6/10RenaultClio£13,870 – £21,595Neither revolutionary in style nor the most exciting to drive, but a very mature car
7/10RenaultClio 200 Renaultsport£13,870 – £21,595Softer and a little disappointing: the new RS isn’t what it was. Still fun, but we hoped for more…
7/10RenaultClio£13,870 – £21,595Cheery and characterful, the new Clio is a genuinely appealing supermini.
6/10FiatTipo£14,915 – £20,910Probably Fiat’s least interesting car, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth ignoring if you love a bargain.
7/10NissanJuke£14,935 – £25,170The looks might be polarising but it's not actually ugly and certainly not – bigger crime – bland
7/10VolkswagenPolo£15,185 – £23,255It's a sizeable leap, and enough to shove the Polo up to the upper reaches of the supermini order.
7/10MiniElectric£15,970 – £36,420A surprisingly rounded EV. Still fun to drive, and uncompromised inside, but it’s likely to be your second car
7/10Peugeot208£16,065 – £23,145A supremely desirable, futuristic ‘mini with a powertrain for everyone. Just beware the firm ride
7/10Peugeot208£16,065 – £23,145Peugeot has a hit on its hands with the good looking and cheerily willing 208.
8/10Peugeot208 GTI£16,065 – £23,145Peugeot has at last rediscovered some hot hatch form. Not the most startling small fast hatch, but a good effort.
3/10NissanPulsar£16,340 – £18,110A perfectly able family hatchback that brings absolutely nothing new to the sector. Why, Nissan?
7/10Hyundaii30£17,090 – £25,250A very rational car in standard form, which will make your life easy, but not exciting
8/10HyundaiKona Electric£17,240 – £40,895One of the best all-round, reasonably priced EVs you can buy today
7/10HyundaiKona£17,240 – £40,895Go ahead if you like the look of it. If you don't, endless rivals are about as good.
7/10SkodaKamiq£17,475 – £25,730Another worthy crossover. Comfy, roomy, but not especially interesting
6/10RenaultMegane£17,515 – £23,930Not the most compelling hatch, but as a car for real family life, it could be brilliant
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 R£18,325 – £31,020One of the best all-round performance cars ever made. Fast, forgiving, and everyday-friendly
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 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
