01:56 08-01-2026

The five lightest cars of 2025, tested by CAR magazine

Discover CAR magazine’s five lightest cars of 2025, from the 920 kg Suzuki Swift to the MG3 and Mini Cooper S. Specs, weights, and why less mass makes them better.

In 2025, CAR magazine put more than 50 new cars through their paces, and each one wasn’t just timed and measured on the road — it was also simply put on the scales. The result is telling: in an era when cars keep gaining mass thanks to safety, infotainment, and hybridization, lightness is turning back into a real advantage. It helps a car get off the line without chasing extra horsepower, saves fuel, steadies the chassis in corners, and even eases the workload on brakes and tires. This shortlist of the five lightest cars of the year is a neat reminder that sometimes less truly is more.

Fifth place goes to the MG3 1.5 Luxury AT — 1,207 kg. For a relatively fresh model on the South African market, that’s a respectable figure, especially given its classic pairing of a 1.5‑liter petrol engine with a CVT. It’s a five-door hatchback roughly 4.11 meters long — not a tiny city special — yet it keeps its weight in check, which pays off in how unburdened it feels day to day.

Fourth is the Mini Cooper S 3‑door — 1,177 kg. For a “hot” urban hatch with a 2.0‑liter turbo (150 kW and 300 Nm) and a 7‑speed automated transmission, that’s particularly interesting: the model is about 50 kg lighter than its predecessor. On the road, those kilos show up not as numbers but as crisper responses to the steering and the brake pedal.

Third place: Toyota Starlet Cross 1.5 XR AT — 1,029 kg. Technically it sits in the crossover camp, yet it barely tips the scales over a tonne. The recipe is simple: a naturally aspirated 1.5‑liter engine (77 kW, 138 Nm) and a 4‑speed automatic. Setups like this are prized for their predictability and low running costs.

Second place goes to the Honda Amaze 1.2 Trend MT — 952 kg. The third‑generation sedan, with its 1.2‑liter engine and manual gearbox, turned out to be one of the most economical cars in the magazine’s 2025 tests — and light weight is its key ally.

The outright winner is the Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX MT: just 920 kg. The Swift isn’t only the “lightest,” it’s also one of the highest‑rated cars in the 2025 test program. A rare case where minimal mass comes with the feel of a cohesive, maturely tuned car.