While there's been a general decline over recent years in the volume of motorists driving around our cities, for many the car remains their preferred means of transport for getting around home and work.

Fortunately, in recent years the car industru has responded by designing vehicles that are built for city life, with a gamut of city-suitable cars on offer, offering perfectly adapted functioning for urban environments, without sacrificing the ability to drive long distances.

We know that factors such as safety and style will figure high on your city vehicle wish-list, so here we're taking the conversation in a different direction, focussing on the other key things to consider about city driving- namely, compactness, nimbleness, great handling, fuel economy and low emissions.

Compactness

With often impossibly small parking spaces and congested, narrow streets, city motoring requires nimble driving and parking skills. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the vehicle, the few problems you'll face in the city. However, comfort also needs careful consideration and finding the vehicle that strikes the right balance between exterior compactness and adequate interior space and comfort is vital.

Your lifestage may demand some compromise on compactness, with smaller cars fit for two not quite set up for the family lifestyle. Remember, any upgrade in internal space means an increae in external size, ergo increased difficulty in parking, so choose carefully. The good news is that these days compactness comes in different degrees and with a little bit of research, you're sure to strike the right balance.

Nimbleness and Great Handling

City driving brings with it a constant barrage of unexpected events, and the ability to respond immediately with nimble-ness and controlled handling, are upmost priorities.

Fast response to small, subtle driver commands, no swing and great responsive brake power can mean the difference between avoiding a near accident or not. Again, some of this will come down to size of vehicle, but much also due to how well and smoothly the car responds.

Fuel Economy and Low Emissions

The constant stop-start driving of city motoring means your engine is forever being shut down and started up again, forcing it to work hard, consume more fuel and emit more emissions. Petrol is the better traditional engine type for those who do mainly city driving because whilst newer diesels omit fewer fumes than their ancestors, petrol still remains cheaper to refuel.

Cities however are where green cars such as hybrids and electrics really do come into their own, and today they should be a serious consideration because you'd be hard pushed to get greater fuel efficiency and a lower city driver footprint in any other vehicle. The great news is that many green cars are specifically designed for the city so offer the compactness you'll need. With the range (distance capacity) of some green cars now offering an average of xxx miles per trip, they can now comfortably cover much longer drives as well.

Stop-start driving systems are also great feature to look for in a city car because they reduce idling time so reduce both unnecessary fuel consumption and emissions.

If you’re confused or unsure about any aspect of leasing a car, give the Select Car Leasing team a call: 0118 920 5130

What to look for in a city car:

Compactness

Make sure you strike the right balance of exterior dimensions and internal space and comfort

Nimbleness and handling

Make sure your car is prepared for the unexpected, prioritise ease of manoeuvring and great control and handling

Fuel economy and low emissions

Consider alternative fuel vehicles to counteract low fuel efficiency and unnecessary emissions of city style driving. Alternatively, petrol remains the more fuel efficient traditional option in the city. Look for stop-start systems.