diff --git a/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/calculation_parameters.hpp b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/calculation_parameters.hpp
index 87c70004e1..429372b30a 100644
--- a/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/calculation_parameters.hpp
+++ b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/calculation_parameters.hpp
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include "common/enum.hpp"
 #include "common/grouped_index_vector.hpp"
 #include "common/maybe_owning_view.hpp"
+#include "common/small_vector.hpp"
 #include "common/statistics.hpp"
 #include "common/three_phase_tensor.hpp"
 
@@ -410,10 +411,14 @@ struct OptimizerOutput {
 
 template <typename T> struct SupernodeOutput;
 
+// One entry per user node of a topological node. Only link-merged supernodes hold more than one, so
+// inline room for a single element keeps the ordinary node from allocating at all.
+template <symmetry_tag sym> using UserNodeValueVector = SmallVector<ComplexValue<sym>, 1>;
+
 template <steady_state_solver_output_type SolverOutputType> struct SupernodeOutput<SolverOutputType> {
     using sym = decode_symmetry_v<SolverOutputType>;
 
-    ComplexValueVector<sym> bus_injection;     // user bus output
+    UserNodeValueVector<sym> bus_injection;    // user bus output
     std::vector<BranchSolverOutput<sym>> link; // user link
 };
 template <short_circuit_solver_output_type SolverOutputType> struct SupernodeOutput<SolverOutputType> {
diff --git a/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/common/small_vector.hpp b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/common/small_vector.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cfa4ec956d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/common/small_vector.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Contributors to the Power Grid Model project <powergridmodel@lfenergy.org>
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "common.hpp"
+
+#include <boost/container/small_vector.hpp>
+
+#include <cstddef>
+
+namespace power_grid_model {
+
+// A vector that keeps room for the first N elements inside the object itself and only allocates
+// beyond that. Use it where a container is almost always short but occasionally is not. N is a
+// per-use-site decision: too large inflates every object for slots that go unused.
+template <class T, std::size_t N> using SmallVector = boost::container::small_vector<T, N>;
+
+} // namespace power_grid_model
diff --git a/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/main_core/topological_node_output.hpp b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/main_core/topological_node_output.hpp
index bc060310ae..b771004209 100644
--- a/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/main_core/topological_node_output.hpp
+++ b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/main_core/topological_node_output.hpp
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ namespace power_grid_model::main_core {
 namespace detail {
 template <symmetry_tag sym> struct SuperNodeSolverInput {
     std::span<BranchIdx const> links;
-    ComplexValueVector<sym> node_injection;
-    ComplexValueVector<sym> node_flow_from_branch;
+    UserNodeValueVector<sym> node_injection;
+    UserNodeValueVector<sym> node_flow_from_branch;
 
     ComplexValueVector<sym> get_total_injection_per_node() const {
         assert(node_injection.size() == node_flow_from_branch.size());
@@ -225,8 +225,8 @@ solve_topological_nodes(LinkSolver link_solver, State const& state,
         std::views::transform([](auto const& topo_node) -> SuperNodeSolverInput<sym> {
             auto const node_number = topo_node.user_nodes.size();
             return {.links = std::span{topo_node.user_links},
-                    .node_injection = ComplexValueVector<sym>(node_number),
-                    .node_flow_from_branch = ComplexValueVector<sym>(node_number)};
+                    .node_injection = UserNodeValueVector<sym>(node_number),
+                    .node_flow_from_branch = UserNodeValueVector<sym>(node_number)};
         }) |
         std::ranges::to<std::vector>();
 
diff --git a/tests/cpp_unit_tests/main_core/test_topological_node_output.cpp b/tests/cpp_unit_tests/main_core/test_topological_node_output.cpp
index b81337043e..3136f42d61 100644
--- a/tests/cpp_unit_tests/main_core/test_topological_node_output.cpp
+++ b/tests/cpp_unit_tests/main_core/test_topological_node_output.cpp
@@ -532,9 +532,10 @@ TEST_CASE("Test topological node output") {
             CHECK(mock.recorded_loads[1] == ComplexVector{DoubleComplex{}});
 
             REQUIRE(result.size() == 2);
-            CHECK(result[0].bus_injection ==
-                  ComplexVector{dummy_complex_value_sym(), dummy_complex_value_sym(), dummy_complex_value_sym()});
-            CHECK(result[1].bus_injection == ComplexVector{DoubleComplex{}});
+            CHECK(result[0].bus_injection == UserNodeValueVector<symmetric_t>{dummy_complex_value_sym(),
+                                                                              dummy_complex_value_sym(),
+                                                                              dummy_complex_value_sym()});
+            CHECK(result[1].bus_injection == UserNodeValueVector<symmetric_t>{DoubleComplex{}});
             REQUIRE(result[0].link.size() == 2);
             check_close(result[0].link[0].s_f, 2.0 * dummy_complex_value_sym());
             check_close(result[0].link[0].s_t, -2.0 * dummy_complex_value_sym());