The WhatCar? Magazine has chosen the Skoda Citigo as their best small car for some years and rated it as the best handling on the market. And it’s difficult to disagree.

Built on the same platform as the SEAT Mii and the Volkswagen Up, it is more or less the same car but being a Skoda you’re getting a cheaper version but the quality is much the same. And the price is just £11,000, which is excellent value.

You’ve got a one litre engine, a choice of five speed manuals or just the one automatic (which is a bit slow) and either a three or five door model.

There are two engine choices but both are 1.0 litre, one a 60bhp or the other 75 bhp, the lower powered one being the ideal for the city slickers.

It might take you 14 seconds to get to 60mph but in an urban environment this is hardly relevant because all you need to do is to keep up with the traffic around you.

And the top speed of 100mph is something you will never reach even on the German autobahns, unless you are slightly mad.

But for young people this could be their car of the dream because insurance premiums are relatively inexpensive and the 59bhp version qualifies for the lowest insurance band of all. You might even get below £1,000 fully comprehensive at the right broker.

Sales are doing well and in the first three months of the year 1,652 customers bought a new Citigo.

While some people call these little models Noddy cars, after the Enid Blyton books, but they toddle along doing well over potholes and sleeping policemen.

They grip the road well with an excellent ride and the Citigo is probably the best on the market for its great steering.

Naturally in the town and city they zip about, ideal finding the tight parking spaces and they don’t make a row despite being a small engine. And there seems to be great room in the front and you don’t even clash elbows with your front seat passenger! Go for the SE versions and above and you get 60/40 split-folding back seats which is better than just a tip up which is a little bulky Visibility is excellent and for a small car you don’t feel threatened by the larger traffic on the road.

There’s bags of good kit and to help you with the parking you can have extra rear sensors to most of the models.

Entry-level S trim has a simple CD/radio system with two speakers and no Bluetooth. But there is a USB port, aux-in socket and an SD card slot.

Bluetooth comes with the SE and upwards and there is a scruffy smartphone holder on the dash that will give you access to TomTom sat-nav directions.

Stability control and a tyre pressure-monitoring system come as standard on all versions and automatic city emergency braking is a reasonably priced option across the range.

All Citigos have twin front and side airbags to protect front passengers and the rear seats have Isofix child seat-mounting points.

The Citigo, like all Skodas, is covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty and one year’s breakdown cover. Extended warranties are available for up to five years or 100,000 miles.