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Best hot hatches 2026 – the most fun, and the one to avoid
A great hot hatch needs to combine driving fun with everyday usability. So, which models do it best – and which one is best avoided?
Darren Moss
Updated: 30 August 2026
No car class represents the phrase 'affordable fun' better than the hot hatch. For decades, this class has been the go-to choice for buyers seeking to blend the family friendly practicality of a traditional hatchback with the grin-inducing speed of a performance car.
Most of the cars in this class are powered by traditional petrol, but there are a growing number of electric options too. And given that electric cars offer instant acceleration, it's easy to see why they might be a good fit for the class.
The best hot hatches are designed to make you smile when the mood takes you, while also providing comfortable and reliable family transport when more mundane duties call. A comfortable interior is a must, as is a good balance between agile, entertaining handling and a comfortable ride. We'll award extra points for any car which doesn't cost the earth to buy and run, too.
In this story, we'll reveal our picks for the best hot hatches, plus we'll name the model we think you should avoid. You can read more about each of the cars mentioned here by following the links through to our in-depth reviews. And while you're there, you can see the latest PCP and leasing deals too. And if you want to find out more about how we test cars, you can read our dedicated feature.
Best hot hatches to buy now – and how to get the best deal
Make and modelList price fromRatingPCP dealsLeasing dealsMercedes-AMG A45 S£65,4955Best PCP dealsCars available nowAudi RS3£63,6554Best PCP dealsCars available nowVolkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport£44,2704Best PCP dealsBest leasing dealsAudi S3 Sportback£49,9604Best PCP dealsCars available nowVolkswagen Golf R£46,9304Best PCP dealsBest leasing deals
The best hot hatches for you
For sheer, explosive power, it's hard to ignore the Mercedes-AMG A45. With 416bhp at its disposal, it feels ferociously fast, and it offers agile handling too.
If you want to mix performance with luxury, then the interior of the Audi RS3 is where you'll want to be. Not only do you get a great driving position, but the quality is great and the optional RS bucket seats are very supportive.
Of course, few names are as synonymous with the world of hot hatchbacks as the Volkswagen Golf GTI. And in Clubsport form, you get 296bhp to play with.
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Mercedes-AMG A45
Best buy: 2.0 A45 AMG S Plus 8G-DCT 4MATIC+ Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 3.9 sec
MPG/range: 30.7 mpg
C02 emissions: 208 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 370 litres
Insurance group: 41E
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Savage acceleration
- Agile, rewarding handling
- Quick-shifting automatic gearbox
Weaknesses
- Very expensive
- Audi RS3 is more comfortable
- Interior build quality could be better
If smiles-per-mile was a currency, then the Mercedes-AMG A45 S Plus would quickly make you very rich indeed. That’s because it delivers more fun than any other car of its kinds, and that’s the biggest factor we consider in the hot hatchback class.
Indeed, being propelled around by the most powerful four-cylinder engine in production makes you feel rather special, and that’s even before you’ve unleashed the full 416bhp at your disposal. When you do, you’ll reach 62mph in just 3.9sec – that’s half a second quicker than the already rapid Volkswagen Golf R.
Of course, though, hot hatches are about more than just speed – most will also be used as everyday transport by families. And here the A45 is just as accommodating as any other Mercedes A-Class. Two six-footers can fit comfortably on the rear bench, and the boot took six carry-on suitcases in our tests – two more than the Audi RS3 could manage.
Yes, it’s an expensive proposition, but here it’s justified completely. As the antidote to a bad day, there’s nothing better.
“I'm very happy to sacrifice a bit of civility for extra fun. I found the amount of speed I could carry through corners in the A45 was remarkable, and the effectiveness of the four-wheel drive system is seriously impressive.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer
Read our in-depth Mercedes-AMG A45 review
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Audi RS3
Best buy: 2.5 TFSI Carbon Black Sportback S Tronic quattro Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 3.8 sec
MPG/range: 30.4 mpg
C02 emissions: 212 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 282 litres
Insurance group: 37E
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Bonkers acceleration
- Sounds fantastic
- Remarkably comfortable on adaptive suspension
Weaknesses
- Expensive to buy
- The Mercedes AMG A45 has sharper steering
- Adaptive suspension is only available on the top trim
Key to the appeal of the Audi RS3 is its 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine. Not only does it make a wonderful burbling noise, but it's also stonkingly fast. Indeed, the RS3 is faster than a BMW M2 to 62mph, and isn't far off a BMW M3 – in our tests, it managed the sprint in just 3.8 seconds.
In terms of brute strength, the RS3's 394bhp isn't a match for the Mercedes-AMG A45 above, but it feels plenty fast enough on the road. The RS3 is also agile to thread through corners, thanks to accurate and well-weighted steering – but it's a shame that the steering wheel doesn't give you much feedback.
The RS3's standard-fit sports seats offer good levels 0f comfort on longer trips, and we like some of the RS-specific touches which you get over the regular A3, such as the new flat-topped steering wheel and two red buttons to activate the Audi's different driving modes quickly.
There's no getting around the fact owning an RS3 is an expensive proposition. Indeed, you'll pay roughly twice the price of an entry-level Audi A3 to put one on your driveway, and you can spend a lot more on trims and options.
“I regularly travel with four people in my car, so I'm thanful that, unlike on the BMW M2, the RS3 gives you two proper rear doors. They make loading kids and cargo onto the rear bench infinitely easier.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor
Read our in-depth Audi RS3 review
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Best price from £58,925
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The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £58,925
RRP from: £61,975
Nearly new deals
From £58,200
Leasing deals
From £648
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What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Audi RS3
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 60 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £647.92 Initial payment £7,775.04
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£8,020 total upfront (£7,775 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 60 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
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Volkswagen Golf GTI
Best buy: 2.0 TSI GTI Clubsport DSG Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 5.6 sec
MPG/range: 38.7 mpg
C02 emissions: 167 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 374 litres
Insurance group: 31E
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Decent practicality
- Tidy cornering
- Quiet and comfy for a hot hatch
Weaknesses
- No manual gearbox option
- Quite pricey for the performance offered
- Rivals sound better
If the GTI is a mildly spiced-up version of the regular Volkswagen Golf, then the GTI Clubsport turns the heat dial up subsantially again. It's not quite a vindaloo – that's the Golf R, which you'll lean more about later – but for most drivers, the Clubsport is plenty hot enough.
With 296bhp to play with – up from 261bhp in the standard car – the Clubsport's 2.0-litre petrol engine has no trouble in hauling you up to motorway speeds. And although it doesn't emit quite the same evocative burble as, say, a Civic Type R does, it still sounds sporty. And thanks to its tweaked adaptive suspension and electronic front differential, you can use more of the Clubsport's power more of the time compared with the standard GTI.
Unfortunately, the GTI is no longer available with a manual gearbox, so instead you have to make do with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. This is a shame, because the manual was ultimately more fun to use – but you can take control using paddles behind the steering wheel if you want to.
Sports seats with good side bolstering do a good job of holding you in place through the corners, while the materials used throughout the GTI are mostly of a high quality.
“I adore the way the GTI Clubsport encourages drivers to really push on – there's a reassuring feeling that it'll catch you if you run out of talent mid-corner. I just wish it sounded a bit meatier.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor
Read our in-depth Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport review
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Best price from £22,590
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RRP from: £29,040
Nearly new deals
From £20,799
Leasing deals
From £239
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What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 24 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £238.96 Initial payment £2,867.52
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£3,113 total upfront (£2,868 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 24 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
Audi S3
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Very fast and capable
- Easy to live with
- Slick-shifting gearbox
Weaknesses
- Not the cheapest hot hatch out there
- Fiddly infotainment system
- Audi's so-so reliability record
The Audi S3 may not deliver the ultimate driving thrills of some hot hatchback rivals, but it counters with impressive point-to-point pace.
It’s absurdly rapid in a straight line, thanks to the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine which, as part of a mid-life facelift, has been tweaked to produce 328bhp. That same facelift also sharpened the response of the accelerator pedal and reduced lag from the turbocharger. In short, when you put your foot down in the S3, the car leaps towards the horizon in a way few cars can match.
Don't go thinking that the S3 can't corner, though, because there’s always plenty of grip on offer when you come to a twisty piece of road. That’s partly down to the accuracy of the S3’s steering, and the assured nature of its four-wheel drive system. It never feels intimidating, unlike some hot hatch rivals such as the Honda Civic Type R or Toyota GR Yaris, which can feel a bit too powerful for anyone not used to wearing a racing helmet.
While the closely related Volkswagen Golf R is a better all-rounder, the S3 isn't far behind – and it has the obvious allure of a premium badge and a more upmarket interior. Indeed, its recent mid-life facelift has made real improvements to the material quality used throughout the S3, with certain prominent plastics being replaced with suede-wrapped panels.
“The S3's rear seat backs split in a useful 40/20/40 configuration, which is something you have to pay extra for in a BMW M135i. It's a very useful feature, as I found on a long road trip, where the extra flexibility for my luggage came in really useful.” – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor
Read our in-depth Audi S3 review
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Best price from £44,665
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The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £44,665
RRP from: £49,070
Nearly new deals
From £39,200
Leasing deals
From £537
About our price indicator
What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Audi S3
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 60 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £537.31 Initial payment £6,447.72
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£6,693 total upfront (£6,448 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 60 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
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Volkswagen Golf R
Best buy: 2.0 TSI GTI Clubsport DSG Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 5.6 sec
MPG/range: 38.7 mpg
C02 emissions: 167 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 374 litres
Insurance group: 31E
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Savagely fast
- Comfortable ride
- Playful handling balance
Weaknesses
- Expensive to buy
- Not as sharp as a Honda Civic Type R
Welcome to the Golf Vindaloo – you see, the Golf R takes the GTI Clubsport formula above, and adds lots of extra chillies.
In fact, the Golf R is the kind of hot hatchback we love – exciting to drive when you're pressing on, but perfectly civilised when you're not.
You see, being based on the regular Volkswagen Golf, it offers plenty of space for your passengers and all of their luggage, yet also offers more feedback through corners than the rival BMW M135i and the mechanically-similar Audi S3.
The Golf R's four-wheel drive system also aids traction, yet you can feel power being sent to the rear wheels to help the car rotate on the way out of corners.
Indeed, if it had a smarter interior and a less frustrating infotainment system, the latest Golf R might rise even higher up this list.
Like all Golfs, the R comes with a three-year warranty should anything go wrong, but it's worth noting that VW hasn't performed especially well in our recent Reliability Surveys.
“The Golf R is available with an optional Akrapovic exhaust system. It's quite expensive, but it's an option I'd choose because I love the humorous exhaust pops as you lift off the accelerator.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer
Read our in-depth Volkswagen Golf R review
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Best price from £22,590
What is What Car? best price?
The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £22,590
RRP from: £29,040
Nearly new deals
From £20,799
Leasing deals
From £239
About our price indicator
What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Volkswagen Golf R
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 24 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £238.96 Initial payment £2,867.52
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£3,113 total upfront (£2,868 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 24 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Explosive straight-line pace
- As practical as a regular Ioniq 5
- Fast charging speeds
Weaknesses
- Costs more than electric rivals
- Some features more suited to track use
- Mercedes-AMG A45 S is cheaper and more talented
You might be surprised to see an electric car on this list, but the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N proves there's a place for them in the hot hatchback class.
It's powered by two electric motors (with one on each set of wheels) that combine to produce a whopping 601bhp – or 641bhp in 10-second bursts using the N Grin Boost mode. Using launch control, the car is said to hit 0-62mph in just 3.4 seconds – that makes it the quickest car on this list by quite some margin.
However, it's not just about power and pace with the Ioniq 5 N, because it has some very clever party tricks. The most notable is the N e-Shift and N Active Sound Plus driving modes; the former makes the car drive as if it has an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and you can shift the simulated gears up and down with the steering wheel-mounted paddles, while the latter pumps fake engine sounds into the interior and outside the car.
The combination, along with the car's playful handling, is an electric car that's great fun to drive. Of course, with all those gadgets, you do have to pay a price for the Ioniq 5 N, because it's very expensive.
“Beneath the surface, the Ioniq 5 N is closely related to the Kia EV6 GT. However, it has new suspension, bigger brakes, quicker steering, reinforced underpinnings and a vast array of drive modes to distinguish it from its cousin. I found the difference was like night and day.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer
Read our in-depth Hyundai Ioniq 5 N review
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Best price from £39,300
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From £25,000
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BMW M135
Best buy: 1.5 120i MHT M Sport DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 7.8 sec
MPG/range: 52.3 mpg
C02 emissions: 121 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 300 litres
Insurance group: 21E
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Agile handling
- Smart and classy interior
- More affordable than some rivals
Weaknesses
- The ride is a bit busy
- Rear head room isn't great
- Quite a lot of wind noise
Where previous iterations of BMW's hot hatch were rear-wheel drive and had a throbbing six-cylinder engine, the latest version eschews that setup in favour of a more conventional 2.0-litre petrol engine which sends its power to all four wheels.
The result is a car which doesn't feel quite as thrilling as it once did. The engine starts off strong, but performance tails off a bit as you explore the upper rev range. And while a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.9sec isn't to be sniffed at, it's not quite as fast as the rival Audi S3 and Mercedes-AMG A35. Still, let's not forget that the BMW will cost you less than those rivals to put on your driveway in the first place.
Inside, you'll find high-quality materials and an infotainment system which looks sharp – even if we still miss the rotary controller of some older BMWs, which made controlling the infotainment setup easy. A couple passengers will find that they have more room to stretch out in the rear of the BMW than in the A35, but taller folk may find their heads brushing the roof lining.
You can also fit more luggage into the boot of the M135 than you can into most hot hatch rivals, but the Skoda Octavia vRS offers even more.
“Unlike in some Mercedes models, the metal-look features inside the BMW M135 are actually made from metal. For me, that's a nice touch at this price point.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor
Read our in-depth BMW M135 review
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Best price from £29,900
What is What Car? best price?
The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £29,900
RRP from: £32,640
Nearly new deals
From £22,440
Leasing deals
From £387
About our price indicator
What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
BMW M135
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 60 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £386.86 Initial payment £4,642.32
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£4,887 total upfront (£4,642 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 60 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
Alpine A290
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Confidence-inspiring handling
- Sporty, smart interior
- Quite practical
Weaknesses
- Tight rear space
- Not quite as good to drive as Raval VZ
- Rear visibility could be better
The second all-electric model to feature on this list is the go-faster cousin of a former What Car? Car of the Year, the Renault 5.
Alpine took that car, and added a lot more power, boosting the output from the single motor driving the front wheels to either 178bhp or 212bhp, depending on which version you choose. We've only sampled the more powerful model so far, and can confirm that when you put your foot down, it slams you back into your seat with a ferocity which few of the combustion-engined hot hatches on this list can match.
As you might expect, the A290 feels heavier through corners than the Ford Focus ST, but it controls its weight well and doesn't suffer from a lot of body lean. A Cupra Raval is even more fun through corners, though.
Interior quality is miles ahead of the MG4 XPower and matches the Mini Cooper Electric, and while the boot is small, it's large enough for a couple of holiday suitcases or your weekly shop.
The A290 has a four-star safety rating from the experts at Euro NCAP, and it comes with plenty of safety kit including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and a driver attention monitor.
“I'd been used to some hot hatches electronically boosting the sound from their exhausts, but the A290 doesn't take that approach. Instead, there's a futuristic sound derived from the electric motor's actual noise that's then edited in a studio. It's far less annoying than the noise you get in the Abarth 500e.” – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor
Read our in-depth Alpine A290 review
New car deals
Best price from £29,995
What is What Car? best price?
The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £29,995
RRP from: £33,995
Nearly new deals
From £29,999
Leasing deals
From £229
About our price indicator
What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Alpine A290
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 36 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £229.16 Initial payment £2,749.92
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£2,995 total upfront (£2,750 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 36 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
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Cupra Leon
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- The 2.0-litre TSI versions are very fast yet comfortable
- Plenty of engine options
- PHEV offers cheap company car tax
Weaknesses
- PHEVs have a firm ride
- Cheaper engines cost more than Seat Leon equivalents
- Fiddly touch-sensitive interior controls
Previously, the Cupra Leon was a go-faster version of the Seat Leon. However, following a mid-life facelift in 2024, it's now a standalone model, with bespoke styling that aims to give it a more distinctive, sporty look.
For the most fun version of the Cupra Leon hatchback, you have to go for the range-topping 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. It produces 296bhp and can sprint from 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds, which is not quite as quick as a Ford Focus ST, but it's still pretty punchy.
One issue with that version is that it can struggle for grip in wet conditions, which is why the 328bhp engine offered in the estate is even better, because it gets four-wheel drive.
No matter the version you go for, though, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is more comfortable for everyday driving, while the Focus ST is more engaging to drive down a twisty road.
While we don't have data for the Cupra Leon itself, Cupra as a brand finished 13th out of 30 car makers in the most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, ahead of Seat and Volkswagen. Should anything go wrong, you get a five-year warranty as standard, capped at 90,000 miles.
“The adaptive suspension, which is fitted on all Cupra Leons apart from the entry-level version, is very useful. I liked that I could choose from hard and focused for driving down a twisty B-road, or soft and cosseting for a long motorway journey.” – Darren Moss, Deputy Editor
Read our in-depth Cupra Leon review
New car deals
Best price from £24,490
What is What Car? best price?
The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £24,490
RRP from: £32,785
Nearly new deals
From £23,290
Leasing deals
From £332
About our price indicator
What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Cupra Leon
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 48 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £331.79 Initial payment £3,981.48
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£4,226 total upfront (£3,981 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 48 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
Mercedes AMG A35
Best buy: 2.0 A45 AMG S Plus 8G-DCT 4MATIC+ Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 3.9 sec
MPG/range: 30.7 mpg
C02 emissions: 208 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 370 litres
Insurance group: 41E
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Rapid acceleration
- Great traction, even in inclement conditions
- Reasonably comfortable
Weaknesses
- Rivals are more rewarding
- Engine sounds a bit tuneless
- Too much road noise
The Mercedes-AMG A35 might be a cheaper version of the A45 that tops our list of the best hot hatches – but it doesn’t feel cut-price. Indeed it’s best thought of as a softer, slightly less shouty alternative.
It’s no slouch, though, because it’ll accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.7sec. And with grippy four-wheel drive, it’ll do that in pretty much any weather condition. If there’s a drawback, it's that the steering doesn’t engage you quite as much as that of a BMW M135, but it’s certainly more relaxed at a cruise than the A45.
The interior has a genuine wow factor, boosted by the appearance of two AMG sports seats and a racy flat-bottomed steering wheel, although you’ll need to overlook a few low-rent interior plastics. The A35 has a pair of 10.3in screens – one for the instruments, one for the infotainment – which look impressive, but can be a tad tricky to use while driving.
It’s a shame that the automatic gearbox isn’t more alert and the engine sound lacks character – and that it’s practicality is merely average by the standards of the hot hatch class.
“I love the A35's interior design, especially at night with the optional multi-coloured ambient lighting fitted. It adds a real dose of drama to the dashboard – although I wish it was just a little easier to use.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer
Read our in-depth Mercedes A35 review
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And the hot hatch to avoid...
Abarth 500
This electric hot hatch is entertaining enough, with peppy performance and sharp steering, but rivals are quicker and offer more space
Read our review
How to choose the best hot hatchback
Hot hatchbacks are, in many ways, the ultimate dual-use cars. They must be practical, comfortable and affordable to run when you’re going about your daily business, such as when commuting, shopping or taking the kids to school. And yet they must thrill like some of the very sports cars when the opportunity to go for a fun drive presents itself.
Choosing a hot hatch, in other words, can be a battle of heart and head – meaning there’s far more to choosing one than you might initially expect.
How – and where – will you drive your hot hatch?
You should think long and hard about this: are you more likely to be heading down a winding B-road on a Sunday morning, or heading to B&Q’s car park? And are your midweek routes across town to the office, or to some far-flung race track?
The fast majority of hot hatchbacks are fast and fun to drive, but some can be aggressive to drive on the road, with firm suspension translating to a hard ride and road noise from low-profile tyres.
That means you should think about what you really need your hot hatch to do. If you’re regularly covering long distances on the motorway, something with softer suspension or smaller wheels might be better suited.
So, when you take a hot hatch for a test drive, don’t just think of it on your favourite twisty roads, but head out on potholed local streets and fast A-roads or motorways to really understand how it performs.
Will it meet your practicality needs?
The good news is that most new hot hatchbacks have five-door bodystyles these days, but if you’re looking at the tiny handful of three-door models (step forward Toyota GR Yaris), or a used example, are your friends or family happy to squeeze into the back?
Bear in mind that some hot hatchbacks have deeply moulded seats designed to pin you in place when you’re cornering hard. But broader-shouldered adults may not find them particularly comfortable over long distances.
And more aggressive, sporty front seats have large clamshells on their backs, which can rob space in the rear, too.
You’ll find extensive use of Alcantara, a suede-like material, around the interiors of many hot hatchbacks. While it looks and feels attractive, it can be tricky to keep clean, especially if you have children who frequently drop food or crayons. If that resonates with you, you might want to consider leather – or faux leather – instead.
The good news is that there’s generally no penalty to pay when it comes to boot space, so you can expect as much luggage carrying ability as you would in lesser models. If you need more room, then remember that models like the Cupra Leon estate provide even more space than their hatchback siblings.
How fast do you want it?
Hot hatches are a broad church. On the one hand, there are models which offer the kind of performance you would’ve expected from a sleek supercar just a decade ago. On the other hand, there are models which are slower and far more, well, sensible.
Of course, the performance each offer is usually commensurate with how much you have to spend. Models like the Abarth 500e or Mini Cooper S start from around £25,000, but you could easily spend more than twice that on a Mercedes-AMG A45.
The 2020s are also seeing the rise of the electric hot hatch. What they lack in a rorty soundtrack, they more than make up for in performance – and the best blend the low running costs of any other electric car with the thrills of a great hot hatch.
How much will it cost to run?
The trade-off for performance is running costs. In general, the faster your hot hatch, the more you’re likely to spend on fuel. And drive one hard, and you can expect your economy to plummet.
Of course, if you’re buying one specifically to have fun in, this may be less of an issue. But regardless of how you’re driving yours, insurance will be more expensive, and if you’re a company car driver, your tax bills will be higher, too.
Those wide, low-profile tyres will cost you more to replace, and if you’re driving hard, or hit any kerbs or potholes, you could be buying them more than you might think. And servicing could be more expensive for some models.
This is all part and parcel of driving a fast car, so make sure you budget accordingly.
Should I buy a hot hatch?
Buy one if:
- You want to blend practicality with performance
- You want something to drive every day
- You enjoy the often-extrovert looks
Don’t buy one if:
- You’re looking for great economy
- You are looking for supreme comfort
- You are on a tight budget
How we choose the best hot hatches
Our team of expert reviewers rigorously test every new hot hatch to ensure our guide to the top 10 models stays up to date.
Our testing is carried out based on data from our annual reader survey. More than 20,000 motorists tell us what factors they regard as being the most important when choosing their car.
For hot hatches, the most important buying preferences are:
Performance – a key attribute for 85% of hot hatch buyers
A good hot hatch needs to be able to get your pulse racing, so we measure the acceleration of every hot hatch from a standing start at speeds from 10mph to 100mph. We also measure the braking performance by recording the distance it takes for a car to come to a stop from speeds of 30mph and 70mph.
Handling – a key attribute for 73% of hot hatch buyers
While hot hatches offer strong performance, they should also feel agile and entertaining while doing so. Our expert reviewers take into account how well each car changes direction, the amount of body lean it displays and how strongly the tyres grip the road. We also consider steering characteristics such as how responsive the car is to inputs.
Reliability – a key attribute for 65% of hot hatch buyers
More than 20,000 readers contributed to our latest What Car? Reliability Survey, and this exclusive data allows us to create unique reliability ratings for each car, including each hot hatch.
That’s not all, though. Our full testing regime covers dozens of different areas, so you can be sure of making the right, informed purchase. You can find out more about this in our how we test cars feature.
FAQs
What defines a hot hatch?
A hot hatchback is a performance variant of a small car or family car, which is typically designed for everyday use. In most cases, they are front-wheel drive with a front-mounted petrol engine, though a growing number are also available with electric power. To help maximise performance and fun, they usually have a more powerful engine or motor than the regular version, as well as upgraded suspension and braking systems to help improve cornering. Hot hatchbacks can be visibly distinguished by their sharper, more aggressive styling.
What is the most fun hot hatch to drive?
Fun can be measured in lots of different ways. If you're looking for the most powerful hot hatchback, then the answer is the Mercedes-AMG A45 S. When it comes to choosing the best everyday hot hatch, little comes close to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. If you want a car equipped with a slick manual gearbox, there's also the Hyundai i20N.
What is the fastest hot hatch?
If by fastest you mean the hot hatchback with the quickest 0-62mph time, then the answer is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. This fully electric hot hatch can hit 62mph from a standing start in just 3.4sec, which is faster than even a petrol-powered Audi RS3, which can cover the same sprint in 3.8sec.
Which is the most powerful hot hatchback?
With 416bhp available from its turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, the Mercedes-AMG A45 is the most powerful hot hatchback you can buy. It deploys that power well, too, achieving a 0-62mph sprint time of 3.9sec. A quick-shifting automatic gearbox and immense grip from its performance tyres helps to transfer that power to the road. The engine loves to rev, too, with peak power not arriving until you hit 6750rpm.
Top 10
Best hot hatches
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