Counting down six of the best tiny cars for gigantic people

Telegraph UK
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Photo / Ford

Photo / Ford

Small cars; they're economical, cheap to insure and buy and are ideally suited to city living.

But if you're blessed in the height department you probably think they're out of bounds for a driver of your size.

That's not necessarily true. The long and short of it is that there are some compact superminis that are perfectly suited to people over six feet tall - here are What Car?'s top recommendations for tall motorists. 

Hyundai i20

This is a city car with a spacious cabin that gives you headroom, legroom and elbow room.

According to Car Wow's dimension guide to the car, there's 1038mm of headroom - that's more than any other model in this list - and 1098mm of legroom in the front seats.

Those in the rear will be quite happy too, even if you have the driver’s seat far back. 

You get a ton of equipment as standard, including safety equipment, so that compensates for rather mediocre ride and steering.

CARWOW'S HYUNDAI I20 SIZE AND DIMENSION MEASUREMENTS
ROOF HEIGHTCAR WIDTHINTERIOR HEADROOM (FRONT)INTERIOR LEGROOM (FRONT) 
1474mm 1734mm 1038mm 1098mm

Kia Rio

This is a bit like the i20 in that you have a Korean car with mediocre handling and ride, but that’s offset by a large cabin and a very keen price. 

The driver’s seat can be adjusted forward and back and also up and down, so you’ll easily get your lanky limbs into a comfy position.

Based on Car Wow's figures, there is 23mm less headroom up front but there is class-leading legroom, measured at 1112mm. 

It's not quite as wide as the Hyundai, so elbow room might be slightly more compromised.

CARWOW'S KIA RIO SIZE AND DIMENSION MEASUREMENTS
ROOF HEIGHTCAR WIDTHINTERIOR HEADROOM (FRONT)INTERIOR LEGROOM (FRONT) 
1458mm 1715mm 1015mm 1112m

Mini Hatch (5 door)

The Mini isn't like it was half a century ago (though you can buy modernised versions of the original) - the current car has morphed into something much bigger.

Still, if we were tall we wouldn’t go for the three-door - the five-door is the one for the lankiest of drivers. 

If you are six-foot-plus, you can get comfortable as there is a lot of legroom and headroom in the front, although the offset pedals are slightly irritating. 

Car Wow says there is 10mm of additional headroom over the three-door car and lots more rear legroom, which means you can slide the driver's seat as far back as you like without rearranging the knees of your back-seat passengers.

CARWOW'S MINI 5-DOOR SIZE AND DIMENSION MEASUREMENTS
ROOF HEIGHTCAR WIDTHINTERIOR HEADROOM (FRONT)INTERIOR LEGROOM (FRONT) 
1425mm 1727mm 1034mm n/a

Skoda Fabia

There’s reasonable room for tall drivers in a Fabia as well as space for three passengers. 

The driver gets a wide range of seat and wheel adjustments so it’s a practical choice – and a great one. 

The interior dimension readings taken by Car Wow say there's 1021mm of headroom - only the Hyundai and Mini better it. It's also one of the widest models in the list, so elbow and shoulder room should be good.

It’s really well built too, with lots of safety kit and has a large boot.  

CARWOW'S SKODA FABIA SIZE AND DIMENSION MEASUREMENTS
ROOF HEIGHTCAR WIDTHINTERIOR HEADROOM (FRONT)INTERIOR LEGROOM (FRONT) 
1488mm 1732mm 1021mm n/a

Ford Fiesta

There’s a new Fiesta due later this year, so if you’re buying new now, you should get a really decent discount. 

This is a possible car for you so long as you’re not always carrying rear passengers. The steering wheel and seat have a lot of reach and range, and the seats are very comfy, but they do diminish rear space.

According to Car Wow, there's 1072mm of front-seat legroom when the chair is slid all the way back into the rear footwells.

CARWOW'S FORD FIESTA SIZE AND DIMENSION MEASUREMENTS
ROOF HEIGHTCAR WIDTHINTERIOR HEADROOM (FRONT)INTERIOR LEGROOM (FRONT) 
1468mm 1722mm 993mm* 1072mm
*Car measured fitted with a sunroom meaning a lower ceiling height

Volkswagen Polo

Like the Ford Fiesta, there’s a replacement model due this year, so bear that in mind when haggling. 

There’s plenty of room up front in the current Polo, although the rear space can’t match the Korean cars featured higher up.   

Ultimately, it's the same car as the Fabia underneath, but the Skoda has a boxier shape which means a slightly taller roof.

The Polo has the lowest interior headroom measurement of all the cars in this list, Car Wow's figures showed. 

CARWOW'S VW POLO SIZE AND DIMENSION MEASUREMENTS
ROOF HEIGHTCAR WIDTHINTERIOR HEADROOM (FRONT)INTERIOR LEGROOM (FRONT) 
1462mm 1901mm** 974mm 1042mm
**Measurement inclusive of wing mirrors 

- Telegraph UK