The Aygo is part of an automotive threesome, in development terms, with Peugeot and Citroen. Toyota has, arguably, placed the Aygo at the top of the pecking order by offering a slightly more expansive range in terms of numbers and price but with great standard equipment packages.

The lead-in Aygo model is priced at £8,590 and comes as standard with features such as a sound system with MP3 compatible CD audio system, speed-sensitive power steering, folding rear seatback to increase the load space, heated rear window with wiper and a tilt adjustable steering column. On the safety front you’re protected by driver and front passenger airbags and an advanced Bosch ABS system with EBD.

Prices peak at £10,210 for the flagship Go! model (5-door) and comes with air conditioning, a detachable TomTom satellite navigation system, plus Bluetooth and USB port for connecting portable music players, rear privacy glass, new-design 14-inch alloy wheels and leather trimmed steering wheel and gear knob.  Also included are side airbags, remote central locking and colour matched door handles and mirrors. It also provides a gutsier, six-speaker sound system, including two tweeters mounted in the A-pillars. Go! Versions are priced from £9,195.

Offered in 3 and 5-door format the Aygo starts with an ultra-low insurance group rating of 1E, so the economics are plain to see. Add the 1.0 litre VVT-i petrol engine that is capable of returning 61.3mpg  and the Aygo’s attractions become even clearer. With carbon dioxide emissions reduced to 105g/km it remains one of the cleanest petrol-powered models on the market. Its Band B rating for Vehicle Excise Duty means the annual road tax for the first year is free.

Externally the car is an unusual design with a particularly well-executed rear which, unlike many cars that appear stylistically short, features a large glass tailgate that extends lower than normal. Add in the curvaceous nature of the car and it’s a success in my view.

On the road the three-cylinder engine is quiet and although no ball of fire it more than keeps pace with traffic and will cruise quite happily at the legal limit. When you view the number of speed cameras on our urban roads, the level of traffic and the fact in town one is more often than not involved in stop-start journeys the Aygo is the ideal city car.

FOR: Style, space and economics

AGAINST: Perhaps a little underpowered for regular long trips