The best used hot hatches to buy in 2026

You'll do well to find a new hot hatch of note this year - all the more reason to buy an old one...

By PH Staff / Saturday, 17 January 2026 / Loading comments

Up to £5k | Peugeot 208 GTI

While it can seem like £5k is stretched further than ever these days, among hot hatches you'll still find fast, affordable thrills in 2026. That’s why we love them so dearly. And while Minis, Fiesta STs and some kind of Clio remain eminently recommendable at this kind of money, it’s hard to ignore the 208 GTI. It was a real return to form for perky Peugeots, a catalyst for even more exciting stuff like the 308 GTI and RCZ R, while offering a slightly more premium feeling pocket rocket experience than the rough-and-ready Ford. If the budget stretches to a Peugeot Sport or 30th, then go for it, as the limited-slip diff and firmer suspension really help. But it's hard to quibble at £4,990: average miles, just two previous owners, a full service history and even a pano roof. With 200hp and a six-speed manual. There’s your memory jogged.

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Up to £10k | Vauxhall Astra VXR

Good old Vauxhall. While virtually every other performance car of note either seems to be doggedly holding onto its value or appreciating, so a lot of VXRs become enticingly affordable. Or certainly it seems that way. And while we’d understand not feeling compelled to buy a Vectra or Meriva VXR, the second Astra to wear the badge was absolutely the real deal. Not only did it boast 280hp from a 2.0-litre turbo four, a figure that would still be competitive today if hot hatches existed en masse, the VXR was also treated to Sachs dampers, torque-steer-quelling struts, an LSD and Brembo brakes. All wrapped up in one of the best-looking three-door hatch bodies of recent times. It’s all very easy, basically, to see why a 2015 example like this might appeal - especially at just £8k.

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Up to £15k | Mercedes-AMG A45

Time to get serious already. When the A45 launched in 2013, it was unlike anything that we’d ever seen from AMG. If it had four cylinders before this car, it was someone sticking a badge where it shouldn’t be on a diesel C-Class. If it was a four-wheel-drive AMG, it was likely to be some daft V8 truck. But the A45 changed all that, with its manic 2.0-litre turbo and infallible 4WD; here was a car with the ground-covering ability of an import Impreza, yet with the interior of a Mercedes-Benz. And the kind of dual-clutch automatic gearbox nobody would have dreamed of in the rally rep days. So AMG ended up with a huge hit on its hands, and - partly thanks to its popularity with buyers - the A45 is now available for not much more than a quarter of its new price. You’ll want to do your checks, of course, and probably prepare for some AMG-sized bills, but you’ll really not go any faster in a hatch for less.

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Up to £20k | Hyundai i20 N

A modern gem that really deserved longer in the limelight. The i20 took all that was so good about the larger i30 N - a rorty turbo engine, tenacious cornering attitude, fun features and a tempting price - then distilled them into a smaller, lighter Hyundai hot hatch. One that didn’t guzzle quite so much super unleaded in the process. Little wonder that the i20 N was fondly received back in 2021; it was easy to overlook a slightly strange look for the entertainment on offer. That enthusiasm, plus a production run that barely made it to a couple of years - not to mention Hyundai’s refusal to replace it - has kept i20 N residuals strong as well. This red example is one of just two on PH at less than £20k, and they were £25k new. With the future of combustion-engined N Hyundais uncertain, the i20 N isn’t likely to be any less sought after in years to come. As well as being absolutely guaranteed to put a smile on your face, that sounds like as good a hot hatch as any.

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Up to £25k | Ford Focus RS

While four-wheel drive made the third and final RS very different to those that preceded it, the fun factor that had come to define a fast Focus was there in abundance. A decade on from launch, it’s a surprise now to see a four-wheel drive system without a Drift Mode; in 2016, though, and for just £30k, it was properly novel. A bit naughty, sure, but then who wants a strait-laced fast Ford? Drift Mode was undoubtedly a significant innovation for AWD performance cars, because look how many cars now offer up rear-biased torque splits, and that makes the Ecoboost Focus RS a standout hatchback in historical terms - but also a really entertaining one, with its barrel-chested 2.3 turbo and super sharp turn in. There have been one or two reliability concerns with used ones, so best shop around - although the popularity of the RS means there’s plenty of choice. And residuals - because fast Ford - are strong. This one is low mileage, boasts a great history, and has recorded just one MOT advisory in eight tests. Long may it continue…

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Up to £35k | Renaultsport Megane R26.R

Conventional choices obviously abound at £35k, meaning there’s a host of nearly-new, can’t-miss household names to choose from. But if they strike you as unimaginative, it’s also the sort of money required to wrest an R26.R from your daydreams. The pay-off? Nothing short of hero status, given the model’s impeccable pedigree and the fact that Renault (nor anyone else for that matter) is ever going to build anything quite as flagrantly mechanical ever again. Easy to live with it isn’t, but it is virtually impossible to have more fun with an engine ahead of you and your trousers still on. This one has had plenty of owners, but also seemingly a lot of love. Make no mistake about it, it's cheap at twice the price.

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Up to £45k | Audi RS3

In many ways, the RS3, available for much less than £45k if you’re prepared to skew older, is the mirror opposite of the Megane. In its latest iteration, you could live with it all week long and twice on Sunday, thanks to a forgiving suspension and plush ambience. Like most upmarket hot hatches, it saves all its fireworks for those moments when you really want to knuckle down - or else just press down hard on the accelerator. Then, predictably, with the 2.5-litre inline-five in full flight, you see (and hear and feel) where all the money has been spent. There is simply nothing else quite like it, and for that we love it - especially when earlier, decently kept examples (like this one) represent a significant saving versus the colossal prices being asked for the newest, facelifted model.

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Up to £55k | VW Golf GTI Clubsport S

Once beyond £50k, you’re basically playing favourites when it comes to hot hatches, so we’ve done exactly that. Not everyone is in the GTI Clubsport S fan club - although you do tend to find that non-members have never actually driven the thing. If you have, you know: this is almost certainly the best fast Golf ever made - punchy, feelsome and as interactive as a plate of hot ribs. Granted, you can buy a very nice example for less than silly money, but this one is something special, having covered only 12 miles since new. And if you don’t like the idea of someone cashing in on it, then that must be weighed against the thought that VW is terminally unlikely to ever repeat the feat. A three-pedal Everest, if you will.

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Up to £75k | Toyota GR Yaris GRMN

Similarly, if the thought of a £75k budget being insufficient to buy a used GR Yaris has tea spluttering from your flabbergasted lips, then we geddit. But Monopoly money ought to buy you a fantasy car, and the GRMN is the sort of wild, race-edged version that Toyota likes to appease the JDM with. It is not drastically different from standard, although it doesn’t need to be - the Yaris is already a legend in its own lunchtime, and the thought of owning one of only 500 examples ever made, unencumbered with back seats and festooned with detailed, track-happy improvements, ought to be enough for the right super fan. And, in case you didn’t know, they number many.

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Sky’s the limit | Lancia Delta Integrale

The exalted position of the Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione, especially in limited edition Martini 6 format, hardly needs explaining in these pages. But the enormous six-figure price of this example perhaps needs addressing. Happily, it is neatly explained by its status as a virtual one-off, the car having been specifically modified to suit no lesser figure than legendary Fiat boss, Giovanni Agnelli - and in fact wears bespoke Abarth badges to distinguish it from any other Martini. As it happened, the car was mostly used by the Italian magnate’s son before a UK collector acquired it some 25 years ago. Having been fully restored by the current owner (in Turin, no less) it is again for sale. There can be few more evocative ways to spend a quarter mill...

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