Less is more. It’s an old adage but when you look at the current crop of small sedans it rings true.

We used to buy large sedans, like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon, because they could carry the family in comfort and offered polished on-road manners for an enjoyable drive. But that was a decade or more ago, when large cars were king and small cars had a reputation for being simple and a bit cheap. Fast forward to 2018 and the current crop of small sedans offer the kind of space you used to find in bigger models thanks to clever packaging as well as a better, more premium experience behind the wheel.

We’re looking for the best small car that won’t break the bank, so we’ve assembled the new Kia Cerato, its cousin the Hyundai Elantra, the Honda Civic and the Subaru Impreza. We set a price point of circa $30,000 to aim for the highest model grade for each to give us the most bang for our buck. Let’s find the winner.

Kia Cerato Sport+

Kia has earned a reputation for giving you a lot for a little, so it should come as no surprise that the new Cerato small car offers up a lot of space and equipment for a sharp price.

We’re testing the range-topping Cerato Sport+ which comes fully loaded with goodies. There’s 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone airconditioning, heated front seats, 8.0-inch infotainment screen, Bluetooth, digital radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and navigation with live traffic updates.

Plus it also comes standard with autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection and lane keeping assist (LKA) and for another $1000 you can add the safety package which includes blind spot monitoring (BSM) and rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA).

All this comes at just $26,190 drive-away which makes it the cheapest of our quartet by a significant margin.

However, there are some areas where the Cerato does feel its price and the most notable element is under the bonnet where it features a largely carried over 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from the old model. The more advanced 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol powerplant found in the Elantra and Hyundai i30 (both of which share much of the same underpinnings as the Cerato) isn’t available in the sedan.

It produces only a modest 112kW of power and 192Nm of torque which means its performance on the road is only average and needs to be pushed hard to get the best from it. Then, even when you do, it doesn’t feel sprightly.

Which is a shame because the Cerato is a nice car to drive, with a nicely balanced chassis with a good ride. Kia Australia tunes its cars for local roads and the way the Cerato is able to feel both composed over Australia’s patchwork roads yet responsive when needed is testament to the good work. However, the suspension can jar over bigger bumps which is the most obvious symptom of it being an affordable small car.

Another highlight for the Cerato is the interior, where elements of the Stinger sports sedan have influenced its design to give it a standout look and feel. Even against its three rivals here the presentation of the Cerato is as good as any current small car.

It also integrates the latest Hyundai-Kia infotainment system that is easy to use and offers excellent functionality - navigation, smartphone integration digital radio, etc - that not too long ago would have been reserved for a large car.

2018 Kia Cerato Sport+ price and specifications

Price: From $26,190 drive-away

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 112kW at 6200rpm

Torque: 192Nm at 4000rpm

Transmission: Six-speed automatic, front-wheel drive

Fuel use: 7.4L/100km

Hyundai Elantra SR Turbo

The Hyundai Elantra SR Turbo shares a lot in common with the Cerato but, having launched back in 2016, is starting to show its age in places.

In many respects this car was a forerunner to i30 N hot hatch, a warmed-up version of the otherwise conservative small car with its tuning tailored for a more sporty drive.

At $31,290 plus on-road costs it’s more expensive than its Kia cousin but it still comes well equipped for a small car, in some respects better than the Cerato. Standard gear includes 17-inch alloys, auto lights and wipers, sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed upholstery, heated front seats, dual-zone airconditioning, Bluetooth, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and a 7.0-inch infotainment screen.

However, it does miss out on active safety including AEB, BSM, LDW and active cruise control - the only one of these four not to get at least AEB.

The SR Turbo’s key selling point is what’s underneath the skin, a more advanced engine and suspension setup than the standard Elantra. It gets the 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine the Kia misses out on as well as a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension tuned locally by Hyundai Australia.

The engine alone gives it a big advantage over the Kia, producing 150kW and 265Nm to make it the most potent of our test group. It feels it too with more punch on the road, especially from low down in the rev range, to make it quicker off the mark. It’s not a true hot hatch but it has certainly been warmed up.

The suspension changes also means it rides bumps with a little more compliance than the Kia, soaking them up with better control and less jarring in the cabin.

The sporty theme of the SR Turbo continues within the interior where there’s a flat-bottomed steering wheel, carbon fibre-look trim on the dashboard and door inserts, alloy sports pedals and red-stitching on the seats and steering wheel.

2018 Hyundai Elantra SR Turbo price and specifications

Price: From $31,290 plus on-road costs

Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 150kW at 6000rpm

Torque: 265Nm at 1500-4500rpm

Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, front-wheel drive

Fuel use: 7.2L/100km

Honda Civic VTi-LX

The Honda Civic was one of the first small cars to earn a big reputation. The Japanese hatch brought a level of sophistication that helped make it a popular choice for decades.

Following a few lacklustre models, Honda went back to the drawing board for the this all-new Civic that arrived in 2016 and brought a fresh concept and turbocharged engine to the nameplate for the first time.

Priced from $33,590 plus on-road costs the Civic VTi-LX we’re testing here is our most expensive contender but it gets a healthy level of equipment to justify the price. For that money you get 17-inch alloys, LED headlights, electric sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed trim, a premium audio system that includes digital radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity and navigation with live traffic updates.

It also comes loaded with autonomous braking, forward collision warning and lane keeping assist as well as Honda’s unique Lane Watch camera which displays a live feed from the passenger’s side mirror on the infotainment screen. It’s a simple but very effective idea that surprisingly hasn’t been copied by rivals yet.

Motivation for the Civic comes from a newly developed 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that produces 127kW and 220Nm, which makes it second-best in our group for both power and torque.

In spite of that, it’s also the most fuel efficient with a claimed consumption of just 6.0-litres per 100km, which is well ahead of the next best figure, 7.2L/100km from both the Hyundai and Subaru.

It’s a good engine, endowing the Civic with competitive on-road performance. It's nothing sporty but delivers solid low rev range punch for a small car.

It handles well too, although not as sharp as the Hyundai or Kia, but the softer suspension is more comfortable over bumps than the Cerato.

The design of the Civic will split opinion. Lacking the simplicity of its rivals in this contest the Civic looks busy outside and in. The cabin does, however, have plenty of small item storage which makes it easy to live with.

2018 Honda Civic VTi-LX price and specifications

Price: $33,590 plus on-road costs

Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 127kW at 5500rpm

Torque: 220Nm at 1700-5500rpm

Transmission: CVT, front-wheel drive

Fuel use: 6.0L/100km

Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S

Subaru spent more than a decade trying to take its Impreza more upmarket and finally nailed it with this current generation. The range-topping 2.0i-S we’re testing feels the most grown up and large car-like of our group thanks to its excellent presentation and spacious interior.

Costing $29,240 plus on-road costs it’s the second-most affordable here but still commands at least $4000 more than the Kia. Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloys, sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, faux leather trim, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and an 8.0-inch colour infotainment touchscreen.

Subaru Eyesight’s active safety suite is also standard so brings AEB, RCTA, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane change assist, and adaptive cruise control.

However, like the Kia it loses points for its engine - another underwhelming 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit with just 115kW and 196Nm. Paired with a CVT automatic it needs to be worked hard to get the best from it and it doesn't feel as energetic when compared directly to the turbocharged Hyundai and Honda.

Not helping that situation is the fact the Impreza has a great chassis that could easily cope with - and be more engaging with - more grunt. On the road it feels responsive, composed and comfortable, so much so that in pure handling terms it's on par with the Hyundai.

2018 Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S price and specifications

Price: From $29,240 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power: 115kW at 6000rpm

Torque: 196Nm at 4000rpm

Transmission: CVT automatic, AWD

Fuel use: 7.2L/100km

Verdict

None of these four are perfect and taking elements of each would create a brilliant small sedan, but they do all show how far the humble small car has come.

All offer good space inside well presented and practical interiors and each is very well equipped for the money.

The Hyundai is the pick if you value driving dynamics the highest, the Honda has the biggest space and the Subaru feels the most polished in terms of presentation and dynamics.

But the superior value of the Kia, coupled with its great looks and impressive on-road performance (lacklustre engine notwithstanding) makes it the clear winner in this contest.

Proof that less really is more.

• Interested in buying Kia Cerato? Visit our Kia Cerato showroom for more information.

• Interested in buying Hyundai Elantra? Visit our Hyundai Elantra showroom for more information.

• Interested in buying Honda Civic? Visit our Honda Civic showroom for more information.

• Interested in buying Subaru Impreza? Visit our Subaru Impreza showroom for more information.

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