Best used cars to buy in 2026

There’s a reason the Ford Fiesta was everywhere you looked for decades. It's small enough to be easy around town, comfortable enough for longer journeys and, unusually for a little hatchback, genuinely enjoyable to drive. The steering is sharp, the ride is good and there are loads of engines and trim levels to choose from. There's masses of choice on the used market.

It's not the roomiest small car around, but boot space is perfectly respectable and a couple of adults should fit in the back. We'd look for the five-door version unless you're buying it purely as a two-person runabout.

You can pick up a final-generation Fiesta from roughly £5,500, although spending around ten grand opens up a much wider choice of sensible, well-equipped cars. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost 125PS engine is our pick for the best balance of performance and economy — just check the service history carefully, particularly in relation to its wet belt.

From one icon to another, the Volkswagen Golf has been the benchmark family hatchback for literally generations. Regardless of engine and specification, Golfs are comfy, refined, easy to drive and feel expensive. They aren't the biggest of cars, but they're a brilliant compromise between being easy to live with and feeling like a proper grown-up car. The VW Golf Estate version improves boot space massively, too.

There's a huge range of used Golfs available, with prices varying enormously according to age, mileage, engine and trim. The 150PS 1.5-litre petrol versions have a great blend of performance and economy. That said, VW’s most recent 2.0-litre TDI diesel engines are really smooth, economical and refined. A great choice if you do lots of miles.

It’s worth saying, though, that early versions of the current-generation Golf had a quite frustrating infotainment system. Volkswagen upgraded the hardware and software during the car's early life, so if you're buying an early Mk8 from 2020-2024, it's worth checking that the latest software updates have been applied.

The Kia Sportage is a great example of why buying used can make so much sense. It's a big, comfortable family SUV with loads of equipment, a decent amount of space and a seven-year warranty when new — there are plenty of relatively young examples with years of it left.

It also demonstrates everything that makes Kia so great these days. The cabin is high quality and very intuitive to use, the driver ergonomics are spot on, while the 587-litre boot is very useful. There also a huge choice of petrol, diesel and hybrid versions. We'd go for the 1.6-litre petrol hybrid, which combines 230PS with surprisingly decent economy — you should comfortably exceed 40mpg in the real world.

Prices start at around £15,000, with roughly £20,000 getting you into some much newer, better-equipped examples. Kia offers fixed-price service plans and any remaining plan transfers with the car when it’s sold — that’s worth looking for when buying used.

If you need loads of space but don’t fancy a big SUV, the Škoda Octavia Estate is one of the smartest choices around. It's basically a family hatchback that's been stretched in every direction, giving you a huge boot without making the car feel all massive and clumsy.

For context, the 640-litre boot is more than twice the size of a Ford Fiesta’s and it expands to 1700 litres with the rear seats folded. There aren’t many cars better for a tip run than the Octavia. It’s absolutely lovely to drive, too. Spacious, comfy and quiet — even if you get a diesel.

On which, as per the VW Golf, the 2.0-litre TDI diesel is great for fuel economy. especially if you do a lot of motorway driving, but we’d point you to a 1.5-litre TSI petrol. It’s powerful enough and just that bit more refined.

Prices go all the way down to bargain basement sub-£2k ex-taxis, but £12-15k will get a very well-equipped car of reasonable age and mileage.

If you want a hybrid with proven reliability, the Toyota Corolla is a very easy car to recommend. Toyota has been doing hybrids for years and the Corolla combines a smooth petrol-electric system with a comfortable, well-built and practical hatchback body. There's also the capacious Toyota Corolla Touring Sports — an estate to you an I — if you need more boot room.

There are 1.8- and 2.0-litre hybrids, with the latter offering 196PS and a bit more poke without losing the Corolla's relaxed character. Used prices start at around £13,000 for the latest Corolla, although spending a few grand more opens up a much wider choice. Economy is one of the big attractions, with 60mpg-plus perfectly achievable if you do plenty of low speed driving.

Toyota's reliability record is a big part of the Corolla's appeal. The latest What Car? Reliability Survey gave it a 96.5% score, putting it seventh out of 26 family cars. Only 12% of owners reported a problem and most of those were relatively minor issues with the 12-volt battery, bodywork or infotainment system.

The MG 4 EV is already a genuinely good electric car to buy new, but falling used prices make it an outstanding second-hand electric car. It's spacious, comfortable and well-equipped, plus because it’s been so consistently popular, there are loads to choose from on the used market.

The 64kWh version is the one we'd look for. Up to 281 miles of claimed range makes it very easy to live with — albeit there’s a smaller 51kWh version that you’ll get even cheaper if you can live with its 218-mile range.

The cabin quality isn't cutting edge, but equipment levels are great across the board, with even basic SE models getting adaptive cruise control, automatic climate control, Apple CarPlay, LED lights and rear parking sensors.

The MG 4 is rear-wheel drive as standard, too. It's not a sports car, obviously, but it’s pretty good fun to drive in a rough and ready sort of way — especially the mad MG 4 EV XPower guise. With 435PS, it'll go from 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds. It's near enough a supercar in a straight line.

This sort of thing is exactly why buying a used car can be so satisfying — a luxury SUV for new family hatchback money. Assuming you’re okay with the higher running costs, a used Audi Q7 is a remarkable buy,

The 3.0-litre TDI diesel engine is where sensible money goes, combining plenty of punch with decent fuel economy for something this enormous, including seven seats and with quattro all-wheel drive as standard. The Q7 still feels properly posh inside, too, with a lovely driving position, loads of equipment and a very comfortable ride.

You can now find older Q7s for less than £5,000, although we'd spend a bit more for a well-maintained car with a full history and a decent MOT record. Running costs can be eye-watering if things go wrong, so condition matters more than simply finding the cheapest one.

If you want a proper sports car without spending silly money, the Porsche Cayman is hard to ignore. The 981-generation is getting on a bit now, but it still looks fantastic, drives brilliantly and feels genuinely special, inside and out. The mid-engined layout and wonderfully weighted steering feel make it one of the most entertaining cars on the planet.

The characterful 2.7-litre flat-six engine is the best compromise between power and half decent running costs. With 275PS, it's quick enough to be exciting but you’ll still nudge 30mpg if you’re careful.

It isn't the most practical car in the world, obviously, but a boot at either end means it's more usable than you might expect. Used prices start at around £20,000 for a 2014 car with sensible mileage, although we’d say spend as much as you’re comfortable with to get the best one you can. Then keep it forever.

Want a proper old-school 4x4 that'll probably outlive you? The Toyota Land Cruiser is the obvious choice. It's enormously capable off-road, properly tough and built to cope with conditions that would leave most SUV owners weeping into their ventilated seats.

It's not particularly quick, but the 3.0-litre D-4D engine has loads of low-down torque and is well suited to towing, muddy tracks and generally doing the all things that a 4x4 is supposed to do.

You'll find plenty of good ones between £10,000 and £15,000, which feels amazing value for this much ability and durability. It's also surprisingly comfortable on the road, with plenty of space for passengers and luggage. Just don't expect anything approaching modern SUV fuel economy – 30mpg is about as good as you're likely to see.

Condition matters more than mileage, so check the chassis and underside carefully for corrosion, particularly on older cars that have spent their lives off-road.

The Škoda Fabia is cheap to buy, cheap to run, surprisingly roomy and built on Volkswagen Group mechanicals. It’s the sort of car that you’re not going to get excited about, but it’s going to give you basically what you need without any fuss. Like a midweek air fryer dinner.

Used prices start at around £4,000 for an older car with sensible mileage, while decent 1.0 TSI examples can be found from around £5,000. You pick up a Dacia Sandero cheaper than this, but the Fabia is a much better car.

Genuinely practical for a little car, it has some of the same Simply Clever flourishes as Škoda’s more expensive stuff – an umbrella in the driver's door, a ticket holder on the windscreen, a phone holder and plenty of little storage compartments dotted around the cabin. It’s all stuff you might not think you need, but quickly wonder how you lived without.