6/10LexusES£34,980 – £45,460A saloon car for people who don’t really care about/enjoy driving, but quite like big mpg and a nice stereo
6/10LexusIS£33,005 – £44,305Every Lexus trait wrapped up in a tight 3 Series sized package. Superb design, forgettable to drive, probably quite nice to own.
8/10BMW3 Series Touring£32,190 – £50,420For the vast majority of us, the 3 Series Touring is all the car we could use or want
8/10Mercedes-BenzB-Class£27,385 – £37,585The B-Class is now a genuine contender – if an expensive one – in the family hatch sector.
8/10HyundaiTucson£26,505 – £34,965Hyundai's most strident styling yet clothes a car as sensible and well-appointed as you'd hope
8/10HyundaiTucson (2015-2020)£26,505 – £34,965Spacious and stylish addition to the growing ranks of school run specials
7/10NissanQashqai£26,250 – £31,935One of Britain’s best-selling cars, the Qashqai is quiety, comfy and homemade, too
6/10KiaProceed£24,065 – £28,825A refreshing niche that ain’t a crossover, but not as sporty as billed
8/10VolkswagenGolf Estate£22,100 – £29,565It's taken Volkswagen a surprising amount of time to get here, but finally we have a Golf Estate that's up with the best.
7/10RenaultKadjar£20,870 – £30,810Renault’s Qashqai rival is conveniently a rebodied… Qashqai. A fine appliance for family transport
8/10SkodaOctavia Estate£20,680 – £29,700Not as much fun as a Focus Estate, but more comfortable, practical and very well thought out. Looks the part, too.
6/10VauxhallInsignia£20,220 – £41,185Ticks every cost-effective box, and quite refined. Still tricky to be enthusiastic about, though
7/10KiaSportage£20,085 – £34,765Facelifted Sportage gains mild hybrid diesel tech, but it’s not enough to radically alter the class landscape
6/10KiaCee'd Sportswagon£19,625 – £24,585The Kia Cee'd is the car that lobs the paving slab of reality into the windscreen of preconception. It might be a straight clone of a Toyota/Ford/VW hatch, but it’s a damn good one.
8/10SkodaOctavia£19,480 – £28,500Skoda might just have turned things on its head. You’d now recommend an Octavia over a VW Golf or Seat Leon
7/10SkodaOctavia (2012-2020)£19,480 – £28,500Solid, gimmick-free all-rounder that’s slightly less good at everything than a Golf, but cheaper for it.
6/10SeatLeon£18,645 – £32,250Seat’s strongest car in a long time, the Leon is now a Golf-baiting player.
8/10SeatLeon Cupra£18,645 – £32,250Not as cheap as you’d expect, but still one of the best hot hatches on sale
8/10SeatLeon£18,645 – £32,250Spain’s strongest attempt to out-Golf the Golf yet. A stylish, well-equipped and cheaper version of its German cousin
7/10KiaCeed£18,625 – £27,665Kia improves things yet again. Refinement, styling and interior quality are nearly as good as anything out there. Nearly…
6/10FordEcoSport£18,425 – £22,840Ford has gone to work on the updated EcoSport, dragging it from a blot on its record to a class contender
