Best used cars for every need
Whatever matters most — running costs, reliability, space or your first car — these guides rank real cars from live UK dealer stock, refreshed as availability changes.
- Ranked from live stock
- Refreshed as stock changes
- No sign-up needed
What are the best used cars to buy?
The best used car depends on what you need it for. Motoring.Today ranks live UK stock into practical shortlists — the cheapest cars to run and buy, the best first cars, the best cars for families, the most reliable by MOT pass rate and the lowest-emission options — each built from cars actually for sale today.
Ranked by what matters to you
Each shortlist is built fresh from live dealer stock — jump straight to the ranking that fits your search.
Cheapest used cars to run
Ranked by the lowest running costs from live stock — annual road tax (VED) and CO₂ emissions.
Toyota Yaris · Renault Captur · Audi A1
12 models rankedCheapest 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 Y · Tesla Model 3 · Toyota Yaris
12 models rankedCheapest used cars to buy
Ranked by the lowest cash price in live stock.
Ford Focus · Ford Fiesta · Ford Ecosport
12 models rankedBest used cars for a first car
Ranked for new drivers by low price and small, cheaper-to-insure engines from live stock.
Ford Focus · Ford Fiesta · Ford Ecosport
12 models rankedBest 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 · Peugeot 5008
12 models rankedMost 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).
Audi Q5 · BMW X3 · Audi Q3
12 models rankedUsed cars with the longest MOT
Ranked by the most MOT time left on live stock — less to spend on a test soon after buying.
Renault Koleos · MINI Clubman · Tesla Model Y
12 models rankedLowest-emission used cars
Ranked by the lowest CO₂ emissions in live stock (electric cars emit 0 g/km at the tailpipe).
Tesla Model Y · Tesla Model 3 · Toyota Yaris
12 models rankedBest used automatic cars
Ranked from live stock that is mostly automatic, by breadth of choice and lowest price.
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque · MINI Countryman · Volkswagen Golf
12 models rankedBest 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 · Škoda Octavia · BMW 5 Series
12 models rankedMost 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).
Renault Captur · MINI Clubman · Škoda Octavia
12 models rankedBest 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 Y · Tesla Model 3 · Toyota Yaris
12 models rankedCheapest ULEZ-compliant used cars
Ranked by the lowest cash price across ULEZ-compliant stock — the cheapest cars that avoid the daily London charge.
Ford Focus · Ford Fiesta · Ford Ecosport
12 models rankedLowest road tax used cars
Ranked by the lowest annual road tax (VED) from live stock, using each car's CO₂ and registration date.
Toyota Yaris · Renault Captur · Audi A1
12 models rankedMost reliable used hatchbacks
Ranked by the highest first-time MOT pass rate from real DVSA history across live hatchback stock.
Toyota C-Hr · Hyundai I10 · Kia Picanto
12 models rankedUsed 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 · Nissan X-Trail · Vauxhall Mokka X
12 models rankedMost 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 · Toyota C-Hr · Audi Q5
12 models rankedCheapest 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.
Hyundai I10 · Kia Picanto · Fiat 500
12 models rankedTop Euro NCAP 5-star used cars in stock
Ranked from used cars in stock that earned the maximum five-star Euro NCAP overall rating, ordered by their Euro NCAP safety-assist score — the driver-assistance category (autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping and speed assistance). This ranks driver-assistance technology and Euro NCAP's overall star rating, not crash protection, and is not a blended 'safest' score. To keep the comparison fair only cars tested under Euro NCAP's current protocol (2020 onward) are included. Euro NCAP is an independent assessor, not the manufacturer.
BMW 2 Series · Land Rover Range Rover Sport · Volkswagen Polo
3 models rankedBest 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).
Peugeot 5008 · Land Rover Range Rover Sport · Land Rover Range Rover Velar
12 models rankedMost 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 · Renault Clio
12 models ranked
Ranked by budget & type
Prefer to start from a price point or body style? These shortlists rank live stock by budget and use-case.
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.
Renault Captur · Toyota Yaris · Audi A1
59 models rankedBest 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).
Ford Focus · Ford Fiesta · Ford Ecosport
58 models rankedBest 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).
Ford Focus · Ford Fiesta · Ford Ecosport
57 models rankedBest 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).
Ford Focus · Ford Fiesta · Ford Ecosport
44 models rankedBest 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.
Volkswagen Tiguan · Kia Sportage · Ford C-Max
20 models rankedBest 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).
Ford Focus · Ford Fiesta · Ford Ecosport
9 models ranked
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