Although crossovers are the big trend in the current car market, there’s still a widespread demand for family-capable hatchbacks.
Walk down any street and you’ll see just how popular mid-size hatches remain today — with a Vauxhall Astra, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus bound to be in sight. It’s no surprise, as they offer enough practicality and value for money almost any family could need.
We take a look at 10 of the best on sale today.
Ford Focus
Look at any new UK car sales figures list, and you’ll see the Ford Focus right at the sharp end of them all.
It’s not hard to see why, either. Some of its rivals may offer more luxury and practicality, but all-round, the Focus is onto a winner. There’s plenty of interior and boot space, class-leading handling and a good selection of efficient, wallet-friendly engines on offer.
Honda Civic
Type-R aside, the Honda Civic has never really managed to blow the UK car market away — but the Japanese manufacturer will be hoping its tenth-generation hatch will change that.
It has all the right ingredients to do so, too. The current car was developed with the performance Type-R in mind, meaning excellent driving dynamics have trickled right through the range without compromising on practicality and value for money.
Volkswagen Golf
Despite Volkswagen’s recent dieselgate controversies, the Golf has remained a solid contender in not just the UK market — but globally.
It offers arguably the best build quality and premium-feel in the mid-size hatch market, without commanding an over-the-odds fee.
Furthermore, it offers one of the largest boots on the market — with 380 litres of luggage space.
Mazda3
Mazda seem unable to do anything wrong lately, and the Mazda3 is no exception.
Previous models used to be based on the Focus, but the current generation sits atop the Mazda-developed Skyactiv platform that offers sharp handling and plenty of practicality.
What’s more, the Japanese manufacturer offers some of the most efficient engines currently on the market, meaning your wallet won’t take much of a hit during ownership.
Skoda Octavia
Although the Skoda Octavia does stretch the definition of a hatch a little, it’s one of the strongest contenders in the segment.
Thanks to Skoda being under the VW Group umbrella, the Octavia benefits from the German giants engineering — resulting in a high build quality and an efficient, low-running cost package. It even packs plenty of equipment as standard, such as Bluetooth and DAB radio.
Kia Cee’d
Made famous by its appearance as Top Gear’s Reasonably Priced Car, the Kia Cee’d has established itself as a dependable hatch, as well as a circuit-capable car (with some minor upgrades).
It doesn’t offer the levels of luxury as some of its competitors, but you get a great value package at low costs and Kia’s famous seven-year warranty, meaning trouble-free motoring for plenty of time to come.
Hyundai i30
The Hyundai i30 shares a platform with the Kia Cee’d, so you should expect the same level of quality and value for a low price point.
The latest i30 offers sleek, mature styling that gives it a premium presence — as well as a range of efficient and well-performing engines. The speed-demons among us even have the high-performance N model to choose from, too.
Vauxhall Astra
The Vauxhall Astra has become a staple of British motoring, having been on our roads now for almost four decades.
It has stood the test of time, too, offering plenty of practicality and value for money in a dependable package.
Renault Megane
The Renault Megane brings a bold, stylish option to the mid-size hatch market.
An icon of modern French motoring, the Megane offers plenty of value and practicality along with its classy design, all at a reasonable price.
There’s plenty of kit as standard, too, as well as a wide range of frugal diesel and feisty petrol engines to choose from.
Peugeot 308
The original Peugeot 308 gained a reputation for being a little mediocre and flat-out boring. That’s not the case with the latest model.
The new 308 wraps a dependable and genuinely interesting to drive package in a handsome body, with good value and build quality for its not-so-premium pricetag.
Peugeot has made a push to move upmarket in recent years, and the 308 has undoubtedly benefitted greatly as a result.
