What Car? Q&A - Which small hatch should I buy?

Q: I wonder if you can give me some advice on buying my new car. I’m torn between a Honda Civic, Seat Leon, Mazda 3 or Ford Focus. My budget is around £11,500. Space and practicality are the most important issues, as well as reliability.
John Wile

A: Of the cars that you have listed, the Civic would seem to be the obvious choice. Excellent packaging mean it's got bags of space, while it's also proved to be extremely reliable.

However, you might want to wait a few months because there's a new Civic due out in January. It takes the model on another step in the areas you're looking at but, with prices expected to start at around £13,000, it might be out of your budget.

However, this new car's arrival could help to save you some extra cash and make the outgoing version a little cheaper to buy.