Australia's premium small cars with the most boot space

Australia's small car segment has a lot to offer in terms of practicality, with the category's offerings often punching above their weight in cargo space.

We've compared each of the options in the small car category above $40,000 in the VFACTS sales charts to see which has the most trunk space for its premium price.

The figures quoted are the manufacturers' specifications, and only the most capable model variant has been included, as some trim levels or powertrain options may vary in size.

Click on the links below to jump to your chosen car or scroll through the story.

Peugeot 308

The clear leader in this segment is the Peugeot 308, with a 608L trunk in its family configuration.

The GT and GT Premium SW variants of the 308, which is Peugeot for a van, feature the largest trunks, with their massive 1634L seat-folded capacities rivaling the space offered in the largest midsize SUV, the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro .

By opting for the 308 PHEV hatchback variant, boot space is reduced to 361L with the rear seats up and 1271L folded, one of the smallest in this segment.

The 308 PHEV hatch is priced from $64,990 before on-road costs, while the GT hatch starts at $43,990 before on-road costs.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Peugeot 308
FURTHER: All Peugeot 308

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Honda Civic

The first of the three Japanese cars on this list, the Honda Civic, offers an above-average 449L boot in its base VTi-LX.

With the rear seats folded, that figure expands to 1212L, while the e:HEV LX hybrid variant sees boot space in both configurations slightly reduced.

For $72,600 before on-road costs, you can buy the upgraded Type R, which comes with a 235kW turbocharged engine but a smaller 410L boot.

All Civics come with a five-year warranty with unlimited kilometers and wireless Apple CarPlay.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Honda Civic
FURTHER: All Honda Civic

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BMW 2 Series

The BMW 2 Series is available in two body types and the four-door Gran Coupe variants offer larger 430-litre trunks.

The 220i M Sport starts at $65,200 and the M235i xDrive at $83,800 before on-road costs.

A tire repair kit is standard across the 2 Series range and BMW offers a five-year unlimited kilometer warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a BMW 2 Series
FURTHER: All BMW 2 Series

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Audi A3

The A3 is one of two cars on this list with hatch and sedan variants, and the sedan features a 425L boot.

Audi's 35 TFSI has the largest boot in the A3 range for both sedan and hatch variants, and is priced from $53,100 for the sedan and $50,600 for the hatch, before on-road costs.

The hatch offers a standard 380L boot that expands to 1,200L, while the rear seats feature a Europe-exclusive 40/20/40 split.

The A3 includes wireless Apple CarPlay and is backed by a five-year, unlimited kilometer warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about an Audi A3
FURTHER: All Audi A3

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Like Audi, Mercedes-Benz offers hatch and sedan variants across the A-Class range, although the A35 AMG sedan has the largest boot.

At 420 liters and $89,400 before on-road costs, the A35 AMG sedan's boot is 35 liters larger than its A200 and A250 siblings… but around $15,000 more expensive.

All A-Class hatchbacks have a standard 370L boot that expands to 1210L with the rear seats folded; However, the range-topping A45 AMG S is the most expensive car on this list at $119,900 before on-roads.

Run-flat tires and repair kits are standard across the A-Class range, and Mercedes-Benz offers a five-year unlimited kilometer warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Mercedes-Benz A-Class
FURTHER: All Mercedes-Benz A-Class

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Subaru WRX

Subaru's entry-level WRX sedan offers the largest boot in its range, listed at 414L.

The WRX range starts at $47,490 before on-road costs and features a 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

It's the first car on this list to include a space-saving spare wheel and wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it lacks electric or hybrid options.

The WRX was among the best sellers in this segment in 2023 and is backed by Subaru's five-year, unlimited kilometer warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Subaru WRX
FURTHER: All Subaru WRX

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Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf is the first of the four electric cars on this list and offers a 405L boot in its standard configuration.

While it offers an expanded 1176-litre capacity and a space-saving spare wheel, the Leaf is the most expensive non-European car in this category, starting at $50,990 before on-roads.

The Leaf includes wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and comes with a five-year unlimited kilometer warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Nissan Leaf
FURTHER: All Nissan Leaf

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Born Cupra

The Cupra Born is the Volkswagen Group's first mainstream electric car to be sold in Australia and features a 385-litre boot.

Cupra's offering starts at $59,990 before on-road costs and sold almost 900 examples in 2023, but misses out on any spare wheels and technology such as cordless phone mirroring.

The Born is backed by a five-year, unlimited kilometer warranty, standard in the segment.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Cupra Born
FURTHER: Everything is born Cupra

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Cupra Leon

With its Golf bones, the Cupra León has a 380-litre boot that expands to 1,301 liters with the rear seats folded.

Available in petrol and plug-in hybrid variants, the León V offers the largest boot in the range and retains a space-saving spare wheel.

Boot space in the VZe plug-in hybrid variant is reduced to just 270 liters in its standard configuration, but you get a much improved fuel economy of 1.8 liters/100 km.

The León features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and includes a five-year, unlimited kilometer warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Cupra León
FURTHER: All Cupra Leon

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BMW 1 Series

All three 1 Series variants match Audi's A3 hatch in terms of boot space, quoted at 380L with the rear seats up and 1200L at full capacity.

A front-drive Golf competitor, the Series 1 range starts at $54,800 before on-road costs and tops out at $76,600 before on-road costs for the M135i xDrive.

There's no duplication of cordless phones across the range, but BMW's five-year, unlimited kilometer warranty comes as standard.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a BMW 1 Series
FURTHER: All BMW 1 Series

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volkswagengolf

The Golf is one of the cheapest cars on this list at $39,190 before on-road costs, but it's among the smallest in terms of boot space.

All Golf variants offer a standard 374-litre boot that expands to 1,230 liters with the rear seats folded, while a repair kit is included instead of a spare wheel.

The Golf range tops out at over $70,000 before hitting the road with the performance-oriented R, but you get features like cordless phone mirroring and a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Volkswagen Golf
FURTHER: All Volkswagen Golf

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mg 4

As MG's electric-only base model, the MG 4 offers a slightly smaller boot than the Volkswagen Golf at 363L.

That figure appears on the Excite 51 and Excite 64 variants, and expands to 1177L with the rear seats folded.

With a starting price of $39,990, the MG 4 works out to be cheaper than the Golf and includes a lengthy seven-year, unlimited kilometer warranty, in line with other MG models.

BUY: Contact a dealer about an MG 4
FURTHER: All MG 4

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GWM Ora

The GWM Ora electric takes last place on this list: its 228-litre boot is more than 130 liters smaller than that of the MG 4.

Its small boot expands to 858 liters with the rear seats folded, but it tops the previous MG with a price tag of $35,990 for the base standard range variant. However, it used to be more expensive, so it is in this VFACTS category.

The range tops out at $46,990 for the GT variant, which features a 400km driving range and a panoramic sunroof.

GWM includes a seven-year unlimited kilometer warranty on the entire Ora range.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a GWM Ora
FURTHER: All GWM Ora

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