Ford Focus alternatives: ten cars to consider instead of the family hatch icon
As the Ford Focus prepares to bow out, we suggest some other great cars worthy of your attention
Since it arrived in 1998, the Ford Focus has been one of the best family hatchbacks you can buy. It was practical, had a wide variety of trim levels to suit every need and above all, was genuinely fun to drive.
However, as with the Fiesta and Mondeo a couple of years ago, Ford has decided to pull the plug on the car, despite its incredible success, and production will halt later this year.
You might think the void left by the Focus means there’s nothing left for the traditional hatchback buyer – but let us prove you wrong as here we list some great alternatives, several offering conservative bodystyles and powertrains, plus others that may tempt you into the fashionable land of SUVs, fastback saloons and even EVs.
Volkswagen Golf
- Prices from £27,760
Even when the Ford Focus was dominating the market, the Volkswagen Golf was never far behind, and the two had quite the rivalry over the years. The Ford may have been better to drive, but you could always rely on VW to put together the classiest cabin in this segment.
The Golf range starts at £27,760 in Life trim and as you’d expect from a VW it comes with a load of kit as standard, including built-in sat-nav, keyless start, adaptive cruise control, a 12.9-inch touchscreen and a wireless smartphone charger. Like a few of the cars on this list, the Golf is also available with a more practical estate body, and there’s a decent selection of powertrains; hot hatch enthusiasts are well catered for by the GTI and R variants.
Peugeot 308
- Prices from £31,820
Unlike the Focus and the Golf, the Peugeot 308 comes with the added flexibility of pure-electric power in the E-308 edition. There are also diesel, mild-hybrid petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains on offer, so there really is something to suit most needs in the Peugeot hatch.
One area where the 308 isn’t so varied is its line-up of trim levels. Here, you have the option of Allure or GT, which starts at £31,820 with the mild-hybrid. The interior of the 308 is a huge step forward from its predecessor when it comes to quality and technology, but it’s worth mentioning that the bold i-Cockpit set-up with a small steering wheel and high-set dash display won’t suit everyone. And while the boot capacity (all 412 litres of it) is impressive, it impinges on rear passenger space a tad.
Vauxhall Astra
- Prices from £25,245
The Vauxhall Astra’s longevity is incredible and the current model is the most impressive yet, even if there isn’t a hot-blooded VXR version topping the range. Sitting on the same platform as its Peugeot 308 sibling, the Astra offers all the variety of the French car, but starts in a more basic Griffin trim, bringing the starting price down to £25,245.
We’d argue that the Astra has even more striking looks than the Peugeot and while it’s not as engaging from behind the wheel as a Ford Focus, it offers a refined and well mannered driving experience. The Vauxhall is a little pricey in plug-in hybrid or pure-electric form, however, and as in the 308, back-seat passengers might find things a little cramped.
Citroen C4
- Prices from £22,295
The cheapest car on this list comes in the form of the Citroen C4, which in its mild-hybrid petrol guise starts from £22,295. However, the C4 has more appeal than just its entry price tag. It’s also available in all-electric e-C4 trim, and Citroen’s hatchback has a slightly raised ride height to help it negotiate speed bumps and kerbs. It’s not the most fun car to drive, but it rides beautifully thanks to Citroen’s ‘Advanced Comfort’ set-up.
Recently facelifted for 2025, the C4 comes with a 10-inch touchscreen and 5.5-inch driver’s display as standard, along with 18-inch alloy wheels and automatic dual-zone air-conditioning, but overall it’s not as well equipped as some others – or as practical. Whether you choose a petrol or mild-hybrid C4, or the fully electric e-C4, you’ll get a fairly average 380 litres of boot space, with 1,250 litres available with the rear seats lowered.
Toyota Corolla
- Prices from £30,505
The Toyota Corolla is in its 12th generation now and remains not just a popular choice on British taxi ranks, but globally too. Toyota’s family hatch comes in both hatch or estate bodystyles and relies on a choice of two hybrid powertrains – a 1.8-litre or 2.0-litre with 138bhp or 193bhp respectively (although a 2025 update will drop the 2.0-litre down to 176bhp).
The real reason why the Corolla has become such a powerhouse in the UK is its excellent efficiency, which has seen it steal sales from its Prius sibling. Both engines can return 64.1mpg on a combined cycle, the best of the mild hybrids available on this list. As if that wasn’t enough, the Corolla is also far better-looking than many of its predecessors, steers well, soaks up rough roads nicely and boasts build quality that’s at least a match for any other car in the segment.
Honda Civic
- Priced from £35,505
You get the sense that Honda really tried with the latest-generation Civic. The interior especially looks slick (despite a relatively dinky nine-inch touchscreen) and feels sturdy with premium materials used throughout – which is all for the best, given the range’s starting price these days.
With the exception of the brilliant Type R hot hatch, every Civic uses the same 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain. It’s a clever set-up that packs two batteries, two electric motors and a CVT to provide efficiency and smoothness. Some of that finely tuned balance from the Type R must have filtered down to the hybrid model, because it’s surprisingly agile on the road. True, the space in the rear seats isn’t the most generous, but pop open that rakish bootlid and you’ll find a healthy 410-litre capacity back there.
Nissan Qashqai
- Priced from £30,135
You may not have complete faith in the UK public’s choices and tastes, but the Nissan Qashqai must be doing something right to have been one of the nation’s best-selling cars for the past decade. As a mid-size SUV, the Qashqai packs all the benefits of a traditional family hatchback into a more fashionable bodystyle.
The Qashqai doesn’t exceed in any particular area, but it still scores strongly in terms of safety, practicality, drivability and equipment. An efficient mild-hybrid engine is perhaps the best choice for the majority of buyers, offering a decent mix of power and fuel economy, while the range-topping e-Power hybrid provides smooth EV-style running with the familiarity and dependability of a petrol tank.
Skoda Octavia
- Priced from £27,390
Our Family Car of the Year, the Skoda Octavia, is a great alternative to the Ford Focus, because there’s a version to suit almost everyone’s needs. The 1.5-litre petrol is an ideal frugal fuel-sipper for the school run, while the 2.0-litre diesel is great for long-distance motorway miles and the hot vRS offers plenty of power for keener drivers. If the Skoda’s roomy fastback boot isn’t big enough, there’s even a more practical Octavia Estate.
The Octavia’s versatility goes beyond its engines and form factor, however. Even the base SE Technology car has a long equipment list, plus supple suspension makes it comfortable to drive and a tight chassis tune on the vRS even makes it somewhat engaging on a B-road. Throw in a surprisingly premium-feeling interior that betrays the competitive price, and you’ll see why it’s a perennial favourite here at Auto Express.
MG4 EV
- Priced from £26,995
Wind the clock back a few years and the concept of an electric family car costing broadly the same as petrol-powered rivals seemed preposterous. However, the MG4 rewrote the rulebook, providing a more accessible route to electric family car ownership, with a price tag that was up to £5,000 cheaper than on some ICE rivals.
Under Chinese ownership, MGs of late have struggled to channel the British marque’s sportscar DNA. Thankfully, with a rear-wheel-drive set-up and light-yet-sharp steering, this is not the case for the MG4 – particularly the range-topping XPower model, with its frankly ludicrous 3.8-second 0-62mph time. On the other hand, efficiency is also a strong suit of MG’s family hatch, with healthy miles-per-kilowatt-hour figures in our real-world tests proving that it’s as cheap to run as it is to buy.
Ford Puma
- Priced from £26,350
Picking up the mantle as Ford’s go-to small family car after the Focus is gone is arguably the model that resulted in its axing in the first place. The Ford Puma has been a runaway success for the Blue Oval, being the UK’s best-selling car for the last two years. Whether it’s in standard petrol guise, the sporty ST or even the fully electric Gen-E, all versions of the Puma are attractive buys thanks to their stylish looks and sharp driving characteristics.
And while it may actually be based on the smaller and also recently discontinued Fiesta, the Puma is actually more practical than the larger Focus in several ways. Firstly, its raised SUV driving position provides improved visibility in tight spots. In addition, its rather large 450-litre boot is around 75 litres larger than the Focus offered. The only real drawback is a slightly more cramped rear compartment, but the Puma is still competitive with small SUV rivals and if you’re a family with small children, this shouldn’t be too much of a dealbreaker.
Our dealer network has 1,000s of great value new cars in stock and available now right across the UK. Find your new car…
