t use, there are other benefits to buying simple cars.

Driving a car needs your full attention, so a car without lots of gizmos keeps your mind on the task at hand. A car with less stuff in it could be lighter, which has benefits for fuel efficiency and handling. It could also be cheaper to insure.

And, of course, the less tech you have, the less there is to go wrong. These are the best cars that are simple to use.

• Kia Picanto
• Vauxhall Frontera
• Dacia Sandero
• Hyundai i20
• Toyota Yaris Cross
• Dacia Duster
• Toyota Aygo X
• Ford Puma
• Suzuki S-Cross
• Fiat 500

Kia Picanto

• Small outside, big inside
• Cheap fuel and insurance costs
• Long warranty

The Kia Picanto is a simple car hero. It’s cheap without being flimsy – it feels like a proper car, it’s well built and it’ll sit on the motorway for as long as you wish for. You can park it wherever you like, almost, but the Picanto is also just about spacious enough for four adults. The non-turbo petrol engines are revvy and reliable, and a used Picanto is covered by the balance of Kia’s seven-year warranty. Go for the ‘2’ trim and you’ll get essentials like Bluetooth phone connectivity and air conditioning without extra fripperies.

Shop used Kia Picanto cars for sale or read our Kia Picanto review

Vauxhall Frontera

• Reborn SUV replaces Crossland
• It's the same as the Citroen C3 Aircross, besides the badges
• Modern but simple

One of the cheapest SUVs you can buy, the new Vauxhall Frontera takes a Dacia-like no-nonsense approach to motoring. There’s a touchscreen but it only features a few main options – radio, phone, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and sat nav, if fitted. There aren’t numerous settings to thumb through, and no pointless ‘sport’ driving mode. The air conditioning controls are in their own place on the dashboard, and they’re easy to adjust on the move.

The Frontera is a practical, useful thing with a huge amount of space in a small-ish footprint, and it’s cheap, too. Just over £20,000 brand-new – wait for used cars to cost much less – and up to 54mpg from a mild-hybrid petrol engine.

Read our Vauxhall Frontera review

Dacia Sandero

• The poster child for simple cars
• Uses tried-and-tested parts
• Sandero Stepway adds rugged looks without adding unnecessary complications

The Dacia Sandero is the ultimate basic car – it’s simple, utilitarian transport. In truth, the absolutely base-spec Access model is too sparse for most people – unless you can live without air con and hate listening to the radio. The next rung up, Essential, gives you a mount for your smartphone so you can use that as a touchscreen, plus cruise control and bright LED headlights. It still feels refreshingly simple, but has a few choice extras to prevent journeys feeling miserable. There’s a 1.0-litre non-turbo petrol that won’t get you anywhere quickly, but it’s economical, reliable and cheap to insure.

Shop used Dacia Sandero cars for sale or read our Dacia Sandero review

Hyundai i20

• Big-car tech is sensibly integrated into small car
• Balance of Hyundai's five-year warranty
• Comfortable on the motorway

Compared to some of the cars on this list, the Hyundai i20 risks looking a bit overcomplicated. Because while it has a full colour touchscreen, digital dials and even rear electric windows, it’s easy enough to operate that you don’t need to bother with the car’s handbook. The main areas of the screen – which is easy to see and responsive to your touch – are clearly segregated.

Easy describes the driving experience, too. The controls are light, the car is predictable and the all-round visibility is pretty decent. Whether around town or on motorway excursions, the economical i20 takes it all in its stride.

Shop used Hyundai i20 cars for sale or read our Hyundai i20 review

Toyota Yaris Cross

• 10-year service-activated warranty
• Only comes as a hybrid
• We've seen over 70mpg from one

Here’s what Toyota Yaris Cross owners do every day: get in, go, achieve 60mpg or more. The Yaris Cross is really user-friendly, with an eco-focused drivetrain that leans on the battery around town, and an automatic gearbox for easy driving. But you don’t need to faff about plugging it in or even know that it’s got a battery.

The screen is simple – there are few functions because Toyota reckons you’ll connect your phone wirelessly via Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Most of the functions are still controlled by reassuring buttons and dials, so you don’t have to use the screen for much at all.

Shop used Toyota Yaris Cross cars for sale or read our Toyota Yaris Cross review

Dacia Duster

• Family-friendly practicality
• New hybrid model brings automatic gearbox
• Four-wheel drive available if you need it

After forging a reputation for being a durable, simple workhorse, you might think the Dacia Duster has become just another fancy crossover. Yes, there’s a newfound sense of style, and a bit more tech than older models, but the Duster knows what it needs to be. The touchscreen is split into four main sections, with tile icons that are almost impossible to mis-hit, while the digital dials are easily configurable – and there’s an option to just have your speedometer displayed and little else. The 1.2-litre petrol engine is perfectly suited to the Duster, offering plenty of performance and excellent fuel economy, while the manual gearbox is easy and precise.

Shop used Dacia Duster cars for sale or read our Dacia Duster review

Toyota Aygo X

• Very easy to park
• Feels fine on faster roads
• Petrol engine almost bulletproof

According to its maker, the Toyota Aygo X is an SUV. You and I can see that it’s not, but its plastic cladding will shrug off glancing blows from runaway shopping trolleys, and the slightly higher driving position gives you a better view of the road.

The new Aygo X is more solid-feeling from behind the wheel – it feels more car-like than the old Aygo – and it’s comfortable over nastily surfaced city streets. There’s a slick manual gearbox or a fuss-free CVT automatic gearbox available. You’ll find a 1.0-litre engine under the bonnet which Toyota has used for donkey’s years, because it’s economical and it just works. Brand-new cars, meanwhile, come with a hybrid engine that promises to be just as easy to use and even more frugal.

Shop used Toyota Aygo X cars for sale or read our Toyota Aygo X review

Ford Puma

• Fun to drive
• Big boot for its size
• Sporty trim levels add style

A familiar badge on the steering wheel, the comfort of its position as the UK’s best-selling car, and a trendy small SUV body style – the Ford Puma feels like a safe pair of hands. At first glance it looks like you’ve got a lot of buttons to master, but after just a few yards everything becomes clear.

As with other cars on this list, the touchscreen is broken down into clear sections and there aren’t a million submenus to fight with. There’s a big button to turn the screen off, and you can keep the display off and the radio on, if you wish. The Puma’s mild-hybrid engine is chain driven, so you don’t need to worry about the ‘wet belt’ that’s plagued some recent Fords.

Shop used Ford Puma cars for sale or read our Ford Puma review

Suzuki S-Cross

• Typically cheaper than a Nissan Qashqai
• Durable interior
• 10-year service-activated warranty

There’s a touchscreen in the Suzuki S-Cross, but it very much plays second fiddle to the physical controls used for the car’s main functions. You could quite easily keep the screen off and get on with driving. The buttons on the steering wheel are grouped into sensible clusters, which also helps your fingers’ muscle memory so you can use the buttons without looking. And, joy of joys, the lane-keep assist can be turned off right from the wheel.

Shop used Suzuki S-Cross cars for sale

Fiat 500

• Iconic design and very popular
• Lots available – pick your ideal spec and colour
• Easy to park

We’ve picked the older, petrol-powered Fiat 500 for this list because it’s still a strong city car choice – and its age means it’s not afflicted with big-touchscreen-itis. There aren’t many buttons because there aren’t many features to mess around with, but the buttons that are present are all concentrated into the centre console. Fiat’s useful City Steering mode (the button next to the hazard light) makes the steering super light, so you can twirl the wheel into a parking space with just your pinky finger. But that’s just showing off. In fact, the 500 is easy to drive full stop, and it’s fun, too.

Shop used Fiat 500 cars for sale or read our used Fiat 500 review