Hot, cheap and totally cheerful | Six of the Best
New hot hatches are hard to find, and expensive; older ones are much more numerous and yes, affordable...
Seat Leon Cupra R, 2010, 69k, £8,990
As more and more new-to-buy hot hatches disappear, and those that remain continue to climb in price, so those more affordable options from days gone by become increasingly appealing. Bar one very special exception, this lot are all under £10k, all are front-wheel drive with manual gearboxes, and all weigh less than 1,500kg - a lot less, in some cases. Just how we like them. They span 25 years from 1988 to 2013, and all ought to put a smile on the face of anyone a bit sad about new hot hatches right now. A yellow fast Leon was always very good at that; these days Cupra is too cool for lots of power through the front wheels and a manual gearbox, but we aren’t. This one is low mileage, is said to boast a great history, and has an MOT into next year. And it’s really, really yellow.
Renaultsport Megane 225, 2005, 66k, £5,970
Nobody needs to look very far in the classifieds to see how much is being asked for the very best old Renaults. From Turbo 2 to Clio Trophy and Williams to Gordini, they’ve become hot property of late. That extends well into the 21st century, too, with various record-breaking Meganes still worth as much - or in some cases, a whole lot more - than they were new. This 225 isn’t one of those icons, and we won’t pretend that it is; on the other hand, it’s a great-looking, relatively simple '00s hot hatch that we know is easily improved quite a bit. Because that’s exactly what Renault did. Or it could be kept as standard for a slice of rare, funky, modern classic Renault. Look at the pictures, too, with frost on the ground - it’s probably been for sale a little while. Maybe £5,000 might nab it.
VW Golf GTI Mk2, 1988, 181k, PH Auction
Classic hot hatches tend to fall into two categories in 2025. They seem to be either pristine low milers that you’d not dare drive anywhere, or tired old heaps that should have probably been scrapped a while ago. This lovely Mk2 Golf GTI, however, falls into neither camp, because while it’s been with its current keeper for 33 years (!), they’ve absolutely used it as intended, the tacho now showing more than 180,000 miles. But then it’s the very opposite of a high-mile hack, too, with thousands spent recently on a glass-out respray (including rust repairs) as well as a cambelt and new tyres. Indeed it hasn’t been used very much in a couple of years, so it should make for the perfect retro hot hatch project. It has the miles under those BBS to continue driving and enjoying it, yet with a condition to make it the star of a classic car show. Best of both worlds. Better hurry though - bidding winds up on Tuesday…
Fiat Panda 100HP, 2009, 118k, £4,695
Before the 500 Abarth, Punto Abarth and the latest batch of scorpion-badged EVs, there was the Fiat Panda 100HP. What a little corker it was, too, proof that small and light pocket rockets could be just as entertaining as more powerful machinery. It cost just 10 grand, it made just 100 horsepower, yet also boasted a six-speed ‘box and discs all round to take full advantage. The 100HP was a small Fiat the way you always imagined, never happier than at 7,000rpm and with tiny 15-inch tyres scrabbling away. That attitude, and the relative firmness of the suspension, means it’s best to keep a decent consumables fund. Means it’s harder now to find a good one, too, after almost 20 years of thrashing. This one has a pair of sunroofs and a head unit that’ll talk to your smartphone, which is handy. The MOT has just expired, too, if you need a negotiating tool.
Vauxhall Astra VXR, 2013, 55k, £8,990
While it’s great to see fast Vauxhalls back in the picture, the Mokka GSE is clearly not going to be a truly affordable prospect - EVs seldom are. The old VXRs, however, look like heroic hot hatch bargains right now. That isn’t just the lairy stuff, either; even the most recent Astra, complete with a Mokka-matching 280hp, limited-slip diff, adaptive dampers, Brembo brakes and the HiPerStrut front end, is now from as little as £7,000. For a car that still looks great, and still has the performance and ability to mix it with those few hot hatches that remain on sale. It feels like something of a fast car bargain, even if all that kit will now be more than a decade old on a cheap one and perhaps in need of some refurbishment. Still, an example like this, with just 55,000 miles and in the Arden Blue, looks like a heck of a lot of hot hatch for £8,990.
Citroen BX GTI 16v, 1992, 133k, £11,990
Something special to finish up with. For too long, the 16-valve, 1.9-litre engines from BX GTIs were transplanted into 205s and 309s as they were the more traditionally appealing hot hatches for fast road and track projects. Now, however, the BX’s weird and wonderful approach is being properly appreciated; a shame it took until so few were left for that to happen. The combination of that revvy XU9 with the BX’s unique suspension made for an unassuming hot hatch hero: fast, supple and entertaining. But it didn’t exactly look very racy, and so the GTI was never that popular. All the more reason to love it now, especially in such great condition, with lots of recent work at a Citroen specialist and an MOT running well into 2026. Nowadays, values more accurately reflect the GTI’s talents, so they aren’t cheap as chips any longer - no danger of them being donor cars for another 205 build, at least…
The 100HP replaced my Aston Martin DBS also on my bucket list and without hesitation despite the slight problems it was a far more engaging and enjoyable car to drive a sentiment difficult to fathom by many friends and family a few of which attempted to buy me gift vouchers at Christmas to see a shrink.
A fantastic little car worthy of being on this list.
My head would say the Astra but really I'd want the Megane.
The golf looks great too but I think I’d want a 16v.
Everyone s income is different of course but for many 12k is doable from savings, finance or the change in powerfully built directors Urus glove box
Had a yellow Cupra R on extended test drive back in 2012. Didn t like it at first then didn t wanna give it back.
The instruments on the Golf aside, I like the look of most of these for different reasons. A good selection of decades and different approaches to hot hatchery.
I’d have liked to see an FN2 Civic Type R in here because love ‘em or hate ‘em, they tick the box for both a cheap and cheerful hot hatch… Which I’m not sure many of the others (bar the Megane) tick both of…
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202506253...
It s entertaining. It hasn t let me down yet. It has cost money since.
Talking of snow, I drove over a lump of old snow while exiting a roundabout in my epically fast, old BX 16v. The rear nearside wheel absorbed the bump with the trick hydraulic suspension. But said suspension was also linked to the brakes which just locked up. Instant brown trouser moment. The BX remains the only car I've been caught speeding in. It loved a good thrashing. It's my pick of this bunch.
We are looking for a cheap family car that's vaguely new and vaguely interesting. When on auto trader filtered for less than 10 years old, 5doors, under 10 seconds, under 50k, petrol and under £5k. If you exclude write offs there were just 5 cars. 5! Increase the budget to £6.5k and there are still less than 100 and not a single one that seems properly interesting
Of this list I live the bx but it would have to be a summer/show car.
Astra for an everyday car I think but the megane is nice and quirky!
k right off at that stupid money.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff