Hot Hatch car reviews

The most powerful hot hatch in series production operates unobtrusively when you don’t demand much from it, and goes properly feral when you do

The 595 is certainly feeling its age, but cheap lease deals and noisy exhausts at least make it good value fun

A big-hearted engine in an otherwise sensible car. The perfect seven-tenths hot hatch

The Skoda Octavia vRS balances fun and liveability just as sweetly as ever

Hyundai's first full-strength performance car, and it's nailed it. Few hot hatches are this fun to drive

The GR Yaris is superb - the best Toyota we've ever driven

The Civic Type R can function as your only car, yet is as thrilling as most bespoke sports cars. Stunning to drive. Now distressingly expensive

The third generation of Audi’s five-cylinder megahatch - and the best one yet. Although you’ll need to spend time getting the best out of it

About as sensible an all-rounder as a 316bhp hot hatch can be

The fast Fiesta is more grown up in all the ways you’d want, marginally less chuckable than before, but still hilarious

Rear-steering Megane RS has a charm, if you like your hot hatches firm, edgy and demanding attention

A cult favourite, and with good reason. Fast, fun and frugal, the Mk1 Fabia vRS is a relic of a bygone era

The Cupra Leon is too compromised to love, but save money with the PHEV and you might not care

BMW's made a rival to the Golf GTI - and quite possibly beaten it

Like drinking in a classy bar rather than a rowdy pub compared to other hot hatches. Make of that what you will

Eighth GTI is usefully cleverer in the corners, but much too clever for its own good inside

VW’s tiniest, cheapest hot hatch has similar horsepower and weight to the original Mk1 Golf GTI. Time to party like it’s 1975

The third JCW to get the stripped and spoiler treatment is the fastest, most powerful car Mini has ever made, but far from the most fun

A hot hatch that weighs as much as an early Lotus Elise – of course it’s fun. But it’ll always live in the 205 GTI’s shadow

The Leon Cupra has come of age. The mix of civility and pace is as good as anything out there

It's easy to see why this is many people's default hot hatch