The world's slowest cars

Why should the fastest cars get all the glory? In a world where some cars can get from 0 to 62mph quicker than the time it takes to actually say “nought to sixty-two miles per hour,” it's easy to forget that speed isn't everything.

So here's our look at the slowest cars on sale today. Cars so slow that you could read a newspaper front to back before they hit their miniscule top speeds. Cars that make drag racing a real drag. But hey, count yourselves lucky, because we've also compared them to some of yesteryear's slowest motors. You'll be amazed.

5 - Fiat Qubo 1.3 MultiJet Active
Price: £11,955
0-62mph in: 16.5 seconds
Top speed: 97mph

No, we don't know how to pronounce 'Qubo' either, but at least if you buy one you'll have plenty of time to mull over the possible variations while it's trundling to 62mph. In fairness though, the small MPV does have the highest top speed of all the cars in this list, but that's hardly a great achievement.

4 - Citroen Nemo Multispace 1.3 HDi EGS
Price: £13,245
0-62mph in: 16.7 seconds
Top speed: 96mph

A 1.3-litre diesel is the sort of fuel-efficient engine you put in a city car to pay less tax. It's not exactly suited for a people carrier, especially an automatic one. Sure enough, the Multispace strains its way to 62mph in almost twice the time it takes the average family hatch to get there - and that's with nothing but a tiny French test driver inside. With you and your tubby mates on board it'll barely move.

3 - Smart Fortwo Cabrio Passion cdi
Price: £12,700
0-62mph in: 16.8 seconds
Top speed: 84mph

It may not be the slowest to 62mph but the Smart Fortwo Cabrio diesel does have the lowest top speed. We're pleased about that, mostly because of the din. You're virtually sat on top of the rattling diesel engine, which is loud enough at idle, let alone at top speed down the motorway with the roof down. And we use the term 'speed' loosely.

2 - Kia Picanto 2 1.1 Auto
Price: £9,515
0-62mph in: 17.9 seconds
Top speed: 90mph

The word 'Nippy' is used to describe city cars whose small size and agility makes them seem quicker than they actually are. As charming as the Kia Picanto is, this particular version is about as 'nippy' as a sleeping tortoise. That's largely due to the power-sapping four-speed automatic gearbox, which adds almost three seconds to the 0-62mph time, compared to the manual version.

1 - Peugeot Expert Tepee L2 HDi 90
Price: £23,195
0-62mph in: 20.7 seconds
Top speed: 90mph

The prize for least bang for your buck in 2011 goes to the long-wheelbase Peugeot Expert Tepee diesel. The short version is the one to go for if you're after speed: the Tepee L1 HDi 90 positively races to 62mph in a scant 18.5 seconds. The bigger L2, though, is today's slowest passenger car. A McLaren MP4-12C supercar can go from nought to 124mph, brake to zero and get up get back up to 62mph again in less time than it takes the L2 to hit 62mph.

Five classic cars that were really slow

Slow cars are not a new phenomenon, though our 'top' five above leave some tardy classics for dead:

1953 Ford Anglia 100E
0-60mph in: 29.4 seconds

The Anglia 100E was so luxurious that it had two windscreen wipers, although they were prone to stopping completely whenever the car went uphill or overtook anything. Fortunately, hill climbs and overtaking were rare occurrences, because the car's 36bhp engine and three-speed manual gearbox precluded such excesses.

1948 Peugeot 203
0-60mph in: 30.7 seconds

A 1.3-litre petrol engine with 44bhp powered the Peugeot 203, whose body styles mimicked those we have today: there was a saloon, an estate, a coupé and a cabriolet. First introduced in 1948, it featured rear-wheel drive, which was perfect for a bit of post-war power sliding - if you had a track long enough to build up any sort of speed.

1954 Mercedes-Benz 180D
0-60mph in: 32.3 seconds

As Mercedes-Benz's first small saloon, the 180 series was essentially the precursor to today's C-Class. The diesel version had around 40bhp and even though it could hit 70mph it wasn't for the junior executive in a hurry.

1955 Fiat 600 Sedan
0-60mph in: 58 seconds

The 600 Sedan accelerated like a pedal boat going through tar. The first versions in the mid-Fifties wouldn't even hit 60mph, but later ones reached the dizzy heights of 68mph. With drum brakes on all four wheels, that would be truly terrifying.

1950 Volkswagen Type 2
0-60mph in: 75.0 seconds

An absolute motoring legend it may be, but the 75 seconds it allegedly takes for an original Camper to crack 60mph is, we believe, the slowest in recorded history. The stats suggest that number is about right: rear-mounted 24bhp engine pushing a van weighing well over one tonne - and that's before any hippies get in.

Article by Sam Taylor 'Car Enthusiast' Editorial Agency.