8/10VolkswagenGolf R£18,325 – £31,020One of the best all-round performance cars ever made. Fast, forgiving, and everyday-friendly
8/10HyundaiTucson£26,505 – £34,965Hyundai's most strident styling yet clothes a car as sensible and well-appointed as you'd hope
8/10Mercedes-BenzB-Class£27,385 – £37,585The B-Class is now a genuine contender – if an expensive one – in the family hatch sector.
8/10SkodaKaroq£22,305 – £34,880The Karoq might have lost its predecessor’s personality, but on every other front it’s a better car than the one it replaces
8/10SeatAteca£22,770 – £36,075Been around for a few years. Still among the best of its ilk, but look at the new Leon Estate before you buy
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.
8/10AudiS1£18,230 – £31,030Well done Audi, this one's a proper little stonker: fast, small, fun, a 4wd hot hatch done properly.
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
8/10BMWX2£31,935 – £42,550Manages to serve up a zingy new style that hardly compromises its space or usefulness
8/10Land RoverDiscovery Sport£43,410An SUV that rightfully ignores sportiness and focuses on comfort, flexibility and downright classiness
Best in class8/10FordFiesta£15,770 – £24,130Cracking supermini is one of the best cars Ford makes. Britain’s top seller? It makes you proud.
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.
8/10ToyotaGT86£26,495 – £32,164The simplest and most exciting Toyota in years is also a real pleasure to drive
8/10HyundaiTucson (2015-2020)£26,505 – £34,965Spacious and stylish addition to the growing ranks of school run specials
7/10RenaultKadjar£20,870 – £30,810Renault’s Qashqai rival is conveniently a rebodied… Qashqai. A fine appliance for family transport
7/10Peugeot5008£27,690 – £39,720Peugeot ditches MPVs, does crossovers instead. Seven-seat 5008 is the biggest yet
7/10ToyotaMirai£65,945The culmination of decades of work for Toyota, but it's for very specialist cases and hydrogen cheerleaders only
