I promise that you will be pleasantly surprised at how much space it is actually possible to get out of a car of about 3,5 metres! You will find all modern safety equipment such as ABS, ESP and airbags where they should be. You get a brand new car for the same price as a 3-year-old Golf!

The smallest car class offers a number of obvious advantages such as: – low price, – low loss of value, – low fuel consumption, – low maintenance costs, – easy to park, – can choose parking spaces where larger cars have to search further, – provides more space in the garage, – easy to drive, – practical. Nevertheless, there are a number of critical factors linked to small cars. You should study these factors carefully before you possibly decide on a class A car.

 
Place

For many, the space becomes the most eye-catching point for whether you can use a car in this class. Do you need to bring a lot of luggage? In that case, you have to count on folding down one of the back seats. Then there will not be room for more than 3 people.

 
Weight

Four adults weigh 300-400 kilos together. In this car class, the car's total weight is then approached. In addition to affecting the driving characteristics, you risk high wear and tear on the suspension and chassis parts if you drive a lot with a full car.

 
Wheelbase and track width

On the road, most people will prefer a car with a long wheelbase and wide track to get the best possible stability. Cars with a short wheelbase are more sensitive to external influences such as gusts, longitudinal tracks and unevenness in the road surface. This may require you to exercise extra caution in such conditions. In this class, a difference in wheelbase of a couple of centimeters means a lot. The wheels must be placed as far out as possible.

 
Performance and engine choice

Don't be blinded by the number of horsepower. It is the number of horsepower per tonnes that apply. You can find this number under Dimensions/Weight in the car congurator here.

One of the advantages of cars in this class is that they actually work well with a small engine due to their low weight. If you choose to go up a step in engine, the Norwegian tax system ensures that the final sum can be almost as high as a car in the class above. Then you might as well choose a bigger car.

 
Safety

It is a recognized claim that small cars have poor safety. In traffic, it is true that heavy, large cars bring a natural sense of safety. But there are more factors than weight and the number of meters of steel that apply in the event of a collision. New cars have more safety equipment than a few years ago. If you hit a stationary object, the European NCAP measurements show that small cars can be as safe as larger cars.

 
Respect in traffic

Certain road users behave more aggressively towards small cars than larger cars. This is easy to notice if you have the opportunity to drive several different cars. When you drive a small car, you will more often experience that drivers overtaking drive with too little distance. You will more often find that other drivers do not comply with the right of way for a small car, and you may actually be harassed at times.

 
The interior

The first sign of a solid interior is the steering wheel. Does the steering wheel feel good to hold? Do all the controls seem solid? There is no reason to create a fussy interior even if the car is small! The seat backs of small cars are often made thin to give a couple of extra centimeters to rear seat passengers. However, you should never feel that the seat backs are yielding.

 
Equipment

It is important that all safety equipment is in place. This includes ABS, ESP (anti-skid), at least 6 airbags and Isofix attachments for child seats. On some of the cheapest models, you may find necessary safety equipment on the list of extras. An advantage of minicars is the low price. Then you shouldn't be too generous with choosing additional equipment. That equipment you mustn't have in a minicar is partially fold-down rear seat. Due to limited luggage capacity, you will often need to fold down the back seat, and then it is important that you avoid having to fold down the entire back seat.

 
A little tip!

When you test drive the car, you should be careful to park next to a well-known car model such as the Volkswagen Golf. Get out of the car and study the size ratio between "your" car and the scale. This is often not easy to see in car dealerships where the cars are placed to look as large as possible.

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