Can a 98hp hybrid supermini cope with a week of mile-munching and family life? Road tester Al Suttie takes to the roads in the Jazz supermini.

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Honda Jazz EX Style

List price (BiK): £27,610 (26%) CO2: 84g/km Economy: 61.4 Test efficiency: 51.2

Monday

The Honda-e might be the darling of small EV cars, but the same company’s Jazz hybrid should be overlooked at your peril if you don’t spend all your driving time in the city. This was my thinking behind trying out the Jazz for a refresher week as it’s a car I’ve always enjoyed. It’s also a small car that works amazingly well as family transport, so let’s see how the next seven days go.

Tuesday

The Jazz only comes with one engine and transmission combo nowadays, so there’s a 1.5-litre petrol engine, electric motor and CVT gearbox. Unlike other continuously variable transmissions such as Nissan’s, the Honda’s feels like it has gears due to the small but perceptible steps it has built in to make it feel like the car is shifting. It’s something I like and it also helps the Honda avoid the droning trait most CVTs suffer from.

Wednesday

A lot of town-bound pottering to be done today in the Jazz. Its compact size makes mincemeat of nipping through gaps and parking in Stirling and Perth, aided by tight 10.1-metre turning circle. The hybrid side of the drivetrain doesn’t offer much in the way of driving distance on electric power alone, but it does give a useful boost to acceleration so the Jazz doesn’t seem as puny as its 98hp maximum power suggests.

Thursday

This particular Jazz is an EX Style, so it has an extra USB charger in the front that’s handy for keeping my phone topped up. Using the Google Maps on my phone is in preference to the sat-nav provided with this trim level of Jazz as the infotainment seems a bit slow to respond. On the plus side, Honda does stick with physical dials for the heating controls.

Friday

You have to hand it to Honda, the brand has got it absolutely nailed down when it comes to the mix of materials and finish in the Jazz. The seats look great and provided top-notch comfort today on a drive back from Edinburgh that took longer than expected due to an outbreak of roadworks on almost every route I used. However, I got home with no stiffness or aches.

Saturday

One of the Jazz’s party tricks is the amount of rear seat space it rustles up and it came in handy today for carting my son and chums to football. Not sure they were quite as impressed with the Jazz as I was, but the plastic-lined boot made it very easy to stash their muddy boots and kit after a match on a muddy pitch. They even won 6-3.

Sunday

I’m intrigued by the Jazz’s average of 51.2mpg over the week. It’s remained a constant no matter how I drive the car, so in the end I gave up on any attempts at driving more economically. Against the claimed combined of 61.4mpg, it’s a bit off the mark, but the fuel gauge didn’t move much during my seven-day test so I’m prepared to overlook this. In all, the Jazz remains a superb supermini, though pricey in this EX Style trim.