Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 60%

With the likes of Kia and Hyundai moving out of the budget end of the car market, Proton has an important gap to fill.

But at £7,000, can its bargain basement Savvy supermini tempt buyers away from the competitive used car market?

Read on for our full review of the Proton Savvy, or click the links below to skip to a section.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety |Equipment | X-Factor | Rivals

1. Looks
The Savvy is a huge improvement over Protons of old, but its styling still falls short of most of its peers. From most angles the design ranges from challenging to awkward, but still manages to pull off some nice views. The rear lights make the Savvy's rump reminiscent of a boxy Ford Ka, while the line which runs under the side windows gives the impression of some pumped-up rear wheel arches. Our Style test car also features a set of 15 inch alloys for a bit of extra flair.

Sadly there was a marked variation in the size of gaps between panels, which is not usually an indication of perfect build quality.

6/10

2. Looks inside
Its interior is awash with hard grey plastics, and makes for a dull and uninspiring place to sit. The only bits to break up the gloom are the bright yellow rev counter and speedo dials which are a bright yellow hue. Sadly they look totally out of place in a car featuring no other yellow trim whatsoever. The interior looks as though it has been lifted straight out of a 1980s hatchback. The Clarion CD player performs well and with its chunky buttons is easy to use and the seats are comfortable, if lacking a little support.

5/10

3. Practicality
With only four seats, the Savvy might lose out on some potential sales, but with a limited amount of space foregoing the middle seat is a sensible option. Although we found the headroom to be adequate, taller occupants may find it a squeeze. Boot space is somewhat limited with the rear seats in place, although if they're lowered, room increases to 909 litres, and proved enough to carry the odd piece of bulky furniture. A cargo net also comes in useful to prevent objects sliding around, providing the boot can be opened – there's no external boot release, so it can only be operated via a handle in the cabin. Rear parking sensors are standard, and make slotting into gaps a doddle, although the beeper is excruciatingly shrill.

7/10

4. Ride and Handling
The ride is pretty good, although it does get upset travelling over rough roads at speed, although it soaks up most bumps without drama. The trade off is lots of body roll around bends, which doesn't inspire confidence.

6/10

5. Performance
Not generally a raison d'etre for the average supermini, but the Savvy holds up well around town. It's reasonably nippy and its size makes it useful for darting in and out of traffic; but even so, most of its rivals do the job better. The Savvy is totally out of its depth on a motorway and its top speed of 98mph is academic because above 60mph it becomes unbearably loud. For the record, it can reach 62mph from standstill in 13.9 seconds.

5/10

6. Running Costs
The Savvy range starts at £5,995, which is exceptionally cheap for a new car, but expect heavy deprecation when you come to sell. Insurance is cheap at group 4, and it can manage a reasonable 49.6mpg on average. The 1.2-litre engine emits 134g/km of carbon which places it in Band C for road tax, meaning you'll pay more than you would for a rival such as the Toyota Aygo. Proton offers comprehensive warranties which cover the body and mechanicals (3 years/60,000 miles), engine and gearbox (6 years/100,000 miles), bodywork (6 years/unlimited mileage) and paintwork (3 year/unlimited mileage) as well as three years RAC cover.

7/10

7. Reliability
Although the Savvy has been on sale since early 2006, not many have been sold, so there are few known faults. Our test car seems to be built reasonably well, although we've had problems closing both the rear driver's side door and boot, which is likely to be as a result of chassis slightly twisted at the manufacturing stage. Proton customers tend to be a loyal bunch, which says something about their ownership experience, and its dealers usually score highly in surveys.

7/10

8. Safety
There are no EuroNCAP crash test results as yet, and the Savvy feels more flimsy than most of its rivals. Its driver and passenger airbags, ABS, side impact bars and front and rear crumple zones are standard fare with most cars.

6/10

9. Equipment
Remote central locking, air-con, a CD player and that's your lot. It’s better safety-wise, with driver and passenger airbags, ABS and stability control standard on all models. Go for the higher-spec Style model, and Proton will throw in a set of alloy wheels.

6/10

10. X-Factor
It's difficult to justify a car in a market which is awash with quality products. The reasonable purchase price might sound appealing, but remember the depreciation…

5/10

Rivals
You might want to consider:

Chevrolet Kalos
Kia Picanto
Volkswagen Fox

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