The list of new small cars makes for increasingly grim reading nowadays, which makes us pleased to see the Suzuki Swift soldiering along. It’s always been a pleasant enough car, but this new version could now challenge to be the best supermini on sale today.

The Suzuki Swift has established itself as a reliable and fun-to-drive option in this supremely fierce segment. It may have sat in the Ford Fiesta’s shadow, but it was a commendable pick and the now departed Swift Sport could stand toe-to-toe with the Fiesta ST – strong praise indeed.

Now in its fourth generation, the Swift builds heavily on the previous iteration, adding a new three-cylinder engine mated to a mild-hybrid system and a revised interior.  

Rivals used to be far more extensive but now Kia, Nissan and small car titan Ford have all thrown in the towel on this uber-popular segment. Still, the Swift has to face the likes of the MG3 Hybrid+, Dacia Sandero and the apple of our eye and current award winner, the Renault Clio, to fight off.

The Swift lineup is simple to understand – just pick between Motion or Ultra. Motion is the base spec with a kit list that’s impressive for this price with a reversing camera, heated seats and keyless entry included as standard. Ultra trim adds automatic air conditioning, electrically folding door mirrors and a handful of other stylistic touches for an extra £1,100 that takes the list price to £20,299.

The Swift can also be specified with either a manual or CVT automatic gearbox, and two-wheel drive or with Suzuki’s ALLGRIP all-wheel-drive system. Note that the latter is only available with a manual and Ultra spec. If you want an Ultra with the CVT, it’ll cost you £21,549 – the same as an ALLGRIP costs.

Over the next few pages, we’ll assess each area of the Suzuki Swift and tell you what it’s really like. We’ll look at its practicality, interior, safety, technology, driving experience and running costs. Then, once it’s been put through its paces, we’ll offer our final verdict and whether we recommend it.

To learn about how we reach our conclusions, check out the how we test cars explainer page for a detailed insight into our methodology. We’re also running an extended long-term test of a Swift to show what is it really like to live with every day.