Best used family cars for less than £10,000

Better value than its VW Golf and Audi A3 rivals, plus more spacious than the Seat Leon, the previous-generation Skoda Octavia is the best family car we can recommend for less than £10,000. Sure, its interior lacks the level of class found in the VW and (more so) Audi, but the added interior and boot space makes up for that.

Also helping make the Octavia’s case is the fact that it gets plenty of equipment as standard from new, and that it’s delightfully smooth at high speeds, making it a splendid long-distance cruiser. It's a terrific all-round car, one that's comfortable and cost-effective to buy and own. It's often scored well in our reliability survey, too.

"The Octavia is an extremely capable machine. I really struggled to find anything that would faze its impeccable level of practicality and comfort." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2018 Skoda Octavia 1.5 TSI SE Technology, 48,414 miles, £8599

Read our used Skoda Octavia review

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Again, the previous-gen Seat Leon is a little way off the Golf for interior quality, but it's still ahead of most other rivals on this list. What's more, the Leon offers the same great choice of engines as the Golf and even the more premium A3, too. The Leon is also great fun to drive, more so than most alternatives (including those we just mentioned), while reliability is strong – it finished 8th out of 30 family cars in our survey.

So how come it fails to grab the number one spot? Well, that's mainly down to space and comfort, because, while the Leon fares well in both of those areas, it's still no match for the mighty Octavia. Prices for both cars are similar, too, starting from the £6000 mark.

"Personally, I don't need the extra space of the Octavia. Plus, I value a sharp driving experience. So, for me, I'd take the Leon." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2019 Seat Leon 1.5 TSI EVO SE 5dr, 57,880 miles, £8999

Read our used Seat Leon review

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The Audi A3 is one of the finest family cars around. For starters, it's the classiest car in the class with a beautifully designed and built interior, decent amounts of equipment and smart styling. But it's also comfortable, practical, great to drive, and every engine in the range is impressively efficient.

It compares well for interior room with immediate rivals, too, and in this top 10 it only just gives way to the top two by way of it being generally a bit more costly to buy – you can get the price down by opting for an older model or one with more miles on it, of course. 

"The A3 truly defies 'bigger is better', because it feels better resolved than some larger Audi models in my view." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2017 Audi A3 1.4 TFSI Sport 5dr, 56,475 miles, £9990

Read our used Audi A3 review

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It may not handle like the Leon or have a flash interior like the A3, and nor is it quite as spacious as its Octavia sibling, but the Skoda Scala is still plenty practical, plus it has a smooth ride, punchy engines and affordable prices. 

Despite it being one of the more recent generations on this list, having first arrived in 2019, you can easily pick up a low mileage example within our budget, with prices starting from. It's also more reliable than 2020-present generations of the A3, Leon and Octavia, helping to secure its position on this list.

"The Scala isn't exactly a class leader like our top pick, the Octavia, is. However, it does look and feel more modern and stylish to me." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2021 Skoda Scala 1.0 TSI SE, 62,517 miles, £9350

Read our used Skoda Scala review

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We’re huge fans of the seventh-gen VW Golf, but, like the A3, it is a bit expensive. As a result, for this price, you’ll probably have to put up with a slightly older and/or higher mileage example than some of its rivals here. Nevertheless, if you can live with that age, you do get some great benefits: a classy interior (that's only second to the A3's), a comfortable ride, sharp handling, a spacious interior and impressive safety standards.

Few cars are as well rounded as the Golf, hence it's been a popular model for decades now. 

"In my opinion, the great thing about the Golf is that it never loses sight of what it is, that being a practical, comfortable and well-built family car. Even the fast versions, those being the GTI and R models, can be described as such." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2017 Volkswagen Golf 1.0 TSI BlueMotion Tech SE Nav 5dr, 66,820 miles, £9650

Read our used Volkswagen Golf review

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Low, sleek and blessed with an upmarket interior, this generation of the BMW 1 Series was the hatchback of choice for aspiring family buyers for years. It's not quite as spacious and affordable to buy and run as its more functional rivals, but it's got punchy engines, entertaining handling and a fantastic infotainment system. Reliability has proven fantastic, too. 

Our money buys a slightly older car, but there are plenty available on the used market for a good price.

"Rear-wheel drive is rare in the family car class, but the 1 Series has exactly that. As such, it almost feels like a sports car to me, especially when fitted with the six-cylinder petrol engine." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2017 BMW 1 Series 1.5 118i SE, 51,000 miles, £8995

Read our used BMW 1 Series review

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The Kia Ceed isn't as fun to drive as a Ford Focus, practical as a Skoda Octavia or as comfortable as a VW Golf, but it is more reliable than all of those cars, finishing in first place out of 30 cars in our most recent reliability survey. That's really impressive.

Elsewhere, the Ceed doesn't excel in any particular area, but it's a decent all-rounder, with a smart interior, a generous list of equipment and punchy yet economical engines. It should be impressively cheap to run in general, and it comes with the residue of its seven-years-from-new warranty. 

"From a financial perspective, I'd be tempted by the Ceed. It might not be the most exciting car in this class, but you can't argue with its competitive price, impressive reliability and long warranty." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2019 Kia Ceed 1.0 T-GDi 2, 52,115 miles, £8880

Read our used Kia Ceed review

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The Honda Civic's sharp driving experience, good fuel economy and big boot makes it an enjoyable, affordable and capable family car. It's also reasonably spacious in the back, while up front the dashboard is clear and logically laid out, with controls that are pleasingly weighted.

Sure, it's not quite as polished as class leaders, as evident by its dated and unintuitive infotainment, as well as iffy overall refinement, but it still offers great value at its used price point.

"Through work, I ran a Honda Civic for a few months and loved it. It was fun to drive, good on fuel and practical." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2018 Honda Civic 1.0 VTEC Turbo SE, 53,887 miles, £8499

Read our used Honda Civic review

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The Ford Focus falls short of class leaders in a few areas: the Octavia is more spacious, the Golf is more comfortable and the A3 is much classier inside. However, the Focus stands above all of those cars in regards to handling, even besting the Leon. 

It's sharp, agile, engaging and fun to drive. If you're a keen driver, this is the family car for you – or better yet, check out the Ford Focus ST hot hatch. That said, the driving experience isn't the only thing going for the Focus, because it's practical and good value, too. You can pick up a tidy example for around £8000, but just be wary of reliability, because it finished near the bottom of the family car class in our most recent survey. For that reason alone, we can't place it any higher up this list.

"If you really enjoy and value the driving experience, you'll likely warm to the Focus much more than you will any other family car. It's just a shame about reliability, because otherwise it's one of my favourite cars in this class." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2019 Ford Focus 1.0T EcoBoost Titanium, 59,600 miles, £8350

Read our used Ford Focus review

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The Hyundai i30 comes with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty from new, which is very competitive, though not as generous as that offered by its closely related rival, the Kia Ceed. Even so, the i30 has several key strengths, including an affordable price and a comfortable ride, with suspension that effectively soaks up bumps.

It also impresses with a solidly built interior and a generous amount of standard equipment. However, it isn’t the most spacious or practical option in its class.

"A good, safe choice, the i30 didn't blow me away, but, at the same time, it's devoid of any major dealbreakers." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2018 Hyundai i30 1.0 T-GDi SE Nav, 36,200 miles, £8150

Read our used Hyundai i30 review

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