9/10FordFocus£18,100 – £27,990This Focus, if you get the better rear suspension, is the sweetest drive in the mainstream hatch class
8/10VolkswagenGolf£18,325 – £35,065It defines this sector and should be its default buy. You simply can’t go wrong.
7/10SubaruImpreza£18,740 – £20,240Great chassis, great interior but so-so powertrain – the Subaru Impreza remains an oddball
7/10Hyundaii30£16,905 – £29,110A very rational car in standard form, which will make your life easy, but not exciting. The i30 N hot hatch manages to make it easy AND exciting. It's ace
7/10RenaultMegane£17,495 – £23,155Looks great, feels classy. Worth a look, Volkswagen and Ford owners.
7/10VolkswagenArteon£33,580 – £39,990Good looking, spacious and well equipped, but it’s missing on that oh-so-important ‘buy-me’ factor...
7/10SkodaOctavia£18,110 – £29,380Solid, gimmick-free all-rounder that’s slightly less good at everything than a Golf, but cheaper for it.
7/10Mercedes-BenzA-Class£22,855 – £38,905The A-Class, especially with the enormo-screen option, is a feelgood car. It's solid, quiet and smooth-riding.
7/10AudiA3£20,170 – £38,850The definitive example of rock-solid, sensible, impeccable German engineering
7/10VauxhallAstra£18,700 – £28,270The Astra re-thought. It works at providing what real people really want.
7/10KiaCeed£18,075 – £26,965Kia improves things yet again. Refinement, styling and interior quality are nearly as good as anything out there. Nearly…
6/10KiaSoul£12,565 – £30,440New Soul puts practicality to the fore, but in other areas less progress has been made.
6/10CitroenC4 Cactus£18,305 – £22,800While still a comfy, useful hatchback, the C4 Cactus's move mainstream has taken away its class hero status
6/10FiatTipo£14,290 – £20,245Probably Fiat’s least interesting car, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth ignoring if you love a bargain.
6/10KiaPro_cee'd£17,940 – £22,955It won't trouble the cream of the three-door hatch brigade, but it's a mighty good effort, and looks fantastic.
6/10ToyotaCorolla£21,080 – £30,330The Corolla is back, looking better than ever, but still short on fun
6/10SeatLeon£17,645 – £33,040Seat’s strongest car in a long time, the Leon is now a Golf-baiting player.
5/10CitroenC4£17,795 – £20,795Despite some strong engines, a decent spec and some useful interior features, the C4 is utterly forgettable. Yawn.
