Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £11,595 to £15,795
Great styling, Alfa heritage, lively 1.4 turbo petrol engine, economical diesels, distinctive cabin design.
Vague steering, not terribly versatile or practical; some superfluous electronic systems.
A highly desirable small Alfa, if not quite as sporting as its looks might suggest.
The Alfa Romeo Mito isn't the cheapest supermini around, but it should hold its value well, and Alfa is packing in some added-value equipment deals. The 1.4 turbo (155bhp) gives 43.5mpg, a good enough return to justify going for this more-fun model over the non-turbo 1.4 (47.9mpg), though the diesels will still be the most economical. The 1.6 JTD 120 does 58.9mpg and the 1.3 JTD will be more frugal still.
Carbon dioxide outputs are a relatively tax-friendly 153g/km (1.4 turbo 155bhp), 138g/km (1.4 16v) and 126 g/km (1.6 JTD 120). Though no figures have been released yet for this model, the 1.3 JTD is expected to slip into tax band B with an output of under 120g/km. Bear in mind, however, that the hotter turbo models do encourage spirited driving, and Dynamic mode selected, you're unlikely to see anywhere near the ideal-scenario official mpg figures...
In Italy, Fiat is offering a lower-spec, 78bhp entry-level model charmingly badged Junior - a name from the past. It's also sewn up some deals with Italian insurers for all-in finance and insurance packages for young drivers, some using 'black box' satellite tracking technology (part of the Blue&Me communications system) on a pay-as-you-go basis. This hasn't been confirmed for the UK as yet, however.
