Used Car Hunter: small and fun hatchbacks for £13,000
Our Car Hunter has a budget of £13,000 for a small and fun warm hatchback
Dear Auto Express, I’m after a warm hatchback for £13,000 with no more than 40,000 miles on the clock. Any ideas? - Tom Carpenter, E-mail
In a world of eye-wateringly quick electric cars and 400bhp hyper hatches, it’s all too easy to overlook one of motoring’s simple pleasures: the well sorted supermini with a decent amount of power.
The Volkswagen up! GTI is the perfect example. It produces a modest 113bhp, but has only just over a tonne to push along, and sounds rorty while doing so.
If you want something bigger, the Ford Fiesta has long been the driver’s choice among small hatchbacks. It’s particularly sharp in ST-Line guise, and although it lacks the fully fledged ST badge, the Fiesta is an absorbing companion.
Like the Ford, the Suzuki Swift Sport packs 138bhp into a small footprint, and with its low kerbweight and pliant suspension set-up, it flows along bumpy roads very nicely. It feels surprisingly peppy, and slipping into the snug bucket seats adds to the racy feel.
Here's our expert pick of the three best warm small hatchback available for a budget of £13,000, together with links to buy them through our Find a Car service…
Ford Fiesta ST-Line - the polished choice
- For: Eager handling, sporty looks, ample performance
- Against: Cheap materials, permanent stability control
With slender headlights and a subtle, sporty bodykit, the ST-Line is the raciest Ford Fiesta to look at, bar the hottest ST version. It backs up those looks on the road, too. All Fiestas have a well honed precision, but the ST-Line goes further, with a tauter feel. It’s a bigger car than the up!, but still compact enough to thread neatly along narrow roads.
However, as with the Volkswagen, the stability control can’t be switched off, which does keep a lid on how much fun you can have. With a budget of £13,000, you can bag a 2018 Fiesta that’s covered less than 19,000 miles.
The Fiesta’s seat and wheel are widely adjustable, which allows a low-slung, sporty driving position, and quality is generally very good. While you can see the occasional cheap-feeling piece of plastic, the overall design is attractive and more modern than the Suzuki’s. Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment system isn’t particularly cutting-edge, but it does the job, plus both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available and give a slicker interface. The cabin is spacious as well; there’s more room in the back than in the VW, allowing even taller adults to fit. The Ford’s 311-litre boot is the biggest of this trio, too.
Used Ford Fiesta ST-Line deals
Volkswagen up! GTI - the nimble choice
- For: Chuckable handling, zippy engine, compact size
- Against: Short of steering feel, ESP can’t be switched off
The Volkswagen up! GTI doesn’t shout about its sporting abilities – partly because it’s not particularly fast, but mostly because VW’s understated approach works as well here as in the original Golf GTI. The up! GTI is lively enough, though. A 0-62mph time of 8.8 seconds doesn’t sound encouraging, but exercising the engine and slicing your way through the manual gearbox is one of the joys of the GTI.
It’s the smallest car here, too, so you can really enjoy the chassis; we just wish you could loosen the reins of the ESP. With £13,000, you can buy a 25,000-mile example from 2020.
Inside, the up! really shines. The GTI gets a sporty, flat-bottomed steering wheel, cloth sports seats and red graphics on the dashboard, the latter of which may not be to all tastes. The build quality is good, though, with a satisfying heft to the major controls. There’s a five-inch colour screen, but owners will need to rely on the car’s integrated smartphone holder and the Maps + More app for more extensive infotainment features. The up! Is surprisingly roomy for a small car, with just enough space for four adults and a 251-litre boot. The five-door model is more versatile, but the three-door looks slightly better.
Suzuki Swift Sport - the quirky choice
- For: Well judged ride, feisty engine, distinctive looks
- Against: Chassis could be more playful, dated interior
Suzuki’s original Swift Sport was an instant hit thanks to its funky looks, agile handling and perky engine, and this Mk3 version is much the same. A sportier bodykit and twin tailpipes mark it out as the fruitiest variant of the Swift.
The Sport weighs less than 1,000kg, and its 1.4-litre motor develops 138bhp. It has a decent mid-range punch, although some might be disappointed at the lack of a raucous exhaust note. The Swift is entertaining to drive, but more relaxed than its rivals, due to its compliant set-up. A 2019 example with less than 30,000-miles on the clock falls within the £13,000 budget.
Unfortunately, while the Swift’s sports steering wheel, red trim and figure-hugging seats do lift the cabin to some degree, the Suzuki lags behind its rivals when it comes to the interior. The material quality isn’t a match for Ford’s or Volkswagen’s, and the infotainment system is far from snappy. It’s an aftermarket touchscreen that’s slow to respond and really dates the interior, although Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration is the set-up’s saving grace. All Swift Sports are equipped with sat-nav and a forward collision warning system, but it’s a smaller car than the Fiesta and thus less accommodating for rear seat-passengers. However, the 261-litre boot is a fraction larger than the Volkswagen’s.
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