3 days ago
I need a car to fit my garage. What is the narrowest available?
Dear Alex,
My 2013 Ford B-Max has been a good car, but it's been out of production since 2017, so the most recent used examples are too old to consider. What other cars have similar characteristics: high seating, to see over stone walls in Yorkshire; no wider, to fit into my garage; and costing about £12,000. What would you recommend?
– CH
Dear CH,
It's a sad fact that small cars with the B-Max's MPV (or people carrier) functionality are few and far between, having been replaced by more fashionable (but almost always less useful) small SUVs.
However, there's always the Honda Jazz. Your budget buys you pretty much any third-generation Jazz, produced from 2013 to 2020. If you stretch it a little further, you might just scrape into an early example of the current, fourth-generation hybrid version, which is a big step up in driving dynamics and interior finish. I found a 2021 Honda SE with a full history and 23,000 miles for £12,989.
The latest Jazz is 1.69m wide without mirrors. Given your B-Max is 1.75m wide, it will fit easily into your garage. While it lacks the sliding doors of your B-Max, it has Honda's 'magic' seats – a rear bench that flips up and out of the way like a cinema seat, allowing you to carry tall items in the rear footwells.
If you're willing to countenance switching to a small SUV, the Suzuki Ignis is one of the smallest, measuring only 1.69m wide.
The Ignis isn't as spacious inside as your B-Max – it only seats four – but a sliding rear seat helps with its versatility.
What's more, real-world tests have shown the Ignis in mild hybrid form to be one of the most frugal petrol cars. And it's easily available within your budget; I found a 2021 example in high-spec SZ-T form with only 13,000 miles for £11,975.
