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  Compact car: Map
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  A compact car (North America), or small family car (Europe), is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car. The term often leads into confusion, however, since international compact cars are somewhat larger than their North American equivalents, mostly because no supermini/subcompact size is manufactured by America , Mexican and Canadian car makers up to date.
  Current compact car size, for US and international models respectively, is approximately and long for hatchbacks, or and long for cabriolets, sedans or station wagons. Multi-purpose vehicles and sport utility vehicles based on small family cars (often called compact MPVs and compact SUVs) have similar sizes, ranging from to in US and from to in international-based models.
  Common engines are 1.5 to 2.4-litre straight-4s, either petrol or Diesel, with a range between and . Some models also have economical 1.3 or 1.4-litre units. High-performance versions, called hot hatches or sport compact sedans, may have turbocharged 2.0 or 2.5-litre engines, or even V6 3.2-litre units, ranging maximum outputs from to .Small European family cars include the Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Peugeot 308, Citroen C4, Renault Mégane, Fiat Bravo , Lancia Delta, SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf. Examples of compact cars from Asia include the Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, Mazda 3, Subaru Impreza, Suzuki SX4, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Daewoo Lacetti and Toyota Corolla. The Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Caliber are an example of a compact made in the United States. Holden Viva and later Holden Cruze are an example of a compact car from Australia.
  Vauxhall's new Astra also joined the market with an aerodynamically-styled 1984 MK2 model that carried off where the 1979 original left off. The GTE 16v, with a top speed of nearly , was the fastest hatchback in the world in the late 1980s.
  Compact car is a largely North American term denoting an automobile smaller than a mid-size car, but larger than an international supermini variant, similarly recognized in much of the world as a "C-segment" (between B- and D-segment) vehicles. Compact cars usually have wheelbases between and . The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a "Compact" car as measuring between and of combined passenger and cargo volume capacity. Vehicle class size is defined in the U.S. by environmental laws in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40—Protection of Environment, Section 600.315-82 Classes of comparable automobiles. Passenger car classes are defined based on interior volume index or seating capacity, except automobiles classified as a special vehicle such as those with only two designated seating positions.
  Although small cars had been made in the United States before World War II, the compact class was introduced in 1950 when Nash introduced a convertible Rambler. It was built on a wheelbase to which a station wagon, hardtop, and sedan versions were added. Although first conceived by George W. Mason, the term "compact" was coined by George W. Romney as a euphemism for small cars with a wheelbase of or less. The U.S. automobile industry soon adopted the term.
  Within a few years after that, the compacts had given rise to a new class called the pony car, named after the Ford Mustang, which was built on the Falcon chassis. At that time, there was a distinct difference in size between compact and full-size models, and an early definition of the compact was a vehicle with an overall length of less than , much larger than European designs.