With each passing year, more and more drivers are picking an automatic gearbox over a traditional manual.
According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), 324,064 driving tests from 2022 to 2023 were completed in an automatic car.
While that’s far fewer than the 1.36 million manual tests taken in the same period, it’s still an increase of 360% compared with 15 years ago.
There are a few likely reasons behind this, including the rising number of electric cars, which don’t have a traditional gearbox, plus the falling number of other cars on sale that offer a manual gearbox.
It also means many new drivers will be hunting for a car with an automatic gearbox as their first wheels, and those on a lower budget will be looking at many of the great small car options on sale in the UK.
So which are the best small cars with an automatic gearbox on sale in the UK right now? Check out our top 10 list below. We’ve excluded electric cars from this list but you can read about our top 10 electric cars here.
