8/10VolkswagenGolf R£18,325 – £31,020One of the best all-round performance cars ever made. Fast, forgiving, and everyday-friendly
8/10Mercedes-BenzB-Class£27,385 – £37,585The B-Class is now a genuine contender – if an expensive one – in the family hatch sector.
8/10VolkswagenGolf (Mk7)£18,325 – £31,020It defines this sector and should be its default buy. You simply can’t go wrong.
8/10VolkswagenGolf (Mk8)£18,325 – £31,020New eighth-gen Golf remains the lingua-franca of the hatch world. A finely polished machine
8/10VolkswagenGolf Estate£22,100 – £29,565It's taken Volkswagen a surprising amount of time to get here, but finally we have a Golf Estate that's up with the best.
8/10VolkswagenGolf GTI (Mk7)£18,325 – £31,020Overlook the fact it’s so good that it’s almost joyless: the latest Golf GTI is very desirable indeed
8/10SubaruOutback£32,410 – £35,410A likeable Swiss Army knife. A bit bland but will shrug off anything thrown at it.
8/10VolkswagenGolf Cabriolet£18,325 – £31,020After a classy cabrio but don't have Audi-like cash? Try this. GTI expensive but worth it; R perhaps not
8/10Volkswagene-Golf£18,325 – £31,020The e-Golf is an EV that works for most of us, most of the time. A truly convincing electric car.
7/10SeatAlhambra£30,415 – £38,270Seat’s most complete car. It has no real weaknesses – but we just know you’d rather have the VW…
7/10FordMondeo Estate£25,675 – £33,825More grown up and all the better for it. Priced very keenly too - it's a smart shout.
7/10Mazda6£24,130 – £33,810Another good Mazda from one of the very few car companies – any company, come to that – which simply doesn’t make a bad product
7/10VolkswagenSharan£29,910 – £40,290It’s big, expensive and not especially clever, but it is really, really good at ferrying lots of people about. Really, really quietly.
7/10MitsubishiEclipse Cross£21,950 – £29,190The Eclipse Cross is a striking and mostly successful Qashqai rival
7/10AudiA3 Saloon£26,470 – £35,510Everything good about the A3 Sportback, just a little less practical. A complete car that won't get on your nerves
7/10MazdaCX-5£26,135 – £37,725A good-looking small SUV that drives rather well. Worth considering if you're in the market
6/10ToyotaCorolla£23,985 – £31,210The Corolla is back, looking better than ever, but still short on fun
