The Honda Civic has been named Britain's most comfortable car for the second year running in a survey by What Car? It tops a field of 40 contenders ranging in price from £7,295 to £53,950. The Civic earned praise for its easy access, logical controls and comfortable seats, leading to a winning score of 83%.

This year's winner retails for just £12,460, yet betters cars with price tags almost five times as high. The joint runner-up Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDi Comfort, costing £11,255. The Lexus LS430 luxury saloon matched the Fabia's 80% score and second placing.

However, BMW's new Mini scored a disappointing 39th place out of 40 because of its poor access and hard-to-adjust seats. The Jaguar X-type fared worse still, collecting the 'wooden spoon' for its seats, which are over-bolstered and awkward to adjust, plus its complex touch-screen radio and air-conditioning controls, according to What Car?

. The tests were carried out with the help of leading automotive ergonomics expert Dean Southall, principal consultant at ICE Ergonomics. Cars were rated for ease of access, driving position, seat comfort and all-round visibility. (November 27, 2001)