Used Small Automatic Cars for Sale

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How buying a used small automatic car through Carwow works

Find a car

Use Carwow to browse and compare used vehicles, advertised by a network of trusted dealers. You can search by make and model, or apply filters to find the perfect car for you.

Contact the dealer

Once you’ve found a car you’d like to buy, you can contact the dealer to arrange the next steps, whether that’s asking a question or taking it for a test drive.

Buy the car

When you’re happy to buy, you can do so at a fixed price, safe in the knowledge all models sold through carwow are mechanically checked and come with a warranty.

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Used small automatic cars FAQs

What is the best used small automatic car?

There are two good choices here. You could go for a VW Polo with the optional seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic, which is good to drive and impressively frugal when combined with the 1.0-litre TSI turbo petrol engine. Just be aware that the DSG ‘box needs regular careful maintenance. Or there’s the Toyota Yaris Hybrid, which uses a CVT automatic, which has its annoyances, but which is super-reliable.

What is the most reliable second-hand small automatic car?

It’s the Toyota Yaris Hybrid. The Yaris’ hybrid system is incredibly well-proven and almost impossible to break. The CVT gearbox means that the Yaris drones and whines a bit at higher speeds, but again it’s almost totally reliable. Keep it serviced, and a Yaris Hybrid should last you into your dotage. Also consider a Honda Jazz CVT and a Suzuki Swift automatic.

What to look for when buying a used small automatic car?

Small hatchbacks with automatics are usually bought as city runarounds, so go carefully around the bodywork looking for dents, dings, and scuffs and check that the wheels haven’t been rubbed regularly up against kerbs — that means not just unsightly wheel damage, but it can also mean suspension that’s been knocked about and possibly broken. Other than that, do the usual history, service, and condition checks and take a test drive which involves lots of bumps — poorly-maintained urban streets can cause premature wear to suspension, so listen for knocks and clonks coming from under the car.