10 Best Small Sedans

The 10 best small sedans come from a variety of makers and all of the listings feature a bit of style, performance and important safety features. Small sedans offer the advantage of good gas mileage as well as room to transport children, pets or any items regularly moved for work. The cars also provide space for your sports equipment. The best small sedans on this list offer a combination of a quality driving experience, excellent gas mileage and cargo space.

1. Honda Civic. This best small sedan offers 34 miles on the highway using a 1.8 liter-engine with four cylinders. In addition to the great gas mileage, the car looks sporty, has a large trunk and a back seat that really can seat someone that weighs over 60 pounds, meaning another adult passenger. 
2. Ford Focus. This Ford also has high miles per gallon posting 35 miles for highway travel and 24 miles in the city. The 2.0 liter engine has four cylinders to move along this sporty-looking car. 
3. Chevrolet Cobalt. With 37 mpg, the Cobalt brings in an even higher mileage total than others on the list. The 2.2-liter engine packs a hefty 155 horsepower in only four cylinders. 
4. Chevrolet Volt. A new entry for 2012, this electric car offers a unique form of transportation that many folks hope will be a wave of the future away from oil reliance. Take your hybrid out for hundreds of miles on each tank of gas. The four-door best sedan has room for adults and tons of sports equipment or pets. 
5. Scion xD. From the folks who gave us the telephone booth on wheels, this hatchback car looks more mainstream. The 1.8-liter engine drives along with 128 horsepower for the four-cylinder engine. The Scion xD small sedan logs an average of 33 miles on the highway. 
6. VW Rabbit. Volkswagon's 1970s Rabbit design is still on the road in the new century. The Rabbit logs in with 30 miles per gallon on the highway and 21 in the city. The five-cylinder engine is also designed with a 2.5 liter capacity. 
7. Mini Cooper. BMW brought back another classic design in the Cooper. The mini features a 1.6-liter engine packing 118 horsepower with an inline four cylinder design. The best small design offers mileage that includes 37 miles on the highway. The mini has a rear hatchback to make retrieving supplies and groceries, or many a small child or two, an easy proposition. 
8. Toyota Corolla. Checking in at 30 miles for highway travel and 22 in the city, the Toyota is a regular on the best sedan list. The four-door sedan features a 2.4-liter engine backing 16 valves and four cylinders. 
9. Subaru Impreza. Subaru has had a reputation for manufacturing tough cars for use in cold environments where a four-wheel drive is important, but the Impreza adds a luxury line to this tough-guy image. This 2.5-liter engine packs 170 horsepower packing 16 valves. The mileage is less than the other entries, at 27 miles for the highway and 20 miles for each gallon for city driving, but the car is a little heavier than the other best small sedan list entries. 
10. Nissan Versa. This car is not only a best sedan, it makes the most affordable small car list for "U.S. News and World Report." The Versa logs in with 34 mile on the highway and 26 in the city.  The car offers options that include anti lock brakes and air conditioning that might make the minimal investment worth the money, if you live in an air with any kind of weather.