Top 10 best-selling used cars

Victory goes to the Ford Fiesta, sadly discontinued from the new car range but still freely available to buy on the used market. It's the used bestseller for a good reason. Ford knows how to do small cars well and the attractive Fiesta comes with class-leading ride and handling qualities, plus a vast amount of engine choices to suit enthusiasts and misers in equal measure. Its infotainment system isn't quite on a par with the best in the class, but the rest of the package is so good that it’s hardly a deal-breaker. 

We found: 2019 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Zetec 5dr, 30,000 miles, £8000

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You can’t have any sort of top 10 list without mentioning this previous-generation version of the evergreen Vauxhall Corsa. It's rarely out of the bestsellers list, and there are examples of them everywhere. It doesn’t seem to matter that there are many rivals that beat it in key areas, especially to drive – the Corsa's appeal is that it's a practical, well-built car at an affordable price. Indeed, you’ll be able to find numerous examples with plenty of kit, which makes it a tempting proposition.

We found: 2019 Vauxhall Corsa 1.4T 75 Design 5dr, 40,000 miles, £7000

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The Volkswagen Golf is a fantastic all-rounder, combining excellent comfort, enjoyable handling, enough space for most families, a high-quality interior and quiet road manners. Of course, the smart styling and VW badge make it a desirable car, and so it commands a bit of a premium over some rivals. The latest Mk8 VW Golf is now a regular on the used market, but it's still a good time to bag this Mk 7 model. Lots of other buyers have done.

We found: 2019 Volkswagen Golf 1.5 TSI Evo R-Line, 35,000 miles, £12,000

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The Ford Focus has long been one of Britain’s most popular family hatchbacks, and it's not hard to see why. First up, it’s cheap to buy and to run. It’s also great to drive, with a lively chassis and responsive steering. The excellent petrol engines are peppy enough for most people, too. What’s more, there are loads of examples of this latest version out there to choose from, so finding a good one shouldn’t be hard.

We found: 2021 Ford Focus 1.5 Ecoboost 150 Active, 25,000 miles, £12,500

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Want lots of car for your cash? Well, the Vauxhall Astra offers just that, because it’s cheap as chips. There's a new 2021-onwards Vauxhall Astra on the market now, but if you buy one of the latest versions of this older car with uprated engines and tech, you'll have a great buy. We’d suggest going for the sprightly petrol engines over the noisy diesels, but on the whole, the Astra is comfortable, spacious and reasonably good to drive. There are loads of them around, too. 

We found: 2021 Vauxhall Astra 1.2T Griffin Edition, 29,000 miles, £11,900

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Small cars don’t come much more desirable than the Mini. It handles well, comes with a large range of engines and has a funky, high-quality interior. And with so many customisation options available, you’ll rarely find two Minis that are the same. The distinctive shape means you lose out on boot space and the rear seats are cramped, but if practicality isn’t a priority, the Mini is a car that appeals to the heart. It's immensely popular on the used market too. 

We found: 2020 Mini Hatch 1.5 Cooper D 5dr, 30,000 miles, £9900

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The BMW 3 Series has always been at or near the top of our favourite executive cars list whether new or used, and they're incredibly popular as a second-hand buy. This previous-generation version is good to drive, classy and refined. We'd stick with a post-facelift version (sold from 2015 onwards) for the revised 320d diesel engine, which avoids costly timing chain issues. Look for a car with the Professional Media pack to get upgraded infotainment.

We found: 2018 BMW 320d SE, 45,000 miles, £11,995

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The Volkswagen Polo costs more to buy than many of its rivals, even in this previous-generation form, but you do feel as though you're getting much more for your money, and that's made it immensely popular. It's comfortable, has a supple ride and a nicely finished interior that mimics the larger and contemporary Volkswagen Golf. The small turbocharged petrol engines are the best picks as they tend to be smoother and quieter than the diesels.

We found: 2017 Volkswagen Polo 1.0 95 TSI SE, 53,000 miles, £6995

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One of the first family SUVs and, in this second-generation guise, still one of the most popular on the second-hand forecourts, it's the Nissan Qashqai. It's quiet and comfortable, frugal and well-equipped in all its trims. It's immensely practical, too, and, if it's not quite as involving to drive as some of its rivals, and suffers a little from a mixed reliability record, the Qashqai is still a huge hit with the used car buyer. 

We found: 2020 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi Tekna, 42,000 miles, £10,000

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When it was new, this 2013-2020 version of the classy Audi A3 Sportback was the best family hatchback around. We think it's great as a used buy, too. In fact, a few years back it was crowned our overall Used Family Car of the Year. It's a premium product with a spacious and practical high-quality interior, superb ride and handling and an excellent range of engines (we'd seek out one of the smooth petrols). What’s more, there are plenty of good used examples around. 

We found: 2020 Audi A3 Sportback 35 TFSI SE Technik, 34,000 miles, £16,850

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