10 Fastest Compact Cars

2018 Subaru WRX STI gravel hero ・ Photo by Subaru

Today's compact cars are improving all the time, with better interiors, added features and more power than ever before. These improvements mean that unless you need the interior space afforded by a larger car, there’s no reason not to buy something smaller and more economical.

If you’re in the market for a high-performance car but don’t need an excess of interior room, you’re in luck. The expert editors at Autobytel have come up with a list of the 10 fastest compact cars. To allow for more variety, we’ve limited our list to one model per make, and we’ve sorted the cars in order of their 0-60 times, from slowest to fastest. Read on to see what’s out there.

2018 Kia Forte5 SX

The five-door Kia Forte5 SX hatchback gets its power from a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that generates 201 horsepower and sends it to the front wheels using either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The run to 60 miles per hour is over in 6.6 seconds, and top speed is limited to somewhere around 125 mph, so while it doesn’t earn the top spot on our list it should be able to give the rest of the hot hatches some trouble. The SX is pretty good for what is essentially Kia’s first real try at a hot hatch and it’s plenty quick enough to have some fun (and more than fast enough to get you into some trouble.)

Photo by Kia Media

2018 Hyundai Elantra Sport

The four-door Hyundai Elantra Sport sedan features a number of tweaks over the normal version to make it quicker and more engaging to drive. The first thing you’ll notice is the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 201 horsepower and can be paired with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, but there’s also bigger brakes and a multilink rear suspension in place of the standard torsion-beam. The sprint to 60 miles per hour takes a reasonably quick 6.4 seconds, and the Elantra is capable of a top speed of 125 mph. Hyundai is currently working on a high-performance N Division, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see an even hotter Elantra in the next few years.

Photo by Hyundai

2018 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop

The 2018 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop straddles the line between compact and subcompact, especially as it’s available only as a two-door hatchback (unfortunately the four-door model is not currently available in John Cooper Works trim.) Power comes from a 228-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and is sent to the front wheels through either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The JCW is good for a top speed of 153 miles per hour and a run to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds when equipped with the latter option (though we’d still take the manual.) The hardtop shines in tight quarters where the steering and chassis come into their own and the car’s relative lack of power compared to others on the list isn’t as noticeable.

Photo by MINI

2018 Volkswagen Golf R

The Volkswagen Golf GTI hatchback has long been one of the best compact cars to drive, and the high-performance Golf R takes the car to the next level. A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine pumps out 292 horsepower that is sent to all four wheels via either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual clutch transmission (up one gear from 2017’s six-speed unit) and VW’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. The Golf R eschews the aggressive styling found on some of the other entries on our list of the ten fastest compact cars, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t quick. The run to 60 miles per hour takes less than five seconds and the R will continue on to a top speed that’s limited to 155 mph.

Photo by Volkswagen

2018 Honda Civic Type R

The 2018 Honda Civic Type R hatchback is the quickest front-wheel-drive car on our list of the ten fastest compact cars, yet even with 306 horsepower from the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine it doesn’t suffer from the horrible torque steer that you might expect (or any torque steer at all really) thanks to Honda’s dual-axis suspension. And because the Type R doesn’t have the added weight of an all-wheel-drive system, that 306 horsepower is enough to get the car to 60 miles per hour in a tick under five seconds and then on to a top speed of 170 mph. The aggressive styling is somewhat divisive, but if you like the looks it’s hard to go wrong with the Type R.

Photo by Honda

2018 Subaru WRX STI

While the Subaru WRX STI used to be the compact car performance king, the competition has caught up in the power department while the STI has made only slight gains. The 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four engine develops 305 horsepower which is sent to all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. Despite the lack of engine progress, there’s still enough power and the excellent all-wheel-drive system makes the most of it, getting the sedan to 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds and up a top speed of 160 mph. If you want to go fast no matter the road conditions, the STI is the compact car for the job.

Photo by Subaru

2018 Ford Focus RS

Ford seems to be on a performance car roll at the moment (with vehicles such as the Ford GT, the Shelby GT350, and the Ford Raptor) and the Focus RS hatchback is no exception. The 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine is turbocharged to produce 350 horsepower which is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Accelerating to 60 miles per hour takes as little as 4.7 seconds and top speed is 165 mph. New for 2018 is the Quaife mechanical limited-slip differential for the front axle which works with the Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive and Dynamic Torque Vectoring systems to ensure that the wheels with the most traction get most of the power.

Photo by Ford

2018 BMW M2

The 2018 BMW M2 coupe is the quickest rear-wheel drive car on our list of the 10 Fastest compact cars (and one of our favorites to drive) with a run to 60 miles per hour that takes 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 163 mph despite only having half as many driven wheels scrambling for traction. The 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six makes 365 hp and, as nature intended, power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission (with a rev-matching system,) although a seven-speed dual clutch automatic is also offered. The M2 might be the best of the current M cars, with just enough power and a chassis that’s willing to have some fun.

Photo by BMW Media

2018 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Coupe

The 2018 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Coupe earns a spot near the top of our list of the 10 Fastest compact cars thanks to its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates an impressive 375 horsepower. That power is sent through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission to all four wheels where it can propel the CLA to 60 miles per hour in only 4.1 seconds, and then on to a top speed of 155 mph for normal models or 167 mph if you add the AMG DYNAMIC PLUS Package. You also get a pleasantly raucous exhaust note and various styling and aerodynamic tweaks that make the CLA great to drive on a smooth road (or track) at higher speeds.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

2018 Audi RS 3

If you are looking for the fastest, quickest and most powerful compact car money can buy, look no further than the awesome 2018 Audi RS3 hatchback. The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine puts out 400 horsepower which is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. The sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour takes only 3.9 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph unless you opt for the Dynamic plus package which raises the limit to 174 mph. To put that performance into perspective those are numbers most exotics would have been proud of only a few years ago, except with more comfort and twice as many seats.

Photo by Joni Gray