Compact dimensions, a tight turning circle and good visibility contribute to making the Citroën C1 easy to drive around town and manoeuvre in tight spaces. There’s plenty of painted metal visible within the cabin, but it helps to keep the cost down and doesn’t offend. The interior design is certainly distinctive, with unusual heater controls that glow orange at night, as well as a user-friendly stereo and a pod-style speedometer.

Perhaps surprisingly for a cheap runabout, Citroën C1 comfort is quite impressive, with the suspension coping particularly well with rough surfaces to deliver a quality ride. Noise levels are fairly low too, although you do get the typical three cylinder growl when working the engine hard – but it sounds quite sporty, rather than coarse. At motorway speeds, the C1 kicks up a fair degree of road and wind noise, so longer journeys can be more tiresome in the C1 than in some other city cars.

Interior space is impressive, especially in the back where you normally expect corners to be cut, but four six footers can travel without complaint. The rear windows do not roll down, but simply pop open a couple of inches to let a bit of air in, even in the five-door model.