These are 10 of the best hatchbacks

Ah, yes... the old ‘hear hooves, think Volkswagen Golfs, which might actually outnumber horses at this point’.

Because of course the Golf is going to be here; it’s been the easy recommendation for ‘a car’ for so many years that it’s in danger of turning into a punchline, like Miata or LS swap. And to be fair, it’s perhaps even more common than either – and just as worthwhile, in spite of its ubiquity. 

Now that the Ford Focus and Fiesta are heading to vehicular Valhalla, the landscape is changing considerably. This isn’t just a boon for the Civic – which, Type R aside, seems to be a perennial also-ran – but it certainly won’t work against it either. 

And neither will the Honda’s latest designs and engineering; after favouring parsimony with the old, bulbous Civic, and performance with the over-angular one that followed, the latest Civic finds a happy medium – the happiest in about two decades, come to think of it. 

When Ford UK announced the end of the Fiesta, it put together a little video that said that after nearly 50 years of doing everything we could ask of it, it would do no more – “not because it couldn’t, not because it wouldn’t, but because its job was done". And without a word of a lie, we choked up a bit. 

The good news, you’ll notice, is that when detailing the demise of the Fiesta a few sentences ago, we said “heading to vehicular Valhalla”. Which means it’s not gone yet. In fact, you have until mid-2023 to get one of the best hatchbacks ever made at any price – let alone the bargain it’s always been. 

First things first: the Focus is on its way out, too. While not as immediate as the Fiesta, the Focus still has a definite date of demise; it’ll reach the end of its long journey in 2025. 

This feeling of loss, we suppose, is what the older generation went through with something like the Escort when it finally let us continue on by ourselves back in 2002. But then we had the Focus to take up its mantle, which proved to be every bit as good (and arguably better) than the car it replaced. 

So, can we expect a similar rabbit-out-of-hat result from the car Ford offers in the Focus’s stead? Er, great question. It’d have to be quite a machine to improve on the Focus...

It was our overall car of the year in 2021, as well as winner of Speed Week. Enough said, right? Well, no. As much weight as plaudits like these might carry, they don’t explain the all-important ‘why’ by simple mention alone. 

So when we say that the i20N won our hearts and minds over the likes of the SF90, M3, and GT3 at Speed Week, that might be decent orientation. And the fact that it joyfully and effortlessly dispatched a five-day, 2500-mile road trip across some of the hardest countryside that Australia – not a soft place at the best of times – could offer? We get the feeling these might carry more weight than the awards we gave it for doing so. 

If you were to have the choice between a Golf and a cheaper, better-looking Golf... you see where we’re going, right? 

The sweet spot has to be the 148bhp 1.5-litre FR with a six-speed manual, for £27,465. Definitely a decent chunk of change, but you’ll have a comfy hatchback that’s economical when you want to be – and entertaining when you don’t. 

Or, if you don’t fancy the idea of a cheaper Golf with a bit of pizzazz, there’s always the Golf with added fanciness... 

And despite said fanciness – and the four-ringed badge up front – you can get the same basic platform, suspension, engine and gearbox as in the 1.5-litre Seat Leon FR for... £27,610 on the road. Eh? Less than £150 more than the Seat?

Of course, that’s the bargain basement A3; you’ll be looking at more than £31,000 for one that doesn’t look like you’ve splurged on a holiday rental car. 

Still crazy after all these years, but far too young to get that reference, the i30N is the kind of raw and raucous hot hatch we’ll miss in the years to come.

But, crucially, it’s also talented enough to make sure you won’t do some damage one fine day. Wait, seriously? Still no takers on that reference? 

If this feels like the opposite end of the spectrum to the i30N... well, you might be on to something. While the i30N is an overt overture, the Mazda is mature, measured and minimalistic.

There’s a pervading sense of reserved luxury about the 3, from its supple ride to its stylish interior, perfectly complemented by huge spec and a tour de force engine tech in the 2.0-litre SkyActiv X. Here more than most, however, you’re going to want the manual. Trust us.

At the risk of sounding like dads – or perhaps the deeply uncool kid at high school – popularity does not mean quality. 

So to find that the GR Yaris is unavailable to order from Toyota UK at the moment due to ‘unprecedented demand’ should not immediately motivate you to jump on the bandwagon. But just about everything else should – this truly brilliant, riotously entertaining and once-in-a-generation machine is our Delta Integrale, Impreza 22B or Sierra Cosworth. So go and get your name on the waitlist. Seriously.