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Hyundai has transformed itself from a maker of oddball hatchbacks that sold in small numbers in the UK, to a major rival to the likes of Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

The Korean firm’s Ioniq Hybrid is particularly impressive, having beaten the trend-setting Toyota Prius when we tested the cars back to back.

Meanwhile, at the extremes of the Hyundai range you find the tiny i10 city car – a four-time What Car? award winner – and the stylish yet family-friendly Santa Fe SUV.

As a bonus, all of these cars come with the reassurance of a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, whereas most of Hyundai’s rivals offer only three years and 60,000 miles of cover.

HYUNDAI

ELANTRA

It's very cheap, but most rivals are better to drive and more spacious

Used Hyundai Elantra Saloon 2001 - 2006

The Elantra sheds value quickly over its first three years, but after that, depreciation is pretty average. So the Elantra adds up as a used buy, financially at least.

Servicing won't be cheap. Routine maintenance at a franchised dealer will set you back more than, say, for a Ford Mondeo or Vauxhall Vectra. Independent garages will be cheaper, but remember that they must carry out work to the manufacturer's standards if you want to keep that five-year warranty valid.

If your Elantra is still under warranty, that should take care of unscheduled repairs, although Hyundais rarely go wrong so you shouldn't have too much of a problem there.

Or at the fuel pumps: the petrols give mid- to high-30s to the gallon and the diesel mid-40s. Insurance, too, is reasonable, with group eight for the 1.6 and group 13 for the 2.0 petrol and diesel.

It's very cheap, but most rivals are better to drive and more spacious

Earlier cars offer three engines and all have something in their favour.

The 1.6 petrol is quite flexible and offers good fuel economy, while the 2.0 petrol isn't that much thirstier but is a fair bit swifter. The third option is a 2.0 turbodiesel, which is noisier and less refined than the petrols but has far more mid-range pull and better economy - both very welcome in the real world. On later cars, the petrols were dropped from the line-up, so you're looking at diesel only.

You can consider this saloon, but we'd go for the practicality of the five-door hatch, despite the fact that even that isn't hugely roomy for a full-sized family car.

All models do well for kit. Even the base Si model has air-con, CD player, electric front windows and remote central locking. The GSi, our choice, ups that further, with alloy wheels, climate control and leather seats.

Hyundai dealers are the place to find a good one, but the classifieds can throw up gems, too.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of practical space </li> <li>Low running costs </li> <li>A comfortable ride </li> <li>A healthy equipment list </li> <li>Quality materials and thoughtful touches inside </li> <li>Rock-solid reliability</li></ul>

Family cars arguably have the toughest brief of all: they have to be good at pretty much everything. They’re used as the daily drive, on the school run or work commute (often both), and have to be able to cope with a family’s clutter on weekends and holidays.

The Skoda Scala is a relative newcomer, but it's&nbsp;already carved out a name for itself in this segment.&nbsp;If you're looking for a moderately priced car that combines a supple ride, neat handling, a spacious interior and a capacious boot&nbsp;it's well worth a look.&nbsp;Alternatively, if you're looking for entertaining handling then the&nbsp;BMW 1 Series may well be for you. It's great to drive, rides well&nbsp;and also comes with a top-notch interior, featuring one of our very favourite infotainment systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Toyota Corolla&nbsp;is another great choice. This latest version of one of the world's best-selling cars of all time can be had with a choice of two different petrol-electric hybrid engines, both of which should mean&nbsp;potentially lower fuel bills. It's comfortable, well equipped and should be very reliable, too.&nbsp;

Family

The Elantra tends to appeal to those who take good care of their cars, so tracking down a meticulously maintained, immaculate car shouldn't be too hard. If a car you're looking at is in merely average nick, keep searching.

The Elantra is very dependable, with no widely reported common faults. Even so, insist on a full service history and watch out for signs of abuse.

Too many knocks against the kerb can put the wheels out of alignment, so avoid cars with uneven tyre wear and those that don't drive straight.

Watch out, too, for cabin damage caused by a careless family. Check the air-con blows cold - it's potentially expensive to fix if it doesn't.

On low-mileage cars, ensure the engine runs smoothly and is free from knocking noises. Chances are, such a car will have done most of its running on a cold engine, when most damage occurs. Likewise, the exhaust and brakes will have had a harder life on low-mileage town cars, so you may need to budget on replacing them if you go for a low-miler.

If you want a solidly screwed together, reliable and well-equipped new-ish car for not a lot of cash, the Elantra should be on your shopping list. When they first rolled out of the new car showroom, they had a five-year warranty, so used ones benefit from the reassuring manufacturer safety net for longer.

What you won't get is an enjoyable car to drive or as much room as most other family cars. In fact, cabin and luggage space are closer to those of small family cars, such as the Ford Focus, than the Mondeos and Vectras of this world.

The Elantra saloon and hatch both drive reasonably well, but they don't handle brilliantly - there's little front-end grip, and steering that's more vague than a politician on Newsnight. The engines are mediocre, too. On the positive side, they're stashed full of kit and, if you can put up with the tyre roar, reasonably refined on a long haul.

Used Hyundai Elantra Saloon 2001 - 2006 review

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The Elantra sheds value quickly over its first three years, but after that, depreciation is pretty average. So the Elantra adds up as a used buy, financially at least.,Servicing won't be cheap. Routine maintenance at a franchised dealer will set you back more than, say, for a Ford Mondeo or Vauxhall Vectra. Independent garages will be cheaper, but remember that they must carry out work to the manufacturer's standards if you want to keep that five-year warranty valid.,If your Elantra is still under warranty, that should take care of unscheduled repairs, although Hyundais rarely go wrong so you shouldn't have too much of a problem there.Or at the fuel pumps: the petrols give mid- to high-30s to the gallon and the diesel mid-40s. Insurance, too, is reasonable, with group eight for the 1.6 and group 13 for the 2.0 petrol and diesel.

Find out how much the Hyundai Elantra 2001 - 2006 costs to run, covering expected MPG, servicing costs and insurance costs.

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Used Hyundai Elantra Saloon 2001 - 2006 review

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