Best used petrol cars

The Volkswagen T-Roc is ageing like a fine wine, because as the years have gone by, it’s become an increasingly brilliant used buy. Indeed, the T-Roc is now competitively priced against key rivals, including the Ford Puma, with prices starting from £9000 for early examples and £12,000 for our preferred facelift model from 2022.

Meanwhile, the car’s reliability has strengthened in the most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing in second place out of 38 small SUVs, with an impressive score of 99%. It’s this reason why it’s beaten the Puma to the top spot as our favourite used small SUV.

Then there are the other elements to consider, because the T-Roc is a comfortable, spacious and practical car. Out of the petrol engines, which include 1.0-litre, 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre units, the 109bhp 1.0-litre engine is a punchy yet efficient performer, making it our engine of choice. If your budget can stretch to it, go for a facelift car, because this gets a slightly more premium-feeling interior than earlier cars.

"I find myself recommending the T-Roc all the time. It’s a very capable SUV, being small but practical enough for young families." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2022 Volkswagen T-Roc 1.0 TSI Life, 41,660 miles, £14,895

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Choosing the right family SUV can be difficult because there are so many out there to choose from. As a used buy, the Hyundai Tucson is our favourite. It’s a great option with the entry-level 148bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, which provides more than enough pace for everyday driving. We’d steer you towards the manual, because the automatic can be a bit slow to kick down for quick bursts of speed.

While it’s not quite as polished to drive as the closely related Kia Sportage, the Tucson is cheaper to buy. It’s also extremely well equipped, with top-spec Premium trim being particularly good value, giving you LED headlights, ambient lighting, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and an eight-speaker Krell sound system as standard.

The Tucson’s biggest strength is just how spacious and practical it is. It has room in the back for even the tallest of passengers, while the boot is one of the biggest in the class, being larger than those in the Nissan Qashqai and Volvo XC40.

"Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited warranty is one of the best in the business. I think it makes the Tucson particularly appealing, especially compared with the three-year warranties of most rivals." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2022 Hyundai Tucson 1.6 T-GDi Premium, 35,844 miles, £16,449

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The Volkswagen Polo is one of the most sophisticated small cars you can buy used. It has a smooth, supple ride, quiet driving manners and a spacious, well-built interior. With so many available on the used market, prices are competitive, too, starting from £6000 for early cars with high mileage. 

We’d steer you towards the 94bhp 1.0-litre petrol-engined Polo, with prices for these starting from £9000 for low mileage examples. It’s a great little engine, being punchier than the 90bhp engine in the Renault Clio. It’s also impressively efficient.

As for trims, SE is a great option. It comes with 15in alloy wheels, air conditioning, automatic emergency braking (AEB), front and rear electric windows and an 8.0in colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Match trim is good value, too, adding front and rear parking sensors and rear privacy glass.

"The beauty of the Polo is its broad range of petrol engines. I like the 114bhp 1.0-litre unit, but I think the 94bhp version is more than powerful enough. I’d avoid the laclustre 79bhp version." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2020 Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI Match, 42,699 miles, £11,500

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You might think a 1.2-litre petrol engine is too small for a big seven-seater, but the 128bhp 1.2-litre unit in the Peugeot 5008 is surprisingly pokey. It never feels short on power, with plenty of oomph when accelerating at low and high speeds. Fuel economy is excellent, too; it can average 55.4mpg, according to official tests.

As for the rest of the 5008, it’s a seriously practical and spacious family hauler. It has seven usable seats, with the third row seats being ideal for children or shorter adults. The second row seats slide, recline and fold individually, too.

To top things off, the 5008’s striking interior is packed with high-quality, tactile materials that give it a more premium feeling than the Seat Tarraco and Skoda Kodiaq. And yet, the 5008 is really good value, with prices starting from £10,000 for early high-mileage cars. Lower mileage examples cost upwards of £13,000.

"The 1.2-litre petrol engine in the 5008 does have the infamous wet belt, but issues can be avoided with regular maintenance. Alternatively, you can choose a 5008 from 2023 onwards, where the belt was replaced by a chain." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2023 Peugeot 5008 1.2 PureTech GT Line, 32,284 miles, £19,100

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The BMW X7 is vast, but this does bring a big benefit: it’s really spacious inside. Those in both the second and third rows have more head and leg room than you get in an Audi Q7 or Volvo XC90, which makes it a fantastic choice for families.

We suspect there will be few complaints by those sitting in the front of the X7. Every surface you look at, or touch, simply screams quality and craftsmanship, with leather and metal-effect finishes everywhere. And yet, prices for the X7 start at around £35,000 for higher-mileage examples, rising to about £40,000 for cars with lower mileage, giving you a lot of car for the money.

Then there’s the way the X7 drives, because the 335bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine is a great match for it, being smooth yet snarly when you put your put down, dispatching 0-62mph in 5.8sec. Meanwhile, the standard air suspension cushions occupants from bumps extremely well, while in its Sport setting, it keeps body roll nicely in check. It certainly handles better than a Land Rover Discovery.

"I love BMW’s 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine. It works well in the X7, being smooth, quiet and flexible." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

We found: 2019 BMW X7 3.0 40i M Sport, 31,453 miles, £46,990

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The Skoda Octavia stands out as a fantastic all-rounder. It’s cheaper to buy than a VW Golf and Audi A3, while also providing more interior space than the Seat Leon. Although the interior doesn’t feel quite as premium as those found in the Golf or A3, the Octavia more than makes up for it with its generous passenger room and huge boot.

Like those rivals, it comes with a broad range of petrol engines. These include 113bhp 1.0-litre, 148bhp 1.4-litre and 148bhp 1.5-litre units (the 1.5 replaced the 1.4 on later cars). If you can stretch to it, we reckon it’s worth stepping up to the 1.5-litre engine, because this provides the best balance of punch and economy.

While the Octavia starts from just £3000 for early high-mileage cars, newer facelift cars with the 1.5-litre petrol engine don’t cost a whole lot more, from around £5000. To get a low mileage example with our preferred engine, we’d recommend budgeting at least £9000, which is still undercuts key rivals. 

"I always recommend the 2013-2020 Octavia over the newer 2020-present model. Historically, it has performed better in the What Car? Reliability Survey." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2018 Skoda Octavia 1.5 TSI SE, 53,906 miles, £10,550

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The BMW 3 Series has many standout qualities, but one of its greatest strengths is its range of engines. Every option is impressive, but for petrol buyers, our favourite is the 181bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit in the 320i.

It may not be as thrilling as the 386bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder in the M340i, but it’s far better suited to everyday driving. The engine strikes an excellent balance, offering strong efficiency while still feeling lively enough for most situations. Its rev-happy character also complements the sporty nature of the 3 Series, helping it accelerate from 0-62mph in a respectable 7.4sec.

Elsewhere, the 3 Series is a very capable executive car, being more enjoyable and polished to drive than the Mercedes C-Class. It’s also more practical than that car, with more space in the front and back seats. Used prices for the 320i start from around £11,000, while cars with less than 50,000 miles on the clock cost upwards of £17,000.

"The iDrive infotainment system in the 3 Series is one of my favourites. It’s great that you get the option of using the touchscreen or the rotary control dial on the centre console." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2020 BMW 3 Series 2.0 320i Sport, 47,000 miles, £17,800

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Choosing a coupé doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort in the name of style, as the Audi TT demonstrates. This third-generation model is great fun to drive while striking an impressive balance between ride quality and handling, making it a comfortable choice for everyday use. Its plush interior also makes it a very pleasant place to spend time.

The TT comes with a range of excellent petrol engines. Even the smallest of the earlier options, the 1.8-litre petrol, delivers lively performance, while the 2.0-litre petrol offers the best mix of pace, refinement and efficiency, accelerating from 0-62mph in just 5.3sec and averaging 44.1mpg officially. The latter is our favourite, but it won’t break the bank – prices starting from the £10,000 mark. 

Adding to its appeal, the TT has a strong reliability record. In the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, it finished sixth out of 12 models in the coupés, convertibles and sports cars category with a solid score of 96.1%. The year before, it topped the category with the same rating.

"I love the TT’s interior. It’s minimalist, but functional, with the configurable driver’s display housing most of the functions." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2020 Audi TT 2.0 TFSI 40 Sport, 50,555 miles, £17,517

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No, you’re not going crazy, because the Skoda Octavia does indeed feature twice on this list. In this instance, though, we’re looking at the Skoda Octavia Estate, which is the best used petrol estate car you can buy.

It’s available with the same broad range of engines as the hatchback, of which the 148bhp 1.5-litre option is our favourite once again, but it powers an even more practical machine. The boot is absolutely vast, with 610 litres of space, which is more than the Ford Focus Estate (575 litres) and VW Golf Estate (605 litres). It even beats the BMW 3 Series Touring (500 litres) and Mercedes C-Class Estate (490 litres) for capacity.

Then there’s the value element, because used prices start from £3000 for high-mileage cars and £8000 for cars with less than 60,000 miles on the clock, which is extremely competitive. To get a lower mileage car with our preferred engine, prices are still reasonable, starting from £11,000. And for the money, you’ll be getting a comfortable and solidly-built car, making it a brilliant choice for families or those simply looking for a capable load lugger.

“The 1.5-litre petrol Octavia Estate is officially rated at 51.4mpg under WLTP testing, but my average real-world driving figures weren’t far off that.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2017 Skoda Octavia Estate 1.5 TSI SE L, 62,000 miles, £11,250

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A convertible is arguably best enjoyed with a smooth petrol engine than a grumbly diesel, and thankfully the BMW 4 Series Convertible offers several great options. Our pick is the 181bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine in the 420i, which is smooth, quiet and eager, making it an excellent choice for everyday driving. While the idea of the 3.0-litre straight-six M440i humming away with the roof down is undeniably appealing, the 420i is far more affordable to run.

Convertibles can sometimes feel compromised to drive, but the 4 Series Convertible largely avoids that pitfall. Its stiff structure means it doesn’t shimmy over bumps as much as the Audi A5 Cabriolet and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet do, resulting in a more composed and enjoyable driving experience.

The rest of the car is impressively well rounded. Inside, you’ll find a smart, high-quality interior and a user-friendly infotainment system that’s easy to get along with. Prices for used examples start from around £21,000, which doesn’t make it the cheapest convertible on the market, but given how capable and polished it is, we think it’s well worth the money.

"I was impressed by the boot in the 4 Series Convertible, which is longer, taller and wider than the one in the Audi A5 Cabriolet." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

We found: 2022 BMW 4 Series Convertible 2.0 420i M Sport, 37,000 miles, £25,995

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