Top 10 used family cars for less than £10,000

Looking for a family car? Got £10,000 to spend? You’re in luck – that budget is still enough to buy yourself a decent used example, with all the mod cons you’ve always wanted.

What’s more, most modern family cars have plenty going for them: impressive safety, lots of technology and a choice of efficient and punchy petrol and diesel engines. So whether you want a family hatchback that’s smart and sophisticated, practical and functional, or simply great value for money, there’s something here for you.

But which one do we rate as the best you can buy for this budget? Read on for the answer...

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The ninth-generation Honda Civic is a solid used car choice because it's reliable and extremely practical. This practicality is due in no small part to the big boot, and the versatility of the 'magic' seats that can be made to fold up like cinema chairs. It may not be the best to drive on this list, but it is safe and has plenty of grip, plus post-2014 cars got automatic emergency braking as standard.

We found: 2017 Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC S Nav, 81,000 miles, £9950

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Pros

• Very reliable
• 1.6 diesel is free to tax
• Big boot

Cons

• Limited rear headroom
• Fussy dashboard
• Expensive to buy

The latest Vauxhall Astra's best facet as a used buy is its value. The Astra isn't just cheap, though; it's a great car, with neat handling, a comfortable ride and some great engines in the range. True, it doesn't quite have the high-quality feel of some of its best rivals, but it still feels more solid than most - and when you consider how cheap it is, its minor flaws are very forgivable.

We found: 2019 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 125 SRi Nav, 39,000 miles, £9999

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Pros

• Spacious interior
• Relatively cheap to buy
• Well equipped

Cons

• Vague steering
• Diesels can be noisy
• Low-speed ride can be fidgety

The Kia Cee’d's trump card is its enormous warranty – you get seven years’ worth, although it’s limited to 100,000 miles in the last four of those. Granted, it's not that much fun to drive, but if you're not overly fussed about that, the Cee’d is a comfortable, spacious and well-built family car that offers you plenty of peace of mind.

We found: 2018 Kia Cee'd 1.6 GDi 2, 30,000 miles, £9999

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Pros

• Spacious
• Some newer models could have up to seven years of warranty cover
• Well equipped

Cons

• Rivals are better to drive
• Lifeless steering
• Others are more economical

The Hyundai i30's five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty isn't quite as long as the one from Kia, but it's slightly cheaper to buy, making it terrific value. With an example this new, you’ll still have some of that left. The i30’s a good family car, too, with a spacious, robustly built interior, a comfortable ride and plenty of standard equipment.

We found: 2018 Hyundai i30 1.0T GDi SE, 19,000 miles, £9950

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Pros

• Long warranty
• Low prices
• Useful boot

Cons

• Sluggish performance
• Bland to drive
• Tight rear seat space

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 as its more functional rivals, though, but it's got punchy engines, entertaining handling and a fantastic infotainment system. Our money buys an older car, which is why it doesn't finish higher up this chart.

We found: 2017 BMW 1 Series 116i Sport, 50,000 miles, £9995

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Pros

• Strong performance
• Economy in diesel versions
• Class-leading infotainment system

Cons

• Rear room a little tight
• Not as well equipped as some
• Relatively high prices

The Ford Focus is the most popular family car in the UK. It’s good to drive, decent value to buy and cheap to maintain. Downsides? Well, its interior design is a bit fussy and cheap feeling and the boot’s on the small side. But if you can live with those flaws, you’ll have one of the most entertaining family hatchbacks going.

We found: 2018 Ford Focus 1.5 TDCi 120 Zetec Edition, 20,000 miles, £9998

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Pros

• Class-leading handling
• Lots to choose from
• Well equipped

Cons

• Small boot
• Automatic gearbox reliability
• Button-heavy interior

We’re huge fans of the Mk7 Golf, but it is a bit expensive, and as a result, for this price, you’ll probably have to put up with a slightly older car than some of its best rivals here. Nevertheless, if you can live with that age, you do get some great benefits: a classy interior, a comfortable ride, involving handling, a spacious interior and impressive safety standards. It's a great car.

We found: 2017 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI 105 5dr Match, 50,000 miles, £9995

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Pros

• Smooth ride
• Enjoyable to drive
• Upmarket interior

Cons

• Not as cheap as some rivals
• Could be more spacious
• Question marks over reliability

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 being an older car for the money.

We found: 2017 Audi A3 1.4 TSI 110 SE 5dr, 50,000 miles, £9950

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Pros

• Strong engines
• Beautifully finished interior
• Great to drive

Cons

• Not as spacious as the VW Golf in the back
• Firm low-speed ride
• Lower trims sparsely equipped

The Leon is a little way off the Golf in terms of the quality of its interior, but that still puts it ahead of most other rivals on this list. You still get the same great choice of engines as the Golf and even the more premium Audi A3, too. Plus, the Leon is great fun to drive, all of which makes it look like a better value alternative to the Golf – not to mention, one wearing an arguably slightly sharper suit.

We found: 2019 Seat Leon 1.2 TSI Dynamic Tech, 30,000 miles, £9995

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Pros

• Good to drive
• Well equipped
• Cheap to buy and run

Cons

• Firm ride
• Not as refined as some rivals
• Bland interior

Better value than the Golf and the A3, and more spacious than the Leon, the Skoda Octavia is the most practical car here. Its interior isn’t as classy as the Volkswagen’s or the Audi's, but it's much bigger. Also helping make the Octavia’s case is the fact that it gets plenty of standard equipment, and that it’s delightfully smooth at high speeds, making it a splendid long-distance cruiser. It's a terrific all-round car.

We found: 2018 Skoda Octavia 1.0 TSI SE, 30,000 miles, £9995

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Pros

• Smart, spacious and practical interior
• Cheap to buy and run
• Well equipped

Cons

• Not as comfortable as a Golf
• Pricier models best avoided
• Entry-level S trim is a bit basic

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