Used hatchbacks for sale

There’s an old cliche that the answer to all motoring questions, eventually, is the Volkswagen Golf. In this case, it really is the answer, as there’s little to challenge the Golf’s mixture of classy styling, comfy interior, sharp on-road manners, economy, and practicality.

There’s a few answers to this one. Traditionally, the most reliable hatchbacks have been made by the big Japanese brands, so if you go for a Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, or Mazda 3 you should be on safe reliability grounds. However, the highest-rated hatchback in the 2024 Driver Power survey was actually the Mini hatch, and owners gave it high praise for its reliability and build quality. The related BMW 1 Series also scored highly in that category. There’s one final way to look at this, and that’s to check which brand had the lowest percentage of owners reporting problems with their cars in the Driver Power survey. Suzuki actually scored the lowest figure, with 8.9% of owners having issues, but Suzuki doesn’t make a family-sized hatchback. Mini was the next best, with 12.7%, and Honda was in third with 13.6%. 

Once again, Volkswagen tops the charts here, as Carwow rated the Polo as being the best small hatchback. Like the larger Golf, it has a hard-to-beat mix of smart styling, a roomy and high-quality interior, decent driving dynamics, and low running costs.

Small hatchbacks tend to be used by growing families, so check carefully around the interior for any signs of loose trim, stained upholstery, and the odd Jelly Tot jammed down into the seatbelt clips. Other than that, do the usual checks — get a history and background check done, make sure that the service record is complete and up to date, and take time to do a thorough test drive, listening for any worrying knocks or clonks, and checking to make sure that the engine, steering, and brakes all seem to be in good order.