10/10Ferrari250 SWB GTO£850,000Beautiful to look at and listen to, but still a proper challenge to drive. Forget 1,000bhp hyper-exotics – this is what loving cars is all about
9/10MazdaMX-5£19,000 – £29,310A great examplar for keeping a car's mechanicals simple. The MX-5 provides fun at entirely legal speeds
8/10CaterhamSeven£18,689 – £43,000Brilliant, fearsomely potent, and never less than addictive to drive.
8/10Fiat124 Spider£26,645Spoilt for choice between this and an MX-5? You can't actually go wrong. Choose on looks and engine character
8/10VolvoS90£38,200 – £47,900Goes in a different direction to the German alternatives, with convincing success.
8/10VolkswagenGolf R£18,325 – £31,020One of the best all-round performance cars ever made. Fast, forgiving, and everyday-friendly
8/10Mercedes-BenzB-Class£27,385 – £37,585The B-Class is now a genuine contender – if an expensive one – in the family hatch sector.
8/10SkodaKaroq£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 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.
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 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
8/10JaguarE-Pace£28,815 – £48,060Jaguar’s little crossover aims to storm a competitive set with F-Type-inspired looks inside and out, and an engaging drive
8/10BMWX2£31,935 – £42,550Manages to serve up a zingy new style that hardly compromises its space or usefulness
8/10SkodaKodiaq£25,875 – £43,155A Top Gear award winner in 2016, and rightly so – Skoda’s big crossover is all things to all families.
