By Chris Chase
Some of today’s best-known small cars, like the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Rabbit, first came to North America as hatchbacks. These cleverly designed cars helped establish a market for modern compact vehicles on this continent, after the rudimentary VW Beetle paved the way.
After automakers expanded their small-car offerings with sedans, hatchbacks remained as entry-level models. Eventually, buyers demonstrated their preference for those better-equipped sedans, leading many brands to drop their hatchback models.
But in the late 1990s and early 2000s, carmakers flipped the hatchback formula around to make them some of the best-equipped and most fun-to-drive compact cars.
Hatchbacks are an affordable way to get a practical car, but we know purchase price is not your only consideration when choosing your next vehicle. So, we’ve turned to the auto industry experts at Vincentric to help us find the compact hatchbacks promising the lowest maintenance and repair costs over a five-year period.
These figures are based on each vehicle’s maintenance schedule, the cost of fixing wear-and-tear items like tires and brakes, and labour charges. Vincentric also looks at warranty coverage and whether it includes free maintenance while the warranty is in effect.
- 2020 Kia Soul – $4,598.52
Kia redesigned the Soul for 2020, adding sophisticated styling details to the model’s boxy shape. Every Soul trim uses a 2.0L four-cylinder engine (147 hp/132 lb-ft of torque) and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). While the Soul is marketed as a crossover, it is closer in concept to a tall hatchback and does not offer AWD.
Natural Resources Canada (which classifies the Soul as a station wagon) rates fuel consumption at 8.6/7.1 L/100 km (city/highway).
Soul’s entry-level LX trim ($21,195 for both 2020 and 2021 models) is equipped with heated seats, air conditioning, smartphone integration, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, and keyless entry.
For about another $1,800, the EX trim gains alloy wheels, fog lights, a heated steering wheel, wireless smartphone charging, cruise control, and heated washer nozzles. It also gets a few extra safety tricks, like blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, forward collision avoidance, and rear cross-traffic assist.
Spend more and you’ll get things like navigation, leather upholstery, ventilated seats, adaptive cruise, and a head-up display.
Kia’s warranty coverage is good for five years or 100,000 km and, for the first year, or 20,000 km, covers “consumables” like light bulbs, brake pads and wiper blades.
- 2020 Volkswagen Golf – $4,971.31
It’s fitting that the Golf is on this list, because its forebear, the original Rabbit of the 1970s, was one of North America’s first compact hatchback models.
The 2020 VW Golf wears a design introduced in 2015, when the car entered its seventh generation. Power comes from a 1.4L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 147 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. It comes with either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional eight-speed automatic.
VW’s fuel consumption estimates are 8.1/6.6 L/100 km (city/highway) with the stickshift, and 8.4/6.6 with the automatic.
For 2020, the Golf comes in Comfortline ($22,570) and Highline ($26,220) trims whose prices increased nominally for 2021.
Comfortline trim comes with air conditioning, leather-trimmed shifter and steering wheel, smartphone integration, a six-speaker stereo, heated seats, auto on/off headlights, and alloy wheels. Highline adds fog lights, passive keyless entry, a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen, dual-zone automatic A/C, and leatherette upholstery.
VW’s warranty is good for four years or 80,000 km and includes all basic maintenance for the duration.
- 2020 Hyundai Elantra GT – $5,174.97
The Elantra GT, a hatchback version of Hyundai’s compact sedan, was last redesigned in 2018. Its European-influenced styling is no accident: this car was designed primarily for the Euro market, where it is sold as the Hyundai i30.
North America’s Elantra GT comes with either a 2.0L four-cylinder engine (161 hp/150 lb-ft of torque) or a 1.6L turbo four-cylinder with 201 hp and 195 lb-ft. Transmissions are a six-speed manual available with both engines, a six-speed automatic that is optional with the 2.0L, and a seven-speed dual-clutch auto that can be added to 1.6L turbo cars.
Hyundai’s fuel consumption estimates are 9.8/7.4 L/100 km (city/highway) with the 2.0L/stickshift combo, and 9.4/7.1 with the automatic. Cars with the turbo engine are rated 10.3/7.9 with the stickshift and 9.7/7.4 with the seven-speed auto.
The Elantra GT is a well-equipped car in its base Preferred trim ($20,749), which includes 16-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, smartphone integration, a heated/leather-trimmed steering wheel, cruise control, and blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert. A Luxury trim ($24,299) adds larger wheels, a sunroof, dual-zone A/C, and passive keyless entry.
The turbo engine is offered in a separate N-Line variant ($27,249) that is sportier to drive, and gets leather seating, LED headlights and taillights, and 18-inch wheels. An N-Line Ultimate package ($30,749) adds navigation, auto-dimming mirror, and a full suite of driver safety assists.
Hyundai’s powertrain warranty coverage runs for five years/100,000 km, while the rest of the car is covered for between one year/20,000 km and three years/36,000 km.
- 2020 Kia Forte5– $5,298,39
Like most Kia models, the Forte5 hatchback (and its Forte sedan variant) shares most of its underpinnings with parent company Hyundai; in this case, the Forte is closely related to the Elantra.
Forte performance is provided by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine making 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque, or a 1.6L turbo four-cylinder. The 2.0L is standard with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and the turbo motor gets a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Kia’s fuel consumption estimates are 8.0/6.0 L/100 km (city/highway) with the 2.0L engine, and 8.9/6.9 with the turbo mill.
The Kia Forte5 EX ($22,245) uses the 2.0L engine and comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, auto on/off headlights, heated front seats and steering wheel, air conditioning, smartphone integration with wireless charging, auto-dimming mirror, forward collision alert and avoidance assist, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic warning.
GT ($27,395) gets the turbo engine and adds LED headlights, dual-zone A/C, passive keyless entry, and LED ambient interior lighting. GT Limited ($29,995) builds on that with automatic high beams, ventilated front seats with driver power adjustments, heated rear seats, adaptive cruise control, and navigation.
The Kia factory warranty lasts five years or 100,000 km and includes “consumables” – light bulbs, brake pads, wiper blades, among other things – for one year/20,000 km.
- 2020 Mini Clubman — $5,577.83
The Mini Clubman is the outlier in this group as an upscale option in the compact hatchback class. It is notably more expensive than the other cars in this list, with MSRPs for 2020 models ranging from $28,690 to $41,090.
Mini redesigned the Clubman in 2016 and refreshed its appearance for 2020. The standard model has a 1.5L turbocharged three-cylinder engine making 134 hp/162 lb-ft of torque, while the Clubman S uses a 2.0L turbo four-cylinder with 189 hp/207 lb-ft. The Clubman John Cooper Works (JCW) gets a boosted version of the four-cylinder that makes 301 hp and 331 lb-ft. All three engines are standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Mini’s fuel consumption estimates are 9.7/7.0 L/100 km (city/highway) with the 1.5L engine; 10.2/7.4 for the Clubman S; and 10.1/7.6 in the JCW.
The base package is equipped with a six-speaker stereo, 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, power windows/door locks/mirrors, LED taillights and ambient cabin lighting. S trim adds 17-inch wheels, sport seats, and a dual exhaust. JCW gets a sport suspension and steering wheel, passive keyless entry, 18-inch wheels, and adaptive LED headlights that swivel with the steering.
Mini’s factory warranty covers you for four years/80,000 km.