Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £5,999 to £8,750
Price, running costs.
Rough ride, whiny, underpowered engine, poor build quality.
The Alto is one of the UK's cheapest cars to buy and run, but that's all it has going for it. Tinny and tacky, there are many better choices.
The front seats are comfy enough, but the whiny engine note is intrusive. General soundproofing is poor, and the firm ride gets bumpy and jolting.
There's no equipment to make the experience less unattractive - not even front electric windows. The rear seat is cramped, and headroom isn't as good as in some rivals. The boot is fairly generous, however, and the split/folding rear seats help increase load capacity.
There isn't a CD player, but then you couldn't hear much over the engine noise anyway.
