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Best small 4x4s on sale 2024 - our fully updated list for off-road adventurers

  • Our pick of the best small 4x4s
  • Ideal if you want serious off-road capability
  • From real bargains to premium models

Written by CJ Hubbard Updated: 5 November 2024

Not all of the best SUVs are massive fuel-chugging eco terrorists. If you genuinely need 4x4 capability but don’t a need a great deal of space there are some awesome compact off-roaders on sale in the UK. This is our fully updated list of the best small 4x4s of 2024.

To qualify for our selection below, we’ve looked for pint-sized four-wheel drive vehicles that are less than 4.4m long that also offer true off-road talent.

The resulting round-up of the best small 4x4s on sale still manages to cover a wide range of budgets and tastes. So if you’re after go-anywhere grip in a compressed package, we reckon we’ve got a machine here to suit you.

Best small 4x4s on sale in 2024

Best small 4x4 overall – it’s great value

Completely updated for 2024, the latest Dacia Duster keeps its low budget appeal but combines it with much improved road manners and even better off-road capability – thanks in part to finally switching to a modern platform.

You can even have a hybrid model now, which is also the only way to get an automatic transmission. But the 4x4 versions are based on the tried and tested 1.2-litre TCe turbo petrol with three cylinders and plenty of spirit. Off-road gadgets include a front-mounted camera and hill descent control that even work in neutral.

To find our more, read our full Dacia Duster review

Pros

  • Great value for money
  • Now even better off-road
  • Comfortable, and clever inside

Cons

  • Still not very refined
  • Rear seats a little cramped

Best small 4x4 for style AND capability

Much like its original namesake, the latest Land Rover Defender comes in a variety of body lengths – and the shortest three-door model slots wonderfully into our best small off-roaders criteria (if you don't include the spare wheel on the back). And again, as with the original Defender, this latest model is immensely capable when the going gets muddy.

Where it differs dramatically from Defenders of old is in the on-road driving experience and the luxury. The modern Defender drives almost as well as a Land Rover Discovery, while the beautifully executed exterior design is matched by a wonderfully chunky yet premium interior. The available tech is incredibly clever, too.

To find out more, read our full Land Rover Defender review

Pros

  • Amazing off-road
  • Also good on it
  • Stylish and trendy

Cons

  • No longer a simple tool
  • Usual Land Rover reliability worries

2024’s answer to the Fiat Panda 4x4

The Suzuki Ignis is a tiny, lightweight city car that happens to be available with a proper four-wheel drive system – it’s the spiritual successor to the Fiat Panda 4x4, which sadly went off sale a couple of years ago.

The Ignis looks cool, too, with some neat retro styling touches. It is also rather flimsy inside and was rated just three stars for crash safety by Euro NCAP back in 2016, when the tests were considerably easier. But the lightweight build means impressive mpg, so it’s cheap to run as well as buy.

To find out more, read our full Suzuki Ignis review

Pros

  • Tiny mountain goat of a 4x4
  • Very economical
  • Cute looks

Cons

  • Cabin feels cheap (because it is)
  • Not good on the motorway

Suzuki’s best off-roading all-rounder

The Suzuki Vitara is another long-serving Suzuki name plate with a reputation for performing well in the rough stuff. But the latest Vitara is also a larger, plusher SUV that’s got modern engines and lovely on-road manners.

In fact, it’s rather fun to hurry along, with a good turn of speed and tidy handling – thanks again to Suzuki’s lightweight-build philosophy. You can get a more road-oriented Suzuki SUV still in the form of the S-Cross, but this is a smidge less capable off road; we certainly recommend trying the Vitara first.

To find out more, read our full Suzuki Vitara review

Pros

  • Best blend of on- and off-road prowess from Suzuki
  • Keen handling
  • Lightweight and efficient

Cons

  • A bit flimsy in places
  • Avoid the full hybrid model

Best small 4x4 for premium style

Yes, believe it or not, the Defender’s sleeker sibling slots in below our 4.4m length rule – and despite appearance the Range Rover Evoque really is genuinely handy when the going gets rough as well. Every version comes with all-wheel drive and a stack electronics to make travelling cross country as easy and refined as possible.

Even with this capability it’s still one of our favourite premium SUVs. It’s also available with comprehensively electrified drivetrains now, including a plug-in hybrid variant that gives you a decent slug of zero emissions motoring for cruising quietly and responsibly around town.

To find out more, read our full Range Rover Evoque review

Pros

  • Stylish and premium
  • Very capable off-road
  • Plug-in hybrid available

Cons

  • Range Rover reliability has never been a strong point
  • Repairing off-road damage may be costly

Best small 4x4 with Jeep heritage and off-road upgrades

A lot of the Parkers team are rather down on the Jeep Renegade, and it is certainly rather long in the tooth these days. But although it is small and packed with gimmicky design easter eggs, it is still a Jeep. And Jeep is a company that takes pride in its off-road prowess, right across its line-up.

The Renegade is no exception. While conventional 4x4 versions are no longer available, the 4xe plug-in hybrid model does offer all-wheel-drive, and it’s sold in ‘Trail Rated’ Trailhawk specification. This means increased ground clearance and wading, plus additional underbody protection, upgraded electronics and even mud and snow rated tyres. It’ll get you home.

To find out more, read our full Jeep Renegade review

Pros

  • Proper off-road spec in a small package
  • Some zero-emissions capability
  • Cute design features

Cons

  • Compromised performance in many areas
  • Not easy to see out of, which can be a pain off-road

Small 4x4s coming soon

There aren’t a huge number of new models on the horizon that we’d consider for proper off-road activities, but there is a new variant of the Jeep Avenger available that we’re keen to try.

Smaller and newer than a Renegade

The Jeep Avenger is one of several small SUVs that the Stellantis family of companies builds on the same platform. It is similar to drive, and similarly restrictive inside, to all of these – we consider most of them to be average rather than exceptional. But being a Jeep, the Avenger does still have a modicum of proper off-road ability.

Should you want to explore this, it’s the Avenger 4xe you’ll be after. It’s the plug-in hybrid variant, but also the only Avenger will all-wheel drive courtesy of the inclusion of two electric motors. With 10mm higher ground clear and 400mm wading depth, it’s more capable in other ways, too.

Read our main Jeep Avenger review

Pros

  • Electric motors mean plenty of torque
  • Off-roading upgrades
  • Rest of the range pretty useful, too

Cons

  • Cramped inside
  • Build quality a little dubious

What if I want four-wheel drive but don’t care about off-roading?

If you’re more interested in all-weather traction than crossing a muddy field, there are a number of other small SUVs you could consider.

Highlight examples include the Audi SQ2, the Skoda Karoq, the Cupra Ateca and the VW T-Roc – which are all related and part of the wider Volkswagen Group. If you’re interested in going electric, then you could consider the Volvo EX30 and a number of Smart models; we’d recommend the Smart #3 as the best of its offerings so far.

There are also a number of family cars that can be had with four-wheel drive. The Suzuki Swift, for example, which is likely to prove very grippy given it has so many decent small off-roaders in the family. The Cupra Leon, the VW Golf, the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series aren’t quite as adventurous, but are also available with all-wheel drive as well. Though often this facility is focused on performance versions, which are more expensive to buy and run.

Small 4x4s buyers guide and FAQs

What is the most reliable small 4x4 to own?

In terms of small off-roaders like these, if reliability is your top priority target one of the Japanese offerings from Suzuki or Subaru. Both of these companies have very well established reputations for building dependable cars.

Ironically, the most expensive 4x4 on this list – the Land Rover Defender – comes from a manufacturer with one of the worst reputations for reliability. The budget-friendly Dacia Duster should generally be fine, however.

All that being said, if buying a used 4x4, be sure to ask how and where the vehicle has previously been driven. These kinds of 4x4 car are likely to have spent time tackling tricky terrain off-road and may well have sustained damage in the process.

What is the best daily driver small 4x4?

If you’ve got the money, the Range Rover Evoque will be by far the best choice of the vehicles in our main list for driving every day, with the Land Rover Defender a close second. These have by far the most sophisticated basis of any of the cars on this list – which is one of the reasons they’re comparatively expensive. This is in stark contrast to the original Defender, which was very difficult to drive on road.

If you’re doing a lot of road miles, all of the above will do a decent job now, and we certainly wouldn’t shy away from the more budget-friendly Dacia Duster, which is a great all-rounder. If buying used, we’d avoid the Suzuki Jimny, and the Jeep Wrangler (previously available as a smaller two-door model) can be hard work, too. This is still much better than the Jimny, though.

What is the most comfortable small 4x4?

Again, the Land Rover Defender and Range Rover Evoque – and by quite some distance.

The latest Dacia Duster is much improved in this area, too.

How do I choose a small 4x4?

You need to consider your budget, but also what you want to use it for. Some are very much working vehicles – the Suzuki Jimny in particular – while others, such as the Dacia Duster and Suzuki Vitara straddle the line between working and everyday use more effectively.

Where can I go off-roading in a 4x4 in the UK?

You’ve got a couple of main choices here. You can go to purpose-designed locations that allow off-roading with the safety net of on-hand experts who can help get you – and your car – out of trouble should the worst happen.

Alternatively, the UK is criss-crossed by a network of public-access ‘green lanes’. The best way to find out more about these it to join an organisation such as the Green Lane Association.


CJ Hubbard leads Bauer’s Digital Automotive Hub, writing and reviewing for Parkers and CAR. His Bauer career started as Associate Editor of CAR magazine in 2014, but he’s been a motoring journalist since 2006, and written for titles including Which?, the Sunday Times, Auto Express and Pistonheads.