Used Car of the Year 2025 is the BMW 3 Series

The Auto Express Used Car Award winners have been announced for 2025 with our expert road testers choosing their top picks from today's used car market across all the main market sectors. Plus our overall Used Car of the Year.

Often it can be tricky to choose our overall champion, and this year was no exception; the team debated the pros and cons of all the cars in the running, taking into account the things that stood out about our top three choices.

In the end, though, we managed to settle on this year’s winner with one easy question: if it was your money, which car would you buy?

With that in mind, the answers that came back resulted in a near-unanimous decision: the BMW 3 Series is our Used Car of the Year for 2025.

It’s a car with heaps of appeal. Whether you’re in the market for a fuel-sipping diesel or a fire-breathing M3 – or anything in between – the 3 Series line-up has you covered. Plug-in hybrids allow for electric-only driving on local trips, and six-cylinder petrols are both smooth and powerful.

Then there are the various bodystyles, too. While the saloons are the most common models on the used market, the Touring estates add an extra dose of practicality without skimping on style. The separate opening glass rear panel boosts versatility in a way that is rare on other wagons, too.

But whichever derivative you go for, the rest of the package leaves you feeling like there’s no compromise at all. Ride and handling are as good as it gets, making even the most affordable models a joy to drive. It’s always easier to appreciate the driving experience from within a smart cabin, and when it comes to both design and build quality, the 3 Series once again does not disappoint.

Best of all for used-car buyers, the popularity of the 3 Series when new means the choice on  the second-hand market is pretty much endless, allowing you to bide your time and find one in the perfect specification and best possible condition.

The 3 Series is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2025, but scooping our overall Used Car of the Year award shows that it’s as good today as it has been over any of the previous five decades.

What we said: "The popularity of the 3 series when new means that the used choice is pretty much endless, allowing you to find a car in the perfect specification."

BUY A USED BMW 3 SERIES NOW

Silver: Jaguar I-Pace

The choice has never been better for any buyers in the market for a used electric car. Even some of the most upmarket and priciest options when new are now dropping to tempting levels, and our 2025 Used Car of the Year runner-up is a shining example of how affordable a luxurious car can be, while also being great to drive and rewarding to own.

The Jaguar I-Pace feels like a million dollars inside, yet your bank balance will never let on, because there are so many second-hand examples available for less than £20,000. For that sort of price, you’d be looking at a BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class that’s a year or two older and with much less performance on offer.

In addition to smooth, silent and punchy electric motors, the Jaguar provides a brilliant drive – on both the straights and the twisty bits. It also has solid refinement and loads of space inside, plus the added bonus of a huge 656-litre boot.

BUY A USED JAGUAR I-PACE NOW

Bronze: Skoda Fabia

For all the premium quality of the BMW and the flashiness of the Jaguar, many buyers just need a simple, dependable car that’ll get them from A to B on a modest budget. And while there are many superminis that fit that bill, none can match the Skoda Fabia.

Roomy enough inside and sufficiently competent on the road to give a pleasant surprise to any buyers stepping down from a larger car, the Fabia feels impressively solid for such a small car. Comfort and refinement are great, while the cabin feels as plush as we’ve come to expect from much bigger Skodas, with generous standard equipment.

The strong engine line-up – all of which deliver low fuel consumption – adds the icing on this Fabia-shaped cake. With smart three-year old examples floating around the classifieds at the £13,000-£14,000 mark, it’s a bit of a bargain, too. Overall then, it’s a richly deserved top-three finish for one of the best-value used cars in the UK.

BUY A USED SKODA FABIA NOW

Used Car Awards 2025: the best used cars to buy now

Click the links in the table for our in-depth guide to all the top models in each award category.

Used BMW 3 Series for sale

2020 BMW

3 Series

75,000 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £15,750

View 3 Series

2018 BMW

3 Series

68,000 milesManualPetrol2.0L

Cash £11,000

View 3 Series

2022 BMW

3 Series

49,950 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £22,449

View 3 Series

2026 BMW

3 Series

31,000 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L

Cash £27,547

View 3 Series

2020 BMW

3 Series

57,554 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £14,850

View 3 Series

2018 BMW

3 Series

62,620 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L

Cash £9,495

View 3 Series

2022 BMW

3 Series

37,000 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L

Cash £22,450

View 3 Series

2022 BMW

3 Series

90,361 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L

Cash £12,422

View 3 Series

2022 BMW

3 Series

79,739 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L

Cash £15,189

View 3 Series

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