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Reading through the latest copy of What Car’s used cars of the year awards got me thinking. Every year they recommend a list of cars based purely on how they perform as a new model without factoring in reliability at all. They’re all nearly new and still too costly for many.

I’ve seen them recommend used Ford’s with the now notorious 1.0 Ecoboost motor and equally unreliable Powershift gearboxes without a mention of how costly failures could financially c****** you. VAG DSG equipped models again are often recommended as are costly and complex prestige BMW and JLR models that are known to be ultimately unreliable in the longterm.

Few Japanese cars get a mention, it’s again based on how well a car handles, looks and goes over reliability, durability and longterm costs. Which are things any used buyer should prioritise.

So I thought I’d list my own used cars of the year awards based on my experience of buying and selling them over the years. It’ll be based on ease of ownership, running costs and reliability over prestige badges and largely irrelevant track day handling. I’ll leave out prestige and high performance models as neither should be bought on a limited budget unless you want a life of pain or can afford to write it off if something major fails.

With banks best lending rates starting from £7,500 (3% APR) I’ll set my top price at £8,000 and remind everyone never to think about taking the dealer finance at this age and price point as it’ll typically be 10% APR or more, adding thousands to the overall cost and that’s before factoring in the unnecessary added costs such as ‘document and option to purchase fees’ they add on top.

I’ll put a second level at sub £4,000 too which is where I typically bought and sold mostly to cash buyers who hated financing a depreciating asset.

Best city car. £8,000

Hyundai i10

A spacious and well made little car with low running costs and an excellent 5yr warranty if you find one with a full main dealer history. Perfectly decent to drive with even the tiny 3cyl 1.0 providing enough power for city use and the occasional out of town excursion. The bigger 1.2 is stronger and a bit more refined but it lacks the character of the smaller unit.

Sub £4,000

Kia Picanto

I’d favour the Kia Picanto over the older i10. It’s nicer to look at and drive plus easier to sell on again. Underbody rust is the worry with any Kia or Hyundai as they age so get under it for a good look around but you’ll get a much newer example than you will with a VW UP and it’s better made than the C1/107/108,Aygo.

Best supermini £8,000

Mazda 2 1.5 Skyactiv SE-L Nav 90PS.

A brilliant little car that’s fun to drive, lively, good on fuel and utterly reliable. There’s nothing not to like here. The lower output 75PS is perfectly adequate but the stronger motor lops almost three seconds off the 0-60 time taking it into the warm hatch zone without sacrificing economy by much. That lovely rich metallic red paint that’s an option is very difficult to match so watch for paintwork that’s off colour as with any used car you shouldn’t view it in the wet which can hide this.

Sub £4,000

Mazda 2 1.5 Sport 5dr

I’d still give the wee Mazda the win here even in previous gen. The 1.5 Sport is a great option with nippy performance and low running costs. The chain driven petrol engines will run and run if looked after properly and they resist rot better than earlier Mazdas too.

Best small family hatch £8,000

Mazda 3 2.0 Skyactiv SE

These are only just slipping in below £8,000 with sensible mileages now and as with the Mazda 2 they’re brilliant things. Great to sit in, drive and again utterly reliable if you stick with the petrol engines. The diesels are bad news with far too many failures on the 2.2 Skyactiv D motors to recommend them. The petrol 2.0 will do 50mpg on a run anyway so it’s not really necessary to add the risk of a Diesel engine.

Sub £4,000

Mazda 3 1.6 post facelift.

Later post facelift examples are holding off the rust better than earlier cars and retain the entertaining handling and bulletproof reliability again as long as you avoid the diesels. The Ford Focus 1.6 petrol is a close second but the Mazda is a bit better built and there’s no timing belt to worry about.

Best large family car.

Ford Mondeo 1.6 Ecoboost £8,000

Hard to find in a sea of diesels but worth seeking out as it’s a joy to drive and rarely goes wrong with its turbocharged Yamaha designed petrol motor. It’ll do 40mpg on a run and has plenty of power too. The 2.0 diesel is a worthy, but as with all modern diesels there’s plenty to go wrong as it ages but it is one of the better ones. I would’ve chose the Mazda 6 2.0 Skyactiv but you’d need £1,000 more to open up that option other than high mileage examples or cars with missing histories etc.

Sub £4,000

Mazda 6 2.0

Drives well, is surprisingly decent on fuel (I had over 50mpg on a run south in one) and brilliantly reliable. Cheap too as no one wants a big conventional petrol engined car at the cheaper end of the market. I’d have the Estate myself which adds a dose of practicality plus makes it easier to sell on again.

Best SUV £8,000

Honda CRV 2.2 DTEC.

It’ll be the Mk III at this money and the next gen is worth paying the extra £2k to get but keeping below £8,000 you’re better with a well kept older car with sensible miles. These are easy to sell on, have loads of room and don’t go wrong often. Juddering clutched and the occasional blocked DPF on low use cars aside they’re pretty robust if a bit dull to drive. A far far better bet than a used BMW X3/X5 or similar at this money.

Sub £4,000

Honda CRV 2.0 VTEC.

As above but at this money the petrol is far safer is much slower and greedier.

Best Convertible £8,000

Mazda MX5 Mk III

A hoot to drive and painless to own, the only worry is rust which even the Mk III suffers from. There’s no real rival on a budget.

Sub £4,000

Mazda MX5

As above, you’ll get an early MK III for this money, just watch for rot.

Best MPV £8,000

Ford S-Max 1.6 Ecoboost. Almost diesel economy yet none of the reliability issues they suffer from. Rare though as most are diesel powered which again if bought well a 2.0 TDCi can serve you well but just budget for potential problems. Great to drive and loads of room these make excellent family taxis. Don’t touch the Powershift auto though!

Sub £4,000

Mazda 5 petrol

Great value and mechanically very tough. Sliding rear doors are very useful in tight spaces and they drive surprisingly well though the petrol engines lack low speed pulling power. Just watch for rot.

Best Hot hatch £8,000

Suzuki Swift 1.6 Sport

Said I wasn’t going to do performance cars but these are the exception to the rule. A scream to drive on the right road yet utterly dependable and cheap to run and insure. No turbo, nothing complex, no fancy gearbox or launch control gubbins to go haywire. These are simple and fun.

Sub £4,000

Suzuki Swift 1.6 Sport

As above but watch for the boy racer car through hedge element at this money it’s much more likely.
















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My current plates are the standard XX00 XXX.

If I were to add non-standard spacing, such as XX0 0 XX X, and also removed the dealer text, what would happen if I was pulled over?

A fine? Points? Something else? Or just "get the originals put back on"? Read more