A small estate might be better than a hatchback, more headroom for the dog

A small (i.e, supermini sized) estate won't have more headroom for the dog than a Jazz, but it will have more floor space. But, for a small estate, within 5 years old, your choices are Skoda Fabia or Seat Ibiza. As a manual, fine, but as an auto, that means (dry clutch) DSG.

As has been asked, we really need to know what kind of dog, but assuming it will fit in the boot, you won't find anything which utilises its space as effectively as a Jazz.

Our spaniel was fine in the wife's Hyundai i30 hatchback. It is a bit bigger than a Jazz but it has been a good reliable car. Mind you it is the older Torque Convertor automatic. I think the latest ones have a dual clutch automatic and I would be very dubious about those.

The Lurcher club recommended a Nissan Note when a friend was looking for a replacement for her Peugeot 207 SW which was ideal before it was written off !

The 2nd gen Note might just scrape into the the OP's 'less than 5 year old' requirement (they officially lasted till 2016, but there may be some 2017 registered cars out there). But, the auto version would have both the supercharged version of the 1.2, which is apparently not that reliable, and Nissan's CVT, which is also not very reliable. So not a great choice overall in this case!.

Depends on the dog. The black Labrador I used to walk could tackle a three foot fence from a standing position. More than that if there was food at the other side.

Edited by catsdad on 01/09/2021 at 14:21

Maybe the most important criterion is if it can reach the pedals.