• Claimed fuel economy impressive across the range
• Drive carefully and it’s possible to get close
• Engines need working hard, which harms economy

The third-generation Jazz offers a low cost of ownership overall, but that’s mainly because it’s so reliable and dependable. Fuel economy figures aren’t particularly special, with even the most efficient Jazz returning just 48.7mpg. CO2 emissions are a low 117g/km, though.

Those figures are for a manual car with the 1.3-litre engine. Opt for a CVT and you’ll get the same 48.7mpg, but CO2 emissions drop to just 106/km.

The sportier 1.5-litre unit sees fuel economy drop to 42.8mpg, while CO2 increases to 134g/km for manual models or 125g/km with the CVT.

The caveat is that these are naturally-aspirated engines, which means they don’t use a turbocharger. Therefore it should be possible to achieve pretty close to these figures in everyday use – turbocharged engines often do better in testing than in the real world.

However, if you do drive your Jazz like it’s a sports car, you’ll see economy tumble, as the engine’s lack of low-end power means you need to rev it hard to make progress, spoiling economy further.

Compared with our favourite small car of the time, the Renault Clio, the Jazz’s numbers don’t look good – the basic 100hp Clio will return 54.3mpg on average, and even the higher-performing 130hp model returns 49.6mpg.

The Jazz retains a good portion of its value, which should mean you retain more of its initial purchase price when you come to sell it on. Insurance prices should also be very reasonable – the car’s image and popularity among safe, older drivers means it doesn’t suffer a poor reputation as a ‘boy racer’ car.