Best cars for £20,000 or less
£20k is serious used car money, these are our favourite buys for that kind of budget
£20,000 certainly isn’t small change, but the list of new cars that you can buy with this amount of cash is smaller than ever. Take a look at the used car market, though, and you’ll be spoilt for choice as there’s plenty of bargains to be found. To make your search as easy as possible, our experts have rounded up the best cars for £20,000 or less right here.
Our list contains a broad selection of cars from a variety of manufacturers, ranging from the sporty Cupra Formentor to the zero-emission Vauxhall Corsa Electric.
If you are tempted by one of the higher-end models that has suffered at the hands of depreciation, remember to account for running costs. Premium cars often demand equally-premium prices when it comes to maintenance and fuel bills, so your bargain could end up being costly if you aren’t careful.
Cupra Formentor
- Price new: £30,060
- Price now: £19,350
- Powertrain: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol, FWD
- Power: 148bhp
- 0-62mph: 8.9 seconds
Do you like the idea of a family SUV but don’t want to give up the sportiness of a hot hatchback? Cupra has your back with the Formentor. It’s almost as practical as rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai, but has a lower roofline with more aggressive styling and sportier driving manners.
When the Formentor was launched, there were some very keen lease deals that bolstered sales. Those cars are now being fed into the used market and although prices are above those of an equivalent Volkswagen Golf, the Formentor should retain more of its value in future.
There is a good choice of powertrains and specs, including a hybrid, but we think the V1 with the 1.5-litre TSI engine has enough equipment and performance to keep most drivers happy.
See our used Cupra Formentor deals
Ford Puma
- Price new: £25,635
- Price now: £16,495
- Powertrain: 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol, FWD
- Power: 123bhp
- 0-62mph: 9.8 seconds
Following the demise of the Fiesta, Ford’s little SUV, the Puma, has taken over as the company’s biggest seller, and it also topped the overall sales charts in the UK last year. It’s easy to see why, because it offers the raised driving position drivers love, together with fun dynamics, low running costs and reasonable practicality.
We found a late-2022 example in the sporty-looking ST-Line trim with 6,000 miles for £16,495 at a Ford dealer. The better-equipped ST-Line X commands a premium of around £500 at this age, while the automatic gearbox is slightly more desirable than the manual, too.
Make sure the service records are up to date, because the EcoBoost engines can suffer from poor reliability if they are neglected.
Kia Ceed
- Price new: £25,300
- Price now: £17,000
- Powertrain: 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol, FWD
- Power: 118bhp
- 0-62mph: 10.7 seconds
We are big fans of the Kia Ceed as a new car, but it arguably becomes even more convincing when it hits the second-hand market.
It’s good to drive, practical and has all the technology you expect, but it's usefully cheaper than a Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf at the same age and mileage, despite having the back-up of Kia’s seven-year warranty. That
means a 2023 Ceed will still be covered until 2030, while these rivals will only have a year left.
Although the posher trim levels such as the stylish GT-Line can seem tempting, the lowlier Ceeds have always made more sense, because they are still well equipped and the ride is more forgiving on smaller wheels. The ISG auto gearbox isn’t the best, so we would suggest keeping it simple with a 1.0T manual.
Toyota RAV4
- Price new: £47,340
- Price now: £19,950
- Powertrain: 2.5-litre 4-cylinder PHEV, AWD
- Power: 302bhp
- 0-62mph: 6.0 seconds
Toyota’s 4x4s have a reputation for toughness and reliability that is the envy of rivals, and it’s backed up by one of the best warranties in the business. Every Toyota in the UK is eligible for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles of cover, so long as you have the vehicle serviced on time at an official dealer.
That means the used prices are traditionally higher than rivals, but we think the Toyota RAV4 still makes a great buy. The first of the plug-in models are now starting to appear on the market at prices just below our £20,000 limit.
The PHEV is a genuinely efficient car, with a 30-mile-plus electric range and decent fuel economy, while it gets from 0-62mph 2.1 seconds faster than the hybrid RAV4.
See our used Toyota RAV4 deals
Vauxhall Corsa Electric
- Price new: £34,480
- Price now: £17,500
- Powertrain: 50kWh battery, 1x e-motor, FWD
- Power: 134bhp
- 0-62mph: 7.6 seconds
The bafflingly complex rules around emissions mean that car makers have to sell a certain amount of electric cars or face fines. The result of that is that some manufacturers have made up for any shortfall in sales by registering EVs as demonstrators and then selling them on at a knock-down price after a few weeks.
As a result there are some real bargains out there, especially if you fancy a supermini. We spotted several Vauxhall Corsa Electrics advertised with delivery mileage for £17,500, knocking almost half off the original list price for the range-topping Ultimate trim. The dealer we spoke to was keen to do a deal, so there’s a chance to bag even more of a bargain. All the Corsas we saw had the older 136bhp motor and 50kWh battery, with a still-decent 222-mile range.
See our used Vauxhall Corsa Electric deals
Volvo S90
- Price new: £47,800
- Price now: £18,500
- Powertrain: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder diesel, AWD
- Power: 233bhp
- 0-62mph: 6.7 seconds
When choosing a new executive car, the default option is to head to a German brand’s showroom. But in the used market we’d suggest you might find a deal from a less obvious source: Volvo.
The Swedish company is best known for its estates and SUVs, but the S90 is a forgotten gem in the big-saloon sector and represents great second-hand value as a result. It’s comfortable, spacious and efficient, with dynamics that encourage you to make the most of the refinement rather than trying to set new lap records.
The diesel and PHEV powertrains are the most prevalent and are a popular choice as executive chauffeur cars, so many will have high mileages and should therefore be more affordable. But we found a 2019 D5 AWD with the desirable R Design pack for £18,500 with only 51,000 miles. That’s a lot of car for the money.
Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from...
Used cars under £20,000
2023 Hyundai
Kona
6,862 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £15,9002018 Volkswagen
Tiguan AllSpace
56,909 milesManualPetrol1.4L
Cash £16,4212024 BMW
2 Series Gran Coupe
38,386 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £18,1482020 Volkswagen
Golf
21,140 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £15,2952022 Ford
Focus
16,909 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £18,7092022 Peugeot
2008
28,990 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L
Cash £15,2332019 Nissan
X-Trail
34,347 milesAutomaticDiesel1.8L
Cash £17,4952021 Kia
Ceed Sportswagon
14,782 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £16,6882021 Honda
Civic
35,188 milesAutomaticPetrol1.0L
Cash £15,0792020 Volkswagen
Tiguan
20,780 milesManualDiesel2.0L
Cash £19,2912024 BMW
2 Series Gran Coupe
31,721 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £19,4752026 Volkswagen
Polo
12,035 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £16,5002023 Ford
Puma
18,604 milesAutomaticPetrol1.0L
Cash £19,3892020 Hyundai
Tucson
12,779 milesManualDiesel1.6L
Cash £17,2002020 MINI
5-Door Hatch
8,929 milesManualPetrol2.0L
Cash £17,5322023 Ford
Puma
14,930 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £17,9002022 MG
HS
49,221 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L
Cash £16,4952021 Honda
Civic
24,299 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £15,9952023 Ford
Puma
23,597 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £16,9952020 Honda
HR-V Hybrid
36,981 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £16,3952019 Ford
Fiesta ST
16,232 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £19,652