Few small three-door cars are especially practical but the DS3 is better than many alternatives. For starters it has a large boot with 285 litres of luggage room – more than double that of a MINI and slightly bigger than a Volkswagen Polo. The tailgate opening is wide, so getting larger items in and out is simple, plus the boot floor itself is wide.

The rear seats split 60/40 and fold down to create a larger space. In the front there’s decent storage with a useful cubby in front of the gear lever, but the door pockets are disappointingly short and half of the glovebox is taken up by the fuse panel.

Citroen DS3 safety

The DS3 was awarded the maximum five stars for crash protection from Euro NCAP – the official crash test organisation. This was under a tougher test regime introduced in 2009.

Now one overall rating, it covers not only adult occupant safety but also child and pedestrian safety along with a rear impact whiplash test. Citroen DS3 safety levels are good thanks to standard-fit ESP stability control, ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, six airbags, and Isofix child seat anchor points.