'What is the best small car for an urban driver with arthritis?'

From telegraph.co.uk

By Alex Robbins

As the Telegraph's motoring expert, I weigh in on your car dilemmas to save you money and make your driving life easier 

Dear Alex,

I am looking for a small car that is easy to get in and out, as well as to drive and to park, as I’m 78 and have arthritis. I do less than 1,000 miles per year, and I don't do any motorway driving. I would like a three-year-old car as that’s when it will have had most of its depreciation in value. I don’t mind buying new if it is better value. What would be the best for me? 

– JJ

Dear JJ,

It’s become something of an in-joke in this column that the answer to everything is a Honda Jazz; in this case, that would certainly seem to be true. Its high driving position, excellent visibility and solid reputation for reliability would seem to meet all of your criteria. But I think we can do better.

For example, in this case I think a three-year-old Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10 might make more sense for you. These cars are very similar under the skin, as they’re built on the same platform, and with their big, wide-opening doors and raised seating positions both are as easy to climb aboard as the Honda – you won’t have to stoop painfully to get in and out. 

They’re also about the easiest cars out there to drive, and you can opt for an automatic version if you want to make your life even easier (though I should add that these are pretty few and far between). 

Both feel surprisingly upmarket inside, too, with a smart-looking dashboard and plastics that are higher quality than most of its rivals’. What’s more, for its size, there’s a lot of space, and visibility is excellent. 

Of the two, I’d go for the Picanto – it’s a little cheaper than the i10 like-for-like. But its biggest trump card is its warranty – as with all Kias, you get seven years’ worth of cover from new, which means if you’re buying one at three years old, you’ll still get four years of that warranty left – compared with two years on the Hyundai, or none at all on the Jazz.

I should also mention the Smart ForTwo. If you never go on a motorway, it’s very much worth a look; it truly is an urban specialist, with just two seats and a diminutive wheelbase that makes it a doddle to park. It’s so small you can even park it nose-in to the kerb, meaning you can take advantage of odd-sized spaces you just can’t in a bigger car.

It’s smart and funky looking both outside and in, while the clever safety cell means it’ll protect you just as well as a bigger car in a crash. It also means you sit up high, so climbing in and out needn’t be any trouble. And because both ends of the car are so close to you, visibility is excellent, and the turning circle is fabulous.

Of course, the Smart doesn’t give you the same sort of warranty you’ll get with the Kia or the Hyundai, and that’s important because its reliability record isn’t as good, either. Indeed, that’s probably its biggest downside – but if size and manoeuvrability are your top priorities, it’s still worth a look. 

If I were you, though, I’d bag myself a nice little Picanto with a good service history, preferably the 2 model, which gets you a few extra niceties that make life easier. And I’d feel very pleased for having done so. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/ask-expert-best-small-car-urban-driver-arthritis/