The case is growing for more people to consider buying small cars. Not only do they cost less up front than an SUV, but they’ll save you a lot of money over the life of the vehicle in maintenance and fuel costs. Plus, if you spend a lot of time driving in urban or suburban areas, smaller cars often make getting around easier.
If you’re willing to consider something that’s against the current grain, check out this guide to the best small cars you can buy in Canada in 2024. The cars here are the ones we rate highest for affordability, fuel efficiency, feature content, comfort, safety, and overall value. Some still offer manual transmissions, and a couple even include standard or available all-wheel drive (AWD).
Best Small Cars in Canada in 2024
- 2024 Acura Integra
- 2024 BMW 3 Series
- 2024 Genesis G70
- 2024 Honda Civic
- 2024 Hyundai Elantra
- 2024 Lexus IS
- 2024 Mazda3
- 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage
- 2024 Subaru Impreza
- 2024 Toyota Corolla
- 2024 Toyota Prius
- 2024 Volvo S60
- Honourable Mentions
2024 Acura Integra
If you’re a fan of the Honda Civic but have the budget for a luxury badge, take a look at the Acura Integra. After more than 20 years on hiatus in North America, the Integra name returned for the 2023 model year. Like the Civic, it’s packaged with front-wheel drive (FWD) only. The A-Spec and Elite A-Spec trims come with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 200 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. Both these trims have a continuously variable transmission (CVT) as standard, which comes with a fuel consumption average of 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres combined according to Natural Resources Canada. The Elite A-Spec trim offers an option 6-speed manual transmission with a rev-matching system, which averages 7.8 L/100 km combined.
Pricing for the base 2024 Acura Integra starts at $41,579 with fees. For 2024, the Acura Integra Type S is added to the line-up, which also comes with the manual transmission and equips a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine producing 320 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. The 2024 Acura Integra Type S has a Canadian starting price of $58,329.
2024 BMW 3 Series
BMW’s churning out one hit after another these days. As far as compact cars are concerns, the current BMW 3 Series is among our favourites from the luxury set. It’s currently offered in four iterations. The base 330i comes with standard xDrive AWD and 255 hp. The plug-in hybrid 330e comes either in rear-wheel drive (RWD) or AWD and has 288 hp and up to 35 kilometres of all-electric range. The mid-powered M340i xDrive ups the power ante to 382 hp. And if you’re ready to sign up for a peak driving experience, the venerable M3 comes in base manual, M3 Competition automatic, and M3 CS versions, which vary in power from 473 to 543 hp.
The price range on the 2024 BMW 3 Series in Canada starts at $59,455 but can climb as high as $161,506 for the M3 CS, and that’s before options. Fuel consumption is just as broad a spectrum, going from an average as low as 3.4 Le/100 km combined in the PHEV up to 13.2 L/100 km for the M3 CS. If you prefer a coupe, the BMW 4 Series follows much of these same conventions.
2024 Genesis G70
One of the more underappreciated cars on the market is getting a refresh for 2024. The Genesis G70 receives a new base engine, going from a 252-hp 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine to a 2.5-litre four-cylinder producing 300 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. The 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 continues into 2024 with its 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. AWD and an 8-speed automatic transmission remain standard. Fuel consumption is 10.2 L/100 kilometres of combined driving with the new four-cylinder, while the V6 burns 11.9 L/100 km combined.
Pricing for the 2024 Genesis G70 starts at $53,000, which in in Canada includes at-home test drives, vehicle delivery, and service appointment concierge service, five years of scheduled maintenance and map updates, and more.
2024 Honda Civic
Many vehicles are built in Canada today. But as of early 2024, only one of them is a car, and that’s the Honda Civic Sedan and Si. (Civic Hatchbacks are built in Indiana, and the Civic Type R is built in Japan.) No matter where your Civic is built, you’ll have plenty of options while selecting it. Prices start at $28,754 for the 2024 Honda Civic Sedan in Canada, where the first three trims come with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 158 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque, matched to a CVT and consuming 6.9 to 7.1 L/100 km combined depending on the model. The Civic Touring receives a 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder engine creating 180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque and also averages 6.9 L/100 km combined. In the 2024 Honda Civic Si, you’ll also find a 1.5-litre turbo four, but this time it makes 200 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, and it’s available only with a six-speed manual transmission where it consumes 7.7 L/100 km combined. In Canada, the 2024 Honda Civic Si is priced at $37,594.
If you’d prefer to explore the hatchback, you have two trim options, Sport and Sport Touring, each of which come with the same 1.5-litre turbo four found in the Touring Sedan. The Sport comes with a CVT (7.1 L/100 km combined), while the Sport Touring is also available with a manual (7.5 L/100 km combined). Pricing for the 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback starts at $36,094 in Canada. Finally, the 2024 Honda Civic Type R’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine generates 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, sent by default through a 6-speed manual transmission and consuming 9.7 L/100 km combined. Every Civic, regardless of drivetrain, is available only with FWD.
The 2024 Honda Civic Type R is price in Canada at $53,294, but good luck finding one: they’ve been all but sold out since launch. An all-new Civic Hybrid is also on the way that should be a compelling offering if Honda can price it competitively.
2024 Hyundai Elantra
The 2024 Hyundai Elantra receives a refresh that brings design and technology enhancements to this already affordable compact sedan. Three powertrains are offered among the standard Elantra’s five trims, all of which are FWD. The base engine, equipped on the Essential, Preferred, and Luxury trims, is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder paired with a CVT that makes 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque and burns 6.4 to 6.7 L/100 km combined. The Luxury Hybrid offers a fuel-efficient combination of a 1.6-litre four-cylinder and an electric motor, good for a total system output of 139 hp and 195 lb-ft. Matched with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), this engine averages just 4.7 L/100 km combined, making it one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the Canadian market. In the Elantra N-Line Ultimate, a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder produces 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, sent to the front wheels through a 7-speed DCT.
The 2024 Hyundai Elantra comes with a great list of standard features in Canada such as heated front seats, a touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (though these are wired with the larger screen on upper models), and a full suite of safety and driver assistance features. Pricing for the 2024 Hyundai Elantra in Canada starts at $24,506. Watch for news on the revamped 2024 Hyundai Elantra N, coming later this year.
2024 Lexus IS
Speaking of luxury sedans with a version for every buyer, check out the 2024 Lexus IS. In Canada, Toyota’s premium brand sells its compact sedan with both RWD and AWD drivetrains, and with three different engines. The most powerful is the RWD 5.0-litre V8 making 472 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque found in the 2024 Lexus IS 500, which starts in Canada at a price of $79,736.
For a more affordable option, the 2024 Lexus IS 300 AWD starts at $50,536. That model includes a 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 260 hp and and averages 10.8 L/100 km combined (as opposed to the 11.9 L/100 km combined in the IS 500). The mid-grade IS 350 AWD uses the same engine and has the same fuel economy estimates but ups the power output to 311 hp.
2024 Mazda3
Don’t sleep on the Mazda3: dollar for dollar, it’s one of the best values on the automotive market today. It comes in sedan and hatchback variants, with the latter known in Canada as the Mazda3 Sport, and offers paint colours and interior finishes that approach the premium side of the market. You can option your Mazda3 with a manual transmission and AWD—but you’ll need to choose one or the other since they can’t be equipped together.
There’s also a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine among the powertrain options that bumps power output from 191 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque to 250 hp and 320 lb-ft, though it will require you to skip rowing your own gears. Fuel economy averages range from 7.5 to 8.9 L/100 km combined, depending on the body style and engine selected. Pricing for the 2024 Mazda3 in Canada starts at $27,548.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage
If getting a car for the absolute lowest price possible is your top priority, choose the 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage. This is one of the few subcompacts left in Canada, and it’s the only vehicle left that can be bought new for less than $20,000. The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage comes with a CVT only—sadly, the manual has been dropped—and is offered in three trims. Each of them is powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine good for 78 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque.
It’s hardly a workhorse, and it’s fairly stripped down in base configuration with 14-inch wheels, four speakers, a minimum of safety features, and 484 litres of cargo space behind its rear seats. But you do receive Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as heated front seats and a 10-year powertrain warranty. With fuel consumption averaging 6.2 L/100 km and a starting price in Canada of $19,469, it’s an undeniable value for commuting.
2024 Subaru Impreza
Subaru is known for equipping AWD as standard equipment on nearly every vehicle it sells. This means the Subaru Impreza compact sedan is packed with practicality as one of the most affordable cars with AWD you can buy. The Impreza has been redesigned for the 2024 model year, and one of the casualties of the update is the manual transmission, which is no longer available. Sold as a hatchback with four trim levels, the Impreza offers two powertrains between them.
The base engine is a 2.0-litre with four horizontally opposed cylinders generating 152 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, while the top two trims come with a 2.5-litre Boxer four-cylinder with 182 hp and 178 lb-ft. Both engines are paired with a CVT and Subaru’s symmetrical full-time AWD. The 2024 Subaru Impreza has a Canadian starting price of $29,167. The Subaru WRX ups the performance thrills on the same platform, starting from $36,072.
2024 Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla was the best-selling car in Canada in 2023, making it the Honda Civic’s party pooper for the second year in a row. The Corolla’s lower starting price and Toyota’s overall reputation for reliability are helping this compact car to stand out. For 2024, the Corolla continues to be offered as a sedan—including with the Corolla Hybrid, which is offered in several trims with AWD—as well as in hatchback guise, the latter also seen in the GR Corolla.
Power output ranges from 169 hp in the base gas versions to 138 total hp in the hybrid and 300 hp in the GR Corolla, while fuel efficiency goes as low as 4.7 L/100 km in the FWD hybrid up to the GR Corolla’s 9.8 L/100 km. Pricing for the 2024 Toyota Corolla starts in Canada from $26,383 and rises to $59,843 for the Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition.
2024 Toyota Prius
The glow-up from the Toyota Prius’s 2023 redesign might go down in history as one of the most dramatic automotive updates of all time. What was once the stereotype for boring is now better-looking, more powerful, and as fuel-sipping as ever. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and updated hybrid system produce 196 hp and a total system output of 139 lb-ft of torque.
For 2024, two trims are offered in Canada, both with AWD, starting at $40,643 for the XLE grade. The hybrid Prius averages 4.8 L/100 km in combined driving, one of the best fuel consumption ratings in a vehicle without a plug. Plus, if you can take advantage of at-home charging, the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid has 220 hp and up to 72 kilometres of electric-only range in its base trim. The 2024 Toyota Prius Prime is offered in three trims in Canada starting from $42,543, plus it qualifies for federal and provincial EV purchase rebates.
2024 Volvo S60
The Volvo S60 is as under-the-radar as it gets, especially with its performance plug-in hybrid powertrain. Two versions of this luxury car are sold in Canada. The S60 B5 mild hybrid starts at $53,939 and offers standard AWD. This version comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 247 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque and averages 8.4 L/100 km combined.
With the S60 Recharge plug-in hybrid, power jumps to a total of 455 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque. It has an electric driving range of 64 km on a single charge and averages 3.0 Le/100 km combined along with providing great driving dynamics. Pricing for the 2024 Volvo S60 Recharge starts in Canada at a new car price of $58,389.
Honourable Mentions
The 2024 Kia Forte starts at a very affordable $23,683, though we rank it behind other vehicles on this list of the best compact cars due to its not-especially-smooth ride. The 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R are great options for those specifically seeking hatchback sports cars, starting at $37,378 and $51,778 respectively. The Volkswagen Jetta is also worth considering from $26,178, though the base version could use more power to go with its sleek design.
The Nissan Versa is the only subcompact sedan left on the market, starting at $22,903, and the Nissan Sentra offers a manual transmission on two of its three trims. The Audi A3 ($44,315) and S3 ($54,865) and Mercedes-Benz C-Class (from $61,000 before fees) are alternative options for fans of German engineering.
Prices shown include destination charges and any declared dealer fees but exclude sales taxes. While pricing was current as of publication time, it is subject to change.