8/10VolkswagenGolf R£18,325 – £31,020One of the best all-round performance cars ever made. Fast, forgiving, and everyday-friendly
8/10HyundaiKona Electric£17,240 – £40,895One of the best all-round, reasonably priced EVs you can buy today
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
8/10VauxhallCorsa VXR£12,390 – £34,105Vauxhall has turned the Corsa VXR into a convincing fast pocket rocket.
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
8/10VolkswagenGolf 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
Best in class8/10FordFiesta ST£18,995A gamble of a reinvention, but the new, grown-up yet gigglesome Fiesta ST is mostly a winner. Buy one.
8/10BMWX2£31,935 – £42,550Manages to serve up a zingy new style that hardly compromises its space or usefulness
8/10BMW4 Series Coupe£34,540 – £52,050Less inviting to own than a Mercedes C-coupe, but scores points with excellent driving dynamics, a strong range, well laid-out cabin and class-best infotainment.
8/10SkodaCitigo-E iV£20,400 – £22,760One of the cheapest EVs you can buy just so happens to be really quite good
8/10VolkswagenTiguan£24,785 – £41,350The latest Tiguan feels solid, sensible and laser-guided at its target market
8/10TeslaModel X£87,190 – £168,730Not cheap, and not a conventional SUV, but a thoroughly capable family wagon.
8/10BMW4 Series Coupe (2020)£34,540 – £52,050An outstandingly sorted car, but something tells us you’ve already made your mind up about liking the 4 Series or not
8/10PorscheTaycan£83,367 – £138,826Stuttgart’s first EV is a proper Porsche – massively fast, great to drive, quick to charge and practical enough to use every day
8/10AudiA6 Avant£41,210 – £78,410Another crushingly good effort from Audi. The new A6 Avant is a one-stop shop for family life
8/10SeatMii Electric£22,745Seat's take on the VW Up & Skoda Citigo is a damn good EV. Though of the three, it's not the one we'd have
8/10Mercedes-BenzC-Class Coupe£36,150 – £79,883A coupe that majors on comfort and luxury. Unless you go for the C63 AMG, in which case it's NUTS
