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.
7/10Peugeot208£16,065 – £23,145A supremely desirable, futuristic ‘mini with a powertrain for everyone. Just beware the firm ride
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.
7/10Peugeot208£16,065 – £23,145Peugeot has a hit on its hands with the good looking and cheerily willing 208.
3/10NissanPulsar£16,340 – £18,110A perfectly able family hatchback that brings absolutely nothing new to the sector. Why, Nissan?
7/10Hyundaii30£17,130 – £25,290A 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
7/10HyundaiKona£17,280 – £40,895Go ahead if you like the look of it. If you don't, endless rivals are about as good.
7/10SkodaKamiq£17,475 – £24,865Another worthy crossover. Comfy, roomy, but not especially interesting
7/10RenaultMegane£17,515 – £23,630Looks great, feels classy. Worth a look, Volkswagen and Ford owners.
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 (Mk 7)£18,325 – £33,925It defines this sector and should be its default buy. You simply can’t go wrong.
8/10VolkswagenGolf (Mk8)£18,325 – £33,925New eighth-gen Golf remains the lingua-franca of the hatch world. A finely polished machine
8/10VolkswagenGolf GTI/R£18,325 – £33,925Overlook the fact it’s so good that it’s almost joyless: the latest Golf GTI is very desirable indeed.
8/10VolkswagenGolf Cabriolet£18,325 – £33,925After 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 – £33,925The e-Golf is an EV that works for most of us, most of the time. A truly convincing electric car.
7/10KiaCeed£18,625 – £27,665Kia improves things yet again. Refinement, styling and interior quality are nearly as good as anything out there. Nearly…
