There are still plenty of great small cars around within your budget, Agnes, and they all have good safety packages (or we wouldn’t recommend them). Look at offerings such as the Suzuki Swift Navigator (with the optional autonomous emergency braking) for around $17,000 (plus on-road costs) or the Kia Rio S at around $19,000 or Kia Picanto S (one size smaller than the Rio) at closer to $16,000. Both the Kias also feature the brand’s excellent seven-year warranty, capped-price servicing and free roadside assistance which is great peace of mind.

The Volkswagen Polo is a classy drive but a little more expensive at closer to $21,000 for the 85TSi Comfortline. Actually, to be honest, you’ve missed the boat on bargain small cars by a couple of years. Firm favourites such as the Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2 have both been updated relatively recently and have recorded big price jumps in the process. The cheapest Yaris with an automatic transmission is now around $23,000 (it was less than $17,000 back in 2018) while the Mazda 2 Maxx went from being a sub-$17,000 proposition in 2018 to a $23,000 car by the time you add an automatic transmission in 2020.

The cheapest new Kia is the Picanto S Manual listed at $14,190. For more info on the latest models check out our pricing and specs page, and you'll find all Kia reviews and news here. 

The Holden Spark has been discontinued in Australia, with the company citing low volume as the main issue. But if that doesn't deter you, it's still a solid buy at under $15,000. Dealers have plenty of stock still on showroom floors, and you can get really good prices on 2017-plate models for less than $15k, drive-away. Shop for the LT if this is the car you like most, because it has a better features list than the LS.

Probably best to steer clear of the regular Barina, which is admittedly bigger, but definitely not better. The current-generation model could find its way to the automotive graveyard this year, too. 

The Mirage isn't as good as either the Barina or Spark, so unless you just want a very inexpensive car, it's not high on our recommendation list. The Yaris is lagging behind the times in terms of features, but there's a reason it's a go-to for many budget car buyers: it's a strong offering for space and comfort. 

All of that said, the Kia Picanto is the budget car we'd most likely recommend, because it has a strong and long warranty and is the only one in the mix with auto emergency braking (AEB). Plus it has a reversing camera as standard (the base model Spark doesn't).