Australia's small car segment has a lot to offer in practicality, with offerings in the category often punching above their weight in cargo space.
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We've compared each of the choices in the small cars above $40,000 category on the VFACTS sales charts to see which has the most boot space to go with their premium price tag.
Quoted figures are the manufacturers' specifications, and only the model variant with the most capacity has been included as some trim levels or powertrain options can vary in size.
Click on the links below to jump to your chosen car, or scroll through the story.
Peugeot 308
The clear leader in this segment is the Peugeot 308, with a 608L boot in its wagon configuration.
The 308's GT and GT Premium SW – which is Peugeot for wagon – variants both boast the biggest boots, with their cavernous 1634L folded-seat capacities rivalling the space offered in the largest mid-sized SUV, the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro.
Opting for the 308 PHEV hatchback variant sees the boot space slashed to 361L with the rear seats up and 1271L folded, one of the smallest in this segment.
The 308 PHEV hatch is priced at $64,990 before on-road costs, while the GT hatch starts at $43,990 before on-roads.
Honda Civic
The first of three Japanese cars on this list, the Honda Civic offers an above-average 449L boot in its base VTi-LX.
With the rear seats folded that figure expands to 1212L, while the hybrid e:HEV LX variant sees boot space in both configurations slightly reduced.
For $72,600 before on-road costs you can purchase the hotted-up Type R, which comes with a turbocharged 235kW engine but a smaller 410L boot.
All Civics come with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and wireless Apple CarPlay.
BMW 2 Series
The BMW 2 Series is available in two body types, and four-door Gran Coupe variants offer larger 430L boots.
The 220i M Sport starts at $65,200 and the M235i xDrive at $83,800 before on-road costs.
A tyre repair kit is standard across the 2 Series range, and BMW offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Audi A3
The A3 is one of two cars on this list with both hatch and sedan variants, and the sedan features a 425L boot.
Audi's 35 TFSI has the largest boot in the A3 range for both sedan and hatch variants, and is priced at $53,100 for the sedan and $50,600 for the hatch before on-road costs.
The hatch offers a 380L standard boot that expands to 1200L, while the rear seats feature a uniquely-European 40/20/40 split.
The A3 includes wireless Apple CarPlay, and is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Like Audi, Mercedes-Benz offers hatch and sedan variants across the A-Class range, though the A35 AMG sedan has the biggest boot.
At 420L and $89,400 before on-road costs, the A35 AMG sedan's boot is 35L larger than its A200 and A250 brothers… but around $15,000 more expensive.
A-Class hatches all have a standard 370L boot that expands to 1210L with the rear seats folded, however the range-topping A45 AMG S is the most expensive car on this list at $119,900 before on-roads.
Run-flat tyres and repair kits are standard across the A-Class range, and Mercedes-Benz offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Subaru WRX
Subaru's base WRX sedan offers the largest boot of its range, quoted at 414L.
The WRX range starts at $47,490 before on-road costs, and features a 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
It's the first car on this list to include a space saver spare wheel and wireless connectivity for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but lacks any electric or hybrid options.
The WRX was among the bestsellers in this segment in 2023, and is backed by Subaru's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is the first of four electric cars on this list and offers a 405L boot in its standard configuration.
While it offers an expanded capacity of 1176L and a space saver spare wheel, the Leaf is the most expensive non-European car in this category and starts at $50,990 before on-roads.
The Leaf includes wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Cupra Born
The Cupra Born is the first mainstream electric car from the Volkswagen Group to be sold in Australia, and features a 385L boot.
Cupra's offering starts at $59,990 before on-road costs and sold nearly 900 examples in 2023, but you do miss out on any spare wheel and technology like wireless phone mirroring.
The Born is backed by a segment-standard five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Cupra Leon
With its Golf bones, the Cupra Leon features a 380L boot that expands to 1301L with the rear seats folded.
Available in both petrol and plug-in hybrid variants, the Leon V offers the biggest boot in the range and retains a space saver spare wheel.
Boot space in the plug-in hybrid VZe variant is reduced to just 270L in its standard configuration, but you do get a greatly improved claimed fuel economy of 1.8L/100km.
The Leon features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and includes a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
BMW 1 Series
All three 1 Series variants match Audi's A3 hatch for boot space, quoted at 380L with the rear seats up and 1200L at full capacity.
A front wheel-drive Golf contender, the 1 Series range starts at $54,800 before on-road costs and tops out at $76,600 before on-roads for the M135i xDrive.
There's no wireless phone mirroring across the range, but BMW's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty comes standard.
Volkswagen Golf
The Golf is one of the cheapest cars on this list at $39,190 before on-road costs, but it's among the smallest for boot space.
All Golf variants offer a 374L standard boot that expands to 1230L with the rear seats folded, while a repair kit is included in lieu of a spare wheel.
The Golf range tops out at more than $70,000 before on-roads with the performance-oriented R, but you do get features like wireless phone mirroring and a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
MG 4
As MG's baseline electric-only model, the MG 4 offers a slightly smaller boot than the Volkswagen Golf at 363L.
That figure is featured in the Excite 51 and Excite 64 variants, and it expands to 1177L with the rear seats folded.
Starting at $39,990 drive-away, the MG 4 works out to be cheaper than the Golf and includes a lengthy seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, in line with other MG models.
GWM Ora
The electric GWM Ora places last on this list – its 228L boot is more than 130L smaller than the MG 4.
Its tiny boot expands to 858L with the rear seats folded, but it undercuts the preceding MG with a $35,990 drive-away price tag for the base Standard Range variant. It was previously more expensive however, which is why it sits in this VFACTS category.
The range tops out at $46,990 drive-away for the GT variant, which features a claimed 400km driving range and panoramic sunroof.
GWM includes a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty across the Ora range.
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
