Performance car

The best performance cars combine sports car-rivalling acceleration with engaging handling. However, they also retain the impressive everyday usability of the conventional saloons and estates on which they're based.

There are precious few cheap options in this part of the market, but you’ll find options which are many and varied, and powered by petrol and electricity – or in some cases, a blend of both.

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Audi S8

from £106,955
Crushingly fast yet comfortable and refined. Just don’t expect sports car cornering thrills.

Porsche Taycan

from £82,990
Porsche's first modern electric car, the Taycan now offers faster charging and a longer range
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New Aston Martin Vanquish

from £335,745
The Aston Martin Vanquish delivers stunning looks and old-school charm, but it’s not as polished as its more modern rivals.

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

from £39,995
The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé is surprisingly practical and good fun to drive, although the ride can be a problem on bigger wheels

BMW M4

from £73,784
The M4 is every bit as visceral to drive as the M3, but lacks the latter’s practicality and lower price.

Mercedes-AMG A45

from £30,430
The Mercedes A45 AMG is ferociously quick in a straight line and round corners. However, rivals such as the BMW M135i are cheaper and more engaging.

BMW M3

from £76,000
One of the best four-door sports saloons you can buy. It's quite frenetic, though, and only really comes alive when driven hard.

Porsche 718 Spyder RS

from £131,245
The Porsche 718 Spyder RS offers the ultimate drop-top sports car driving experience

Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo

from £89,265
Combines the regular Taycan’s sensational driving experience with the slightly bigger boot, roomier rear seats and greater visibility of the Cross Turismo

Audi E-tron GT

from £69,999
Audi’s electric performance car combines sleek looks with a great driving experience and surprising practicality

Hyundai Ioniq 6 N

from £63,992
Hyundai’s electric performance car combines aggressive looks with ferocious performance and fast charging

Porsche 911

from £108,605
The Porsche 911 is a fantastic sports car and one of the few you can live with every day. Lower-end models are world-class and define the sports car category

New Toyota GR Yaris

from £46,195
The GR Yaris is one of the most characterful and entertaining hot hatches of the decade

Honda Civic Type R

from £29,949
The Honda Civic Type R offers awesome performance and precise handling, and yet it's also a practical and comfortable everyday car.

BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupé

from £87,120
An even better high-performance compromise between pace, handling and usability than the closely related BMW M8 Gran Coupé

Mercedes CLE

from £44,410
The CLE Coupé is quick and comfortable with a great range of engines but it's a pricey choice

Ferrari Purosangue

from £364,293
The V12-powered Ferrari Purosangue is the ultimate driver's SUV – with a price tag to match

BMW Alpina B4 Gran Coupé

from £93,215
It won’t lap as quickly as an M4, but the B4 S is still a seriously fast, comfortable and agile sports coupé

New Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

from £40,995
To drive, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is as good as performance cars get, even if it’s not quite as plush inside as its best rivals

Bentley Continental GT

from £202,570
The Bentley Continental GT might not be the best handling coupé, but it excels in comfort and luxury. The V8 makes the most sense.

BMW M2

from £60,950
The BMW M2 is huge fun, fast and pretty practical by sports car standards, too.

Volkswagen Golf R

from £22,990
With superb performance and four-wheel drive, the VW Golf R is one of the quickest cars point to point, but a Honda Civic Type R is more fun

Tesla Model S

from £95,990
The Tesla Model S is a groundbreaking electric car that's both desirable and capable. If it fits into your lifestyle, it’s a superb choice

Lamborghini Urus

from £213,615
It may not be the sensible SUV choice, but the Lamborghini Urus blends jaw-dropping pace with comfort and enough practicality to be usable every day

Audi RS3

from £61,975
The Audi RS3 isn’t the sharpest hot hatch, but no rival can match its all-weather pace and high quality interior.

Audi S7

from £47,351
The S7 is a comfortable, quiet, spacious and fast performance version of the Audi A7

Porsche Panamera

from £94,500
The Porsche Panamera is comfortable, luxurious and superb to drive.

Audi RS6

from £103,875
The RS6 has great performance and a family-friendly body. However, it’s not much fun to drive and the ride is uncomfortable.

Ferrari F8 Tributo

from £206,835
Staggeringly fast and capable. One of the best supercars on the planet.

New BMW 2 Series Coupé

from £34,982
A great option if you want something a bit sexier than a hatchback that can still carry four passengers.
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