Car Statistics: Chevrolet - Spark Series 09 (3 stars)

Styling (4 stars)

This is definitely the Spark's trump card. The styling is based on the Beat concept car that Chevrolet showed off at the New York Motor Show in 2007 and the angular lines and huge swooping headlights are a far cry from the basic and boxy styling of its Matiz predecessor.

Handling (3 stars)

In an urban environment, the Spark is perfectly happy and easy to manoeuvre. The steering is light, although the gearchange is not particularly smooth, particularly in lower gears. Out of town, it is solid at around 50mph, but less happy at motorway speeds.

Comfort (3 stars)

The ride showed itself to be harsh at times when dealing with larger potholes and speed humps on our test route, but was capable with soaking up the more normal bumps. The seats were firm enough to support without being uncomfortable.

Quality (3 stars)

The interior plastics have definitely been chosen with cost-saving in mind and feel brittle to the touch: the door panels, in particular, feel like they will show scratches with age and are not very solid. However, there were no obvious sharp edges or ill-fitting panels.

Performance (2 stars)

The Spark is slow, irrespective of the choice of 1.0- and 1.2-litre engines - they take 15.5 and 12.1 seconds to reach 62mph, respectively. These are the only two engines available and it is unlikely that any more will be added to the range.

Roominess (4 stars)

The bootspace in the Spark compares well with its rivals - 170 litres is good for a small city car without being class-leading. Two adults will be able to sit in the back easily for short distances, but fitting a third in would be tricky.

Costs (4 stars)

Not only is the Spark cheap to buy it should be cheap to run. The 1.0-litre should manage 49mpg, while the 1.2-litre offers 46mpg. CO2 emissions mean both cars qualify for an annual road tax bill of just £35.

Value (4 stars)

The Spark range starts at £6,495 and goes up to £9,845 for the 1.2-litre LT. This includes a decent amount of equipment for a car of this size, but it is a shame that ESP is only a £350 option and is not standard on any of the models.

Stereo (3 stars)

The stereo is simple to use and has a large and chunky on/off and volume button. Top-of-the-range cars will also come with the ability to play MP3s, an aux socket and a USB port to cope with a variety of external music players. Sat nav isn't offered.