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Best used coupés

Those interested in coupés that don't cost a fortune to buy or run, look no further. All these used options are good to drive and great value for money too...

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by
Oliver Young
Published16 July 2023

Used coupes

A sleek and stylish coupé will always be a desirable commodity. It's the kind of car you see on film posters and in pretentious fragrance ads. The best coupés exude class, elegance and athleticism – and, as a result, car makers tend to charge you a packet.

The used car market is a slightly different story. With age often comes lower prices, and this category is no exception, with many amazing options available. In other words, you can pick up a sleek and swoopy secondhand model for the price of a sensible new family hatchback.

Here are our top 10 favourites. All are suitably suave, great to drive and many even feature four or five doors (in the modern fastback coupé style). Read on and enjoy.

Strengths

  • Engaging handling
  • Well equipped
  • Comfortable front seats

Weaknesses

  • Not much grip
  • Cheap feeling interior
  • Not a genuine four-seater

The GT86 is an old-school, back-to-basics, rear-wheel-drive coupé. The relatively skinny tyres don't offer an abundance of grip, making the handling a bit more playful than more secure and planted rivals. It's good fun on the right road, and has an excellent driving position and a manual gearbox (an automatic is available if you prefer). 

We found: 2018 Toyota GT86 2.0 D-4S, 33,000 miles, £18,500

Find used Toyota GT86 cars for sale here

 

Strengths

  • Wonderful interior
  • Good refinement

Weaknesses

  • Restricted visibility
  • Some rivals are better to drive
  • Ride can be jiggly
  • Reliability a bit mixed

With a stunning interior, the latest CLA cuts quite a dash. It looks lavish, with great tech and lots of pizzazz. Meanwhile, the 221bhp turbo petrol engine in the 250 version delivers impressive performance, and the keen used-car pricing ensures it appeals to your wallet as well as your heart. It's a four-door coupé so it's fairly practical, and the boot is a good size at 460 litres, which is more than you’ll find in the regular Mercedes A-Class.

We found: 2020 Mercedes CLA C220d AMG Line Executive, 41,000 miles, £24,995

Find used Mercedes CLA cars for sale here

Our pick: C63 S Night Edition Premium Plus 2dr MCT

0-62mph: 3.9 sec
MPG/range: 25.7mpg
CO2 emissions: 249g/km
Seats: 4
Boot: 355 litres
Insurance group: 50E

Strengths

  • Comfortable ride on air suspension
  • Good handling
  • Smart interior

Weaknesses

  • C300 model is a bit lacklustre
  • Lazy automatic gearbox
  • Reliability average

This classy coupé is more than just a two-door version of the Mercedes C-Class saloon: great steps were made to make sure it drove as good as its looks promised. On the road, the C-Class Coupé is capable and composed, plus it handles competently, rides superbly and has a suitably smart interior. 

We found: 2020 Mercedes C-Class Coupé 200 AMG Line, 30,500 miles, £23,250

Find used Mercedes C-Class Coupe cars for sale here

Strengths

  • Desirable styling
  • Neat handling
  • Decent practicality

Weaknesses

  • Rear passenger space
  • Manual seat adjustment
  • Expensive to buy compared with some rivals

The previous-generation 2 Series Coupé is a fairly small car with rear-wheel drive, so it's a great option for those who really enjoy driving. It’s good for those who like saving on fuel, because diesel models are very frugal, and the petrol models are quick and smooth. The interior is well screwed together and contributes to the overall premium feel of the 2 Series. You also get the best infotainment system in the business.

We found: 2020 BMW 220i Coupé M Sport auto, 35,000 miles, £19,495

Find used BMW 2 Series cars for sale here

Strengths

  • Plush interior
  • Strong and smooth engines
  • Practical (by coupé standards)

Weaknesses

  • Steering could be sweeter
  • Not as well equipped as some alternatives
  • Firm sports suspension

This two-door A5 is a graceful grand tourer of a coupé, and few rivals can match its range of talents. Treats include tidy handling, a smart interior, a comfortable ride and great performance. The Mercedes E-Class Coupé can seat four people too, but the Audi infotainment system is easier to operate. There's also a five-door version, the Audi A5 Sportback.

We found: 2018 Audi A5 Coupé 2.0 TDI SE, 43,000 miles, £19,900

Find used Audi A5 cars for sale here

 

Strengths

  • Lovely interior
  • Refinement
  • Comfortable ride

Weaknesses

  • Vague steering
  • Awkward boot
  • Expensive infotainment option
  • Merc reliability a little mixed

If you don't need the four doors of the Mercedes CLS yet desire a suave and comfy four-seat coupé that’s good to drive and wears a premium badge, the E-Class Coupé satisfies – and then some. The design is sophisticated, with an understated elegance, and it shares its underpinnings with the Mercedes E-Class saloon, which is a good thing, because that’s a very competent executive car

We found: 2020 Mercedes E220d Coupé AMG Line, 68,000 miles, £31,995

Find used Mercedes E-Class Coupe cars for sale here

Our pick: 420i M Sport 2dr Step Auto

0-62mph: 7.5 sec
MPG/range: 44.8mpg
CO2 emissions: 144g/km
Seats: 4
Boot: 440 litres
Insurance group: 30E

Strengths

  • Entertaining driving experience
  • Rapid M440i
  • Smart interior

Weaknesses

  • Some rivals have bigger boots
  • Far from the cheapest used coupé on the market
  • Some road noise

This latest BMW 4 Series is a coupé version of the ever-popular 3 Series executive saloon with a wider rear end, a stiffer body and a lower centre of gravity, all of which combine to make this one of the most rewarding cars to drive currently on sale. In fact, all versions are great to drive. It's reasonably spacious and very well-finished, too. On top of that, a two-year-old version of our favourite 420i model now comes with a healthy saving on what you'd pay for a new one. 

We found: 2021 BMW 420d M Sport, 22,000 miles, £31,995

Find used BMW 4 Series cars for sale here

 

Strengths

  • Punchy, efficient engines
  • Well equipped
  • Spacious

Weaknesses

  • Auto 'box jerky in traffic
  • Potentially only average reliability
  • Not terribly exciting to drive

The Arteon shares parts with the 2015-2022 VW Passat but don't go thinking it's merely a glitzier version. It comes with a practical hatchback boot and has impressively punchy and efficient engines to choose from. It's well equipped, spacious and sophisticated, and for less than £20,000 you can put a 2019 model on your driveway, making it a bit of a used car bargain. 

We found: 2019 Volkswagen Arteon 1.5 TSI Elegance, 47,000 miles, £19,500

Find used VW Arteons cars for sale here

Our pick: 420i M Sport 5dr Step Auto

0-62mph: 7.9 sec
MPG/range: 41.5mpg
CO2 emissions: 154g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 470 litres
Insurance group: 30E

Strengths

  • More practical than the coupé
  • Standard electric tailgate
  • Excellent handling
  • Very affordable

Weaknesses

  • Dated interior
  • High boot lip
  • Firm M Sport suspension
  • Reliability a bit mixed

Admittedly, this isn't the latest and greatest model, but the previous iteration of the BMW 4 Series remains a thing to behold and it's much cheaper to buy. It’s smooth and refined, and you can get it with rear or four-wheel drive, and with a large range of excellent engines. It's not only a two-door coupé (or convertible): you can get it as a more desirable Gran Coupé too, with five doors and a decent-sized boot. Add top-notch infotainment and it's tough to beat. 

We found: 2020 BMW 430i Gran Coupé M Sport auto, 39,000 miles, £21,995

Find used BMW 4 Series cars for sale here

Strengths

  • Fabulous interior design and quality
  • Brilliant handling
  • Superb resale values

Weaknesses

  • Rear seats are cramped
  • Not very well equipped

Over the years, the Audi TT has managed to fend off all competition that tries to match its winning combination of class, practicality and fine driving dynamics. With sharp, agile handling, it's a joy to drive, and thanks to a class-leading interior and confidence-inspiring reliability, it's effortless to live with as well. With prices starting from just £10,000, it's simply a stellar buy and our favourite used coupé.

We found: 2021 Audi TT 2.0 TFSI Sport, 34,000 miles, £25,000

Find used Audi TTs for sale here