Best used cars for every need

Cheapest used cars to run

Ranked by the lowest running costs from live stock — annual road tax (VED) and CO₂ emissions.

MINI Clubman · Renault Kadjar · Renault Captur

Cheapest used cars to run right now

Ranked by live fuel cost per mile at this week's average UK pump prices (DESNZ, Open Government Licence) — petrol, diesel and electric side by side, using each model's official combined economy with a real-world adjustment (electric models assume home charging at ~3.5 miles/kWh).

Tesla Model 3 · Toyota C-Hr · MINI Clubman

Cheapest used cars to buy

Ranked by the lowest cash price in live stock.

Vauxhall Corsa · Ford Focus · Dacia Sandero

Best used cars for a first car

Ranked for new drivers by low price and small, cheaper-to-insure engines from live stock.

Vauxhall Corsa · Dacia Sandero · Ford Focus

Best used family cars in stock now

Ranked from SUVs, estates and MPVs available to buy right now, by choice of stock and seating (see our practicality-score ranking for a boot-space-and-safety view across all models).

Land Rover Discovery Sport · Nissan X-Trail · Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Most reliable used cars in stock now

Ranked by the highest first-time MOT pass rate from real DVSA history across cars in stock right now (see our reliability-score ranking for a view across all models, not just today's stock).

Mercedes-Benz GLA · Audi Q5 · BMW X3

Used cars with the longest MOT

Ranked by the most MOT time left on live stock — less to spend on a test soon after buying.

Land Rover Discovery Sport · Audi A1 · Mercedes-Benz GLA

Lowest-emission used cars

Ranked by the lowest CO₂ emissions in live stock (electric cars emit 0 g/km at the tailpipe).

Tesla Model 3 · Audi A3 · Toyota C-Hr

Best used automatic cars

Ranked from live stock that is mostly automatic, by breadth of choice and lowest price.

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque · Nissan Juke · BMW 2 Series

Best used cars for motorway driving

Ranked for high-mileage motorway drivers by the best fuel economy on larger (1.6L+) diesel and economical engines from live stock.

MINI Clubman · Toyota C-Hr · BMW 5 Series

Most economical used diesel cars in stock now

Ranked by the highest official combined MPG across diesel cars available to buy right now — the diesels that go furthest on a tank (see our all-model economy ranking for the wider picture across every fuel type).

MINI Clubman · Renault Kadjar · BMW 5 Series

Best used cars for Uber and PCO drivers

Ranked for private-hire work by ULEZ-compliant stock with at least five seats and the lowest live fuel cost per mile at this week's pump prices.

Tesla Model 3 · Toyota C-Hr · MINI Clubman

Cheapest ULEZ-compliant used cars

Ranked by the lowest cash price across ULEZ-compliant stock — the cheapest cars that avoid the daily London charge.

Vauxhall Corsa · Ford Focus · Dacia Sandero

Lowest road tax used cars

Ranked by the lowest annual road tax (VED) from live stock, using each car's CO₂ and registration date.

MINI Clubman · Renault Kadjar · Renault Captur

Most reliable used hatchbacks

Ranked by the highest first-time MOT pass rate from real DVSA history across live hatchback stock.

MINI Hatch · Audi A3 · Toyota C-Hr

Used cars that hold their value

Ranked by how slowly prices fall with age across live stock — the models losing the least value per year (needs enough cars spanning a range of ages).

Land Rover Range Rover Velar · Volkswagen Polo · Fiat 500

Most reliable car models by reliability score

Ranked by the Motoring Today reliability score across all models — real DVSA first-MOT pass rate (age-controlled, ~3-year-old cars) weighted down for dangerous-defect risk — then matched back to what's in stock today (see our in-stock MOT pass-rate ranking for the raw figure on today's cars).

Toyota Yaris · Volkswagen T-Roc · Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Cheapest used cars to insure

Ranked by the lowest typical insurance group from manufacturer specs — group 1 is the cheapest to insure, group 50 the most expensive.

Dacia Sandero · Fiat 500 · Citroën C3

Best family car models by practicality score

Ranked by our family practicality score across all models — boot space, doors, seats, wheelbase and Euro NCAP safety from manufacturer specs — then matched back to what's in stock today (see our seats-and-body live-stock ranking for what's available to buy right now).

Jaguar F-Pace · Land Rover Range Rover Velar · Audi Q5

Most economical car models by official MPG

Ranked by the highest official combined MPG across manufacturer specs for every model's trim line-up, then matched back to what's in stock today (see our diesel-only live-stock ranking for what's actually available to buy right now).

Toyota Yaris · Ford Fiesta · Vauxhall Corsa

Cheapest used cars to tax

Ranked by the lowest annual road tax (VED) across live stock, from official CO₂ and first-registration data — many rank at £0/yr.

MINI Clubman · Renault Kadjar · Renault Captur

Best used cars under £20,000

Ranked from live UK dealer stock priced under £20,000 — lowest entry price first, then lowest annual road tax (VED).

Vauxhall Corsa · Ford Focus · Audi A1

Best used cars under £15,000

Ranked from live UK dealer stock priced under £15,000 — lowest entry price first, then lowest annual road tax (VED).

Vauxhall Corsa · Ford Focus · Audi A1

Best used cars under £10,000

Ranked from live UK dealer stock priced under £10,000 — lowest entry price first, then lowest annual road tax (VED).

Vauxhall Corsa · Ford Focus · Audi A1

Best family SUVs under £15,000

Ranked from live SUV, estate and MPV stock priced under £15,000 — lowest entry price first, by breadth of choice.

MINI Clubman · Hyundai Tucson · Nissan X-Trail

Best used cars under £5,000

Ranked from live UK dealer stock priced under £5,000 — lowest entry price first, then lowest annual road tax (VED).

Vauxhall Corsa · Ford Focus · Audi A1