The best used hot hatches to buy in 2025
The hot hatch as we know it is not long for this world - so you better find a secondhand one worth keeping...
Up to £2,500 | Mini Cooper S (R56)
It can be pretty disheartening searching for affordable hot hatches these days. Where not so long a whole host of fast Fords, French fancies and left-field oddities would have been available for not very much, scarcity (and speculation) has pushed prices up. Take it from someone who paid £795 for an 8,200rpm Civic and £1,700 for a 306 Rallye only a decade ago. But there remains some hope for those after pocket money pocket rockets; it turns out a Mini is still the way to go. Just like your Dad did. And while £2,500 will never buy the best Cooper S in the world, this R56 benefits from the later, less problematic version of the 1.6 turbo, passed its MOT 5,000 miles ago without an advisory, and looks smart in a way that later models never could. Some better wheels and a silly exhaust and you’ll never look back.
Up to £5,000 | Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring
Double up the budget and it's a different story. There are big hot hatches, diesel hot hatches, weird hot hatches, wonderf… you get the idea: five thousand pounds isn’t nothing, but it’s certainly enough to buy a corking hot hatch. Take this Corsa VXR as proof. It looks the part, still, with its kermit green paint, aggressive Recaros and racy ride height. But it was the additional upgrades for the Nurburgring over a standard turbo Corsa that really brought the VXR to life. The limited-slip diff was the big deal, certainly not a given in this class, and just the hardware to make proper use of an upgraded 1.6 with 205hp and an overboosted 207lb ft. Koni FSD dampers were standard as well This one is said to boast a full service history, plus a cambelt and water pump change at some point in the past. With less than 70k on the clock, it looks like a brilliant way to spend £4,995.
Up to £10,000 | Renaultsport Clio 200
There are some cars that unite practically all enthusiasts in lavish exultation: the Renaultsport Clio, in its finer generations, is one of them. Previously, the 172 and/or 182 would’ve propped up this list, but good examples are becoming rarer (and therefore more expensive) as successive, joy-seeking owners have driven so many into early retirement. Consequently, we’d argue that the 200 is the current sweet spot for anyone trying to stay within a £10k budget. And that’s a blessing really, because you’re looking at one of the best hot hatches ever made. Not quite as banzai as the earlier versions perhaps, but much nicer and more modern inside and still with the same razor-sharp front-drive chassis and fizzy 2.0-litre motor. Here’s one on a pleasingly modest 54k with plenty of history for not very much money at all. Expect to love every minute of it.
Up to £15,000 | Audi S1
Something of a bolter at £15k. The bigger budget opens up plenty of modern contenders, but we’re longtime fans of the S1 for several good reasons. One, it was a rare heart-over-head decision for Audi to build it in the first place (because it was technically tricky and not repeatable); two, because it brought the firm’s premium build quality and solid styling to the fast supermini segment; and three, it really is a hoot to drive. Not as delicate or as raw as the Clio, but hugely fast over pretty much any B road and in all weathers thanks to its brand-specific combination of turbocharged motor and all-wheel-drive. It is also that bit more grown-up, so you needn’t feel like an oversized teenager in a free period. Avoid the ill-proportioned five-door and you almost can’t go wrong - as evidenced by this 10-year-old example in tasteful black.
Up to £25,000 | VW Golf R (Mk7)
Once upon a time, it seemed like there were two kinds of people: those who owned a Golf R, and those who were thinking about buying one. That’s how popular and ubiquitous the Mk7 was when it was new, riding a wave of affection generated by a) its very well-sorted all-roundedness and b) suspiciously affordable financing. Plus of course, we all loved the interior, which, in the light of its successor, now seems like a cathedral of usability. Its popularity back in the day means there are plenty to choose from, although it’s worth treading carefully given how easy it the car is to drive on the door handles. This one looks like an ideal candidate, being a well-equipped late model on Pretorias with middling miles. Nicely under budget, too. Which is handy given the cost of insuring one.
Up to £35,000 | Toyota GR Yaris
When we last did this exercise a couple of years ago the GR Yaris was a mortal lock at £35k - it says much about the car that it hasn’t moved an inch. Obviously, it does it no harm that you voted it the best hot hatch since 1998 - and PHers bought the car in sweaty droves - but even if neither of those things were true, we’d still be extolling the virtues of Toyota’s skunkworks supermini. Pretty much everything that makes modern hot hatches desirable in the first place is contained within: fizzy, fighty motor; tenacious handling; pumped-up styling; licence-threatening speed - we could go on. It is for all these reasons and more besides that used prices have remained relatively plump, although £30k will easily bag a good one still under warranty - like this. You’ll need the rest of the budget for super-unleaded anyway.
Up to £50,000 | Honda Civic Type R (FL5)
A notable hot hatch at launch a couple of years ago that only seems more significant with each passing day. At a time when Volkswagen can’t sell a manual Golf GTI, Ford has abandoned the Fiesta ST and Hyundai’s brilliant ICE N cars only lasted a few years, that a Civic Type R remains on sale is pretty remarkable. That the only powertrain option is a rev-happy 2.0-litre turbo with a six-speed manual makes it even more so. The spec in this day and age would have put the FL5 on any shortlist; the fact that it’s one of the best performance cars of this decade means it’s always going to rank very highly among its peers. The greatness comes from no single element, either: every bit of the Civic Type R - engine, brakes, suspension, steering - is as superb as the other. So while £45k might still take some getting used to for a secondhand one, it’ll feel like money very well spent.
Up to £75,000 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
If on the one hand stretching the definition just a little - the Ioniq 5 is more of a family SUV, truth be told, than an out-and-out hot hatch - then the N absolutely delivers on fast and fun with five doors. Never mind that it’s battery-powered; the effort expended by Hyundai to deliver a car that’s properly rewarding to drive has absolutely been worth it. The 5N steers, rides, brakes and turns with real purpose and sophistication, the details sweated so that even using a fraction of 650hp is a pleasure. While also being a genuinely gigantic family car on top. Maybe efficiency and range could be better, but as a demonstration of just how exciting and engaging electric cars can be, the Ioniq 5N currently occupies a class of one. This one is essentially brand new with thousands off list, and without the trademark blue might take a keen eye to notice.
Up to £100,000 | Ford Escort Cosworth
Clearly, no one should be spending £100k on a hot hatch in the traditional sense - the entire point of the segment is the democratisation of high performance. However, mostly thanks to international rallying, the class has also delivered more than its fair share of legends, leaving a fair few of them in the rarefied air that generally only collectors breathe. High among them - though it met with little success in motorsport - is the Ford Escort Cosworth. You’ll probably need to have experienced the ‘90s firsthand to fully appreciate the car (many of the contenders up to this point would run rings around it on a B road) but with the right sort of eyes, the sight of that whale-tail is likely to inspire the sort of mechanical lust usually reserved for Italian supercars. Hence their values. This one, in Mallard Green, is said to be immaculate - and looks it. A big outlay, then, but for as long as Generation X is on its feet, probably a safe place for the cash.
Sky’s the limit | Renault 5 Turbo 2
It would have to be a very special hatchback to command more than six figures - the Renault 5 Turbo 2 is most certainly that. If inevitably under more spotlight right now thanks to the 5’s award-winning electric rebirth - and an Alpine-badged hot hatch offshoot - the mid-engined cars have always been Renault-badged exotica. It’s genuinely hard to imagine what an impact a small city car that was faster than contemporary Ferraris must have had at the time - presumably a seismic one. And one Renault hopes to repeat more than 40 years later with the upcoming Turbo 3E. Though not quite as wild as the original homologation Turbos, the Turbo 2s were still completely mad by any usual standard, with 160hp - 185hp in this case - rear-wheel drive and 130mph potential. This one has lived in the UK all its life, comes with an archive of service records, and £7k recently spent on new suspension. No excuse not to get behind the wheel, basically.
Replace with RS3.
I know the S1 doesn't get a lot of love on here but I really enjoyed owning mine, they are great fun and as the article says seriously quick over ground.
The Cooper S I wouldn’t touch at that mileage, instead I’d go for the earlier, supercharged version (leaving myself open to detractors..)
I’m sure I could argue for a 205 GTi 1.6 or a Mk1 or 2 Golf GTi be in there too but that’s probably because I bought my first ‘hot’ hatch in 1984, a brand new XR2, when I was 21.
I’m thankful I lived my formative years driving Escort Mexicos and RS2000s, Golf GTi’s and the like as it appears they will be forever confined to the history books.
The "hot hatch" experience is also about pushing the limits of FWD grip and mastering lift-off oversteer.
So only the first 3 cars meet the mark from your list...
I used to go weekly to just look around them with me being a big Ford fan at the time. I've always lusted after them, but I personally couldn't part with that much money for one though.
Money no object it would just have to be that Turbo 2 - which must surely be the best colour for one of these -
Back in 2004, I knew a local Essex based guy who had an identical Pearl White one, think he paid circa £7 grand for it. I tried to do a deal with my 911SC on it, think he still has the car.
I used to go weekly to just look around them with me being a big Ford fan at the time. I've always lusted after them, but I personally couldn't part with that much money for one though.
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