Best used hot hatches for less than £20,000

For the more discerning hot-hatch buyer who doesn’t wish to be too flashy about the performance of his or her car, there’s the Audi S3. Aside from a few S3 badges and the four tail pipes, there's not much to differentiate it from the regular A3. Behind the unassuming exterior hides a 296bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, as well as four-wheel drive, so the S3 has prodigious traction for the 'traffic light grand prix', if that's your thing.

We found: 2017 Audi S3 TFSI Quattro 5dr, 59,000 miles, £18,995

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The current Mini hatchback has always been a rip-roaring success, and the hot Cooper S version is a wonderfully dynamic car. Its cheeky character, stylish interior and nippy handling make it one of the most loveable and fun hot hatches on our list. Plus, the Cooper's 2.0-litre petrol engine gives you 192bhp to play with, which pushes it from 0 to 60mph in just 6.8sec and on to a top speed of 146mph. It's a true pocket rocket.

We found: 2019 Mini Hatchback 2.0 Cooper S 3dr, 42,600 miles, £18,500

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The dinky Suzuki Swift Sport is another cheeky small car with an eager engine, beefed-up sports suspension and grippy tyres. It weighs less than a tonne, so despite having only a 138bhp 1.4-litre engine, it can scamper from 0-62mph in 8.1sec. You won’t find a high-quality interior, but there are figure-hugging sports seats and all the equipment you'll really need. All in all, the Swift Sport offers fun driving dynamics and exceptional value – not to mention mild-hybrid technology in post-2020 cars. 

We found: 2022 Suzuki Swift Sport 1.4 Boosterjet, 2000 miles, £16,995

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If you don’t mind the huge spoiler, aggressive bumpers and flared wheel arches of the Civic Type R, you’ll be rewarded with one of the lairiest hot hatches around. It’s the second most powerful car on this list, with an innovative 2.0-litre VTEC engine that's turbocharged to produce 306bhp. This Type R version of the ninth generation Civic is almost unflappable on a track, and it has an R+ mode for when you want to turn the fun up to 11. You'll have to shop around to find one on our £20,000 budget, but it'll be worth it. 

We found: 2017 Honda Civic Type R GT, 60,500 miles, £20,000

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The Volkswagen Golf R is the chalk to the Civic Type R’s cheese, with very understated looks and absolutely no histrionics. Beneath the surface lurks a 296bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and a four-wheel-drive system, as used in the Audi S3. Like the S3, the Golf R has little trouble getting all that power down off the line, but it has lighter steering so it feels a bit more nimble. It's devastatingly quick, and that performance is very easy to access safely.

We found: 2017 Volkswagen Golf R 5dr, 49,000 miles, £19,995

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Hyundai hit it out of the park with i30N, and it's clear from how this car looks, drives and sounds that the manufacturer was serious about kicking up a storm in the segment. With 271bhp in Performance form, it's quick enough to thrill, while its exhaust is raucous enough to make you grin from ear to ear – without making your neighbours frown, of course. It's fun on a twisty road and practical, too. While not every example on the used market is less than £20,000, some are within a grand or two, so get haggling.  

We found: 2018 Hyundai i30N Performance, 60,000 miles, £20,000

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The Volkswagen Golf GTI is the car that does everything, and the one that every other brand tries to emulate yet never quite manages to. One moment it's a classy hatchback that quietly, comfortably and efficiently deals with the daily grind, the next it’s a rapid point-to-point sports car that few twice-as-expensive models can keep up with. That's partly down to the 227bhp 2.0-litre engine fitted to GTIs equipped with the Performance Pack, but the excellent chassis dynamics play their part, too. It's a crushingly competent hot hatch.

We found: 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0 5dr, 61,000 miles, £19,500

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The M135i is a former hot hatch category winner in our Used Car of the Year Awards and the revised M140i model is even better value. Most other hot hatches come with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but the M140i has a stonking 335bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six, making it the fastest car in this list by some margin. You also can revel in the playful nature of the rear-wheel-drive chassis, so it's a real blast to drive. What’s more, you can get it in five-door form, making for a practical family car.

We found: 2018 BMW M140i 5dr, 60,000 miles, £19,500

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The Renault Mégane RS gets a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine packing 276bhp in standard form, and 296bhp in Trophy guise (a variant not quite near enough our budget just yet). Even with the base amount of power, it has plenty of pace. More importantly, it's tremendous fun and effortlessly capable when you're in the mood for a spirited drive. While the excellent previous generation Mégane RS is available for well within our budget, this latest version is just on the cusp, so you may have to shop around. 

We found: 2018 Renault Mégane RS 280, 56,000 miles, £20,000

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This previous-generation Ford Fiesta ST – the winner of the hot hatch category in our 2022 Used Car of the Year Awards – captures the essence of what makes this class so great. At its heart, it's a driver's car. The punchy 1.6-litre turbocharged engine puts out a healthy 178bhp (rising to 197bhp for periods of overboost) giving it strong performance, while its handling is an impressive balance of confidence-inspiring grip and smile-inducing fun. It's also practical, fuel-efficient and affordable. It's so good we even prefer it to the current 2018-onwards Ford Fiesta ST, although if you do fancy something newer and have a little more to spend that's also a bit of a bargain. 

We found: 2017 Ford Fiesta ST-3, 36,000 miles, £12,000

Find a used one for sale here