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All this adds up to the most comprehensive analysis of expert opinion and real-world data found anywhere in the motoring world.

The Car Expert has the ultimate ranking of the best and worst new cars on sale, based on tens of millions of key data points.

The small SUV sector is about the hottest place in the UK’s new car market right now, with manufacturers adding new models almost every week. Although these cars may look like sturdy go-anywhere vehicles, they’re basically just small hatchbacks in platform shoes and bulky clothing to make them look bigger and tougher than they really are. They’re generally no more capable off-road than a regular car, which is why they’re often referred to as crossovers rather than SUVs.

The small SUV sector is where the hottest action in the new car market is – a market that just a few years ago didn’t exist now sees a new model added to its ranks almost weekly.

Once upon a time, you bought an SUV if you wanted a rugged vehicle with four-wheel-drive to go off-road motoring, but most SUVs on the market today are nothing more than normal cars with jacked-up ride heights and plastic styling panels. They are no more likely to leave the tarmac than the average family car.

Such cars are also known as crossovers, basically because they sit in the gap between a typical car and an off-roading 4×4, and this is especially true of small SUVs. Most of them are front-wheel-drive only, which once off the tarmac would quickly become pretty useless.       

As time goes on, the visual differences between SUVs and typical hatchbacks are becoming ever more blurred. In short, you will likely choose a small SUV over a small hatchback if you like a higher driving position and the more muscular styling.

If these things tick your boxes then there’s a whole lot of choice out there, with almost every manufacturer now aferring at least one small SUV. You can choose from budget models like the Dacia Duster, through mainstream entrants such as the sporty Ford Puma, to luxury heavyweights typified by the Range Rover Evoque. And there are plenty of full-electric small SUVs available too, a choice that is growing all the time.