There's a lot to like about the improved third generation Kia Ceed, but those looking for more of the good stuff will be attracted to the Sportswagon estate model. Offering 625-litres of luggage room with the rear seats upright, it's got space aplenty. Plus there's smarter looks, extra technology and stronger standards of safety equipment.

Kia is stepping up a gear in its EV offensive with this stylish EV6 battery-powered mid-sized performance saloon. This car has pavement presence, the potential of a decent 328 mile driving range and an uber-sophisticated cabin which challenges the premium makers for style and quality. There's even a super high performance GT derivative. This is, in short, a car that rivals need to take very seriously indeed.

The second generation version of Kia's fully electrified Niro model gets more appealing packaging inside and out. But otherwise, this Niro EV is a fairly subtle evolution of its e-Niro predecessor. Still, that's enough to make it a very good car indeed.

This heavily improved version of the third generation Kia Picanto is a little citycar that's still big in importance for its Korean maker. This facelifted model is more stylish and up to date inside, yet still frugal and practical. In this form, it'll continue to redefine the way many people think about this smallest category of car.

Once a small coupe, Kia's Proceed is these days a small estate - but a very stylish one. It sells alongside the brand's Ceed Sportswagon estate but offers swoopier 'shooting brake' styling to create a 'Fastback' look with that 'want one' factor. The brand promises that the drive dynamics will match the aesthetic promise too. Let's check out the revised version.

The Kia Soul comes only in all-electric form, so it's just as well that this brand's EV technology has hugely improved in recent times. To the point where almost anyone ought to be able to consider it. There's now also a choice of battery options for Soul EV folk. If you've been waiting for the right moment to join the battery-powered automotive revolution, that time may just have arrived.

Kia's Sportage asks more searching questions of its family SUV rivals in this more dynamic-looking fifth generation form. There's a more up-market look and feel, more electrified engine technology - more of everything really. Well, except full electric power and real off-road ability anyway.

Kia continues to build its share of the market for small Juke-style compact Crossover SUVs with this car, the Stonic. This revised model showcases the brand's fresh, more charismatic styling approach and offers buyers a highly personalisable choice in this growing segment.

Kia's XCeed has proved useful for this Korean maker in giving the brand yet another option to meet the needs of buyers seeking a stylish, well-equipped compact SUV. Hence the care taken in creating this updated version, which has sportier styling, an enhanced interior and an efficient choice of powertrains. You might feel that this bulging segment doesn't really need any further options but Kia was determined that the Ceed family should offer one and has engineered this smart Crossover contender with characteristic thoroughness.

From launch in 2020, the first Lexus EV, the UX 300e, was hobbled by restricted driving range. But with a new battery offering up to 280 miles between charges, it's now much better placed to reward a thoughtful buyer prepared to think a little more laterally. In the compact SUV segment, there are cheaper full-electric models than this one, some of which still offer greater driving range. But the all-electric driving distance you now get here will probably be sufficient for most suburban users and there are admirably few compromises in terms of interior packaging, plus a very high quality feel.

Mazda's third compact SUV is this car, the CX-30. It borrows its engineering from the Mazda3 hatch, but clothes it with the trendier SUV body styling that family buyers now increasingly want. Consider it carefully if you're not fussed about having a premium badge, like the idea of eye-catching looks and cutting-edge engineering and find yourself interested in trendy segment contenders like Toyota's C-HR and Ford's Puma.

The second generation version of Mazda's CX-5 mid-sized SUV has been lightly improved, with mild hybrid tech added to the petrol engine range, delivering improved economy and lower emissions. As before, this model represents a good compromise between a Nissan Qashai-style family Crossover and a Toyota RAV4-style SUV, offering good driving dynamics, efficient running costs and decent practicality. This may not be the first car you consider in this sector, but try one and you might just think it to be the best.

The Mazda CX-60 aims to establish Mazda in the premium part of the upper mid-sized SUV segment. In this, it'll be aided by sharp driving dynamics, a refreshing different and rather classy cabin and the option of a PHEV powertrain with a 39 mile driving range. It's most affordable than obvious rivals, better equipped - and really rather different.

The Mazda2 is a strong option if you're looking for a quality supermini and has been usefully improved in recent times. Here, we focus on the mild hybrid version, plus if you want full-Hybrid technology, then Mazda has a re-badged version of the impressive Toyota Yaris to offer you. It's the e-SKYACTIV-G mild hybrid range we look at primarily here though, based on a third generation 'DJ/DL'-series design that dates back to 2015 but is aging well. This model packs in some big car features into a pertly-styled body and features great real-world economy. It's still a real contender to the likes of the Corsa, 208 and Polo.

You need real talent to succeed in the family hatchback sector these days, particularly if you want to make up ground on cars as good as Ford's Focus and Volkswagen's Golf. Does the fourth generation Mazda3 have exactly that? With this lightly improved version of that design, the signs are good: eye-catching looks, cutting-edge engines and one of the best cabins in the segment number amongst the highlights.

This improved version of the fourth generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class offers an even stronger proposition to buyers in the premium compact hatch segment. If you define luxury in terms of technology, you're going to like it a lot..

This improved version of the MK3 model Mercedes B-Class represents the brand's continuing attempt to create what it calls its family 'Sports Tourer'. As for what exactly one of those might be, you can get a feel for the answer at first glance. Here's a car that's clearly more practical and versatile than a Golf or Focus-sized family hatch. But not as frumpy and high-set as a typical mid-sized MPV. It's the Mercedes take on compact, upwardly-mobile motoring for a compact, upwardly-mobile family.

The GLA is the starting point for Mercedes SUV ownership and the smarter-looking improved version of this second generation model is as classy as you'd expect a premium 'C'-segment family hatch-based crossover model ought to be from the Stuttgart brand. Thorough engineering borrowed from the Mercedes A-Class means that that there's plenty to like beyond the badge, primary selling points focusing upon quality and mild hybrid efficiency. In short, it's a car that suits its fashion-conscious segment.

HS here doesn't designate a super-fast rail route but MG's largest SUV, which is offered in both conventionally-engined and PHEV plug-in forms and here features now-smarter exterior styling. As before, it's one of the most spacious mid-sized SUVs you could choose, yet it retails for thousands less than you'd pay for comparably-shaped rivals. The usual MG formula in other words, backed up by the normal lengthy brand warranty.

MG Founder Cecil Kimber wanted to make cars that would be, in his words, 'affordable and fun to drive'. Well, this ZS model is a small SUV that claims to tick both those boxes while offering class-leading interior space and exceptional value for money. It all sounds promising and sure enough in this revised form, this ZS delivers the company's most credible contender yet.