Drive Car of the Year 2024 – Best Urban Car Under $50K contenders

Over the next few weeks, we'll be explaining all the categories and contenders for the 2024 Drive Car of the Year awards. Testing is currently underway, with the final winners to be announced early next year.

Australia’s growing population is making our cities bigger with every passing year. New suburbs spring out of the bush on the edge of our expanding metropolises, while closer in, housing skyscrapers push urban density to new levels, 

This two-fronted urban growth is putting unprecedented pressure on small cars to keep up. And keep up they do. Compact cars have improved their ability to commute and cover kilometres in comfort and style while retaining the modest footprint that makes them easy to maneuver and to park in confined spaces. 

Where Drive’s Best Urban Car Under $30K puts a premium on the sharpest pricing, this category expands the fiscal beltline to allow a little more breathing space - a little more comfort and safety and equipment and performance - so buyers can indulge just a touch.

Like its cheaper brother, the Best Urban Car Under $50K is looking for the best combination of equipment, safety and efficiency for the price in a compact yet practical body between $30K and $50K. In essence, urban new car buyers want fuss-free compact motoring, but the bigger budget allows for a modicum of style and panache. 

This category is new for 2024, combining the best of the Micro, Light and Small passenger cars classes with Light SUVs. A sharp price is still important, as are cheap running costs and a city-friendly compact footprint. Cars  

Because this is a new category that has never been contested before, every car currently on sale that fits the above criteria is eligible. And the choices are mind-boggling, as you’ll see below. More than 40 new vehicles from 20 brands fit the bill, covering a broad range of body styles and powertrains.

Buyers can choose from budget-friendly brands like MG and Suzuki, or Euro brands like Audi, Cupra, Peugeot and Volkswagen. They can opt for economical petrol-powered models like the Mini Hatch, Skoda Fabia and Kia Cerato, or look at hybrid power in the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Yaris. 

Pure electric propulsion is also on offer in newcomers like the BYD Dolphin, GWM Ora and MG 4. And if performance is more to your taste then there’s mild - Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo and Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport - and wild - Subaru WRX and Hyundai i20 N. Heck, there’s even the option to go bush in the ridiculously capable Suzuki Jimny.  

Drive’s rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:

Sadly, Hyundai’s forthcoming i30 hatch update did not make our cutoff, but its four-door sedan sibling did - albeit not the hybrid variant, which may give Toyota’s hybrid Corolla something to worry about. 

Choosing a winner from this eclectic lot is not going to be easy, because each contender brings a unique selling proposition to market. Drive’s judges will need to balance these appealing and emotive traits against the category’s core competencies when reaching their decision.

Here is the list of eligible cars, drawn from the FCAI’s Passenger Micro, Passenger Light, Passenger Small and SUV Light car classes, with a retail price between $30,000 and $50,000. Please note that in some cases, the vehicle’s price range extends outside this range. In these cases, only the models priced within the range are eligible. 

The winner of the Drive Car of the Year 2024 – Best Urban Car Under $50K will be announced in February 2024.

Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver on the buyer’s expectations for cost-effective urban motoring. One thing is certain: this category promises to be one of the toughest confronting our 11 experienced judges.

Read more: 

Drive Car of the Year 2024 is a go!
Drive Car of the Year Overview
Drive Car of the Year 2023 winners