What safe small car should I buy?

The dilemma

Boyd is looking to replace his Mitsubishi Lancer with a new car of a similar size or smaller. It's destined for a mostly urban life but he does occasionally drive from Sydney to Bathurst. Most of all he wants a car with a reversing camera and lane-departure warning/assist systems. What are his options?

The budget

$25,000

The shortlist

Straight away we have a problem here ? Boyd's wish for lane-departure warning/assist systems.

Only a select few prestige-badged small cars have this tech, and they all cost a lot more than $25k. Some mainstream city-sized SUVs offer the former feature but they also break the budget, if not by as much. The pickings are pretty much non-existent in the light-car segment. 

So we can only recommend some light and small cars that ? lane-departure aids aside ? go further on the safety-tech front than most.

Or Boyd could forget about his new-car requirement and try to pin down a used city SUV with his desired features. 

2015-on Honda HR-V VTi-L with ADAS, from $25,400*

This Honda ticks a lot of safety boxes ? all models have a reversing camera and VTi-S models add autonomous emergency braking and a blindspot-warning system. Topline VTi-Ls can be optioned with an 'Advanced Driver Assist System' that adds lane-departure/forward-collision warnings and other tricks.

The HR-V is also a class benchmark for space, exceptionally versatile and has no nasty underbonnet or on-road habits.

But finding a used, ADAS-equipped VTi-L could take patience and will likely push the price beyond $25k.

So maybe don't count out a Nissan Juke Ti-S ? it's tight inside, occasionally punishing to ride in and also a used proposition but offers lane-departure warnings in a punchier, more entertaining package.

Mazda's CX-3, meanwhile, offers more driving nous, better economy, lifetime capped-price servicing (versus five years/100,000km for the Honda) and autonomous emergency braking for less than $25k new, if you can handle a tight back seat, noisy ride and the lane-departure-warning box remaining unchecked.

Read Drive's Honda HR-V reviews:

Honda HR-V road test 
Baby SUV road-test comparison

Mazda 3 Maxx 'Safety', from $23,890

If you absolutely must have lane-departure warnings in a small-sized car, a prestige hatch like BMW's 1-Series or Benz's A-Class with the right options is the only, er, option.

But that will be tough at this budget. So we're recommending this Mazda, which can be bought new and optioned with autonomous emergency braking and blindspot monitors for less than $25k, a key advantage over other mainstream small hatches with this kind of tech (Ford Focus, VW Golf).

The 3 also looks good, drives beautifully and feels like a quality piece yet is thrifty, reliable and covered by a lifetime capped-price servicing regime.

However, there are small cars with roomier back seats, bigger boots and a quieter on-road air.

A reversing camera is only standard from this Maxx model up, so an auto version with the 'Safety' option is going to stretch the budget a little (it starts at $25,890 plus on-roads).

Read Drive's Mazda 3 reviews:

Small-hatch road-test comparison
Small sedan road-test comparison 

Volkswagen Polo 81TSI, from $18,490

This VW also fails to tick the lane-departure warning/assist box but autonomous emergency braking and active cruise control can be optioned.

In this contest, at least, that puts it a step ahead of Mazda's 2 (it can't be had with active cruise) and the Skoda Fabia (it doesn't have the reversing camera that is standard on its cousin).

This Polo is a strong, thrifty performer that drives well, has a classy cabin and is quieter, more comfortable than most light hatches on the open road.

But you pay more with the VW to get the same level of kit offered by other light cars and DSG auto versions aren't always smooth in stop/start driving.

It asks for more expensive premium unleaded and many rivals do better than its six-year/90,000km capped-price servicing regime, though it wins back points with the longest intervals of this group (yearly/15,000km versus yearly/10,000km for the Honda and Mazda).

Read Drive's VW Polo reviews:

Light-hatch road-test comparison

Drive recommends

The HR-V is the only car of this group that combines our desired lane-departure tech with a compact exterior, so ostensibly wins. But gaining that feature also means settling for a used example, so its victory is accompanied by a question mark.

The Polo obviously falls foul of our key lane-departure-tech requirement but its low starting price, open-road qualities and still-admirable safety fitout are reasons to take it seriously here.

Not as seriously as the 3, though, which has this group's most even-handed mix of value, safety, ownership appeal and sheer talent. If Boyd would sooner sacrifice lane-departure aids than that new-car smell, it should be his first choice.

* Values are estimates provided by Redbook based on an example averaging up to 20,000km per annum and in a well-maintained condition relevant to its age.