The Suzuki Swift hybrid has been named the best small car at the 2025 UK Car of the Year Awards (UKCOTY). While it's a shame that the Renault Clio Baccara, Peugeot 106 Rallye or Citroën Saxo Bic didn't win, Petrolblog is delighted with the judges decision.
That's because Petrolblog has been fortunate enough to ‘own’ a Swift for the past five months, running one for Diesel&EcoCar magazine. You can read Pb's thoughts in the monthly mag, but a full review will be appearing on this blog very soon. Contain your excitement.
Friend of Petrolblog and all-round good egg, Alex Robbins, said: ‘Practical, good-value small cars are few and far between these days, but it’s Suzuki to the rescue with the Swift, which provides honest motoring at a reasonable price, and with low running costs to boot. It’s good fun to drive and comes with plenty of equipment, even in its most basic form.’
Trinity Francis added: ‘The Swift strikes the right balance between good value, economy and curb appeal. Although it's a small car, its square proportions make the boot space – especially with the seats down – very practical.’
Petrolblog's long-termer was a Swift in flagship Ultra trim, which at the time of writing costs £20,299. That sounds like a lot if you're still under the impression that a city car costs £5k, a family hatchback £10k and a sports coupé £15k.
As you'll find out if you read the full review, it's worth every penny. The Swift is loaded with more goodies than The Generation Game conveyor belt, capable of achieving 55mpg without trying, comfortable, fun to drive and OK to look at.
It gets the Petrolblog thumbs up, which is almost as relevant and glitzy as a gong from the UKCOTY judges. ‘Almost’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.
Anyway, well done to the Suzuki Swift. And hats off to the good people of UKCOTY for recognising a great small car when they see one. As you were.
