Best used automatic cars

You’d be hard pushed to find a car at any price that has as broad a range of talents as the 5 Series. It comes with a range of punchy yet efficient engines, neat styling and a wonderful ride and handling balance. It's wonderfully refined, too. Our chosen spec 530e plug-in hybrid has an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard and offers the potential for great economy. Add to that its luscious and spacious interior, excellent ergonomics and class-leading iDrive infotainment controller and it’s no wonder we rate this car so highly.

We found 2019 BMW 530e M Sport, 32,000 miles, £24,995

Read our used BMW 5 Series review

Search for a used BMW 5 Series for sale

The Mazda CX-5 is a terrific all-rounder. If you’re after a used SUV in which to transport your family around, it’s almost unbeatable, being good to drive, decently practical and, above all, superb value for money. Enthusiastic drivers will love it for its surprisingly agile handling, and families will love it for its practical, spacious and exceptionally high-quality interior. The CX-5 is also handsomely equipped and exceptionally well screwed together, with an excellent reliability record. 

We found: 2020 Mazda CX-5 2.0 SE-L Nav auto, 30,000 miles, £20,495

Read our used Mazda CX-5 review

Search for a used Mazda CX-5 for sale

You know an estate car is doing its job well when it makes life a doddle, and the Passat Estate has that effect. Its huge boot will save you the question of whether items will fit (unless you're transporting an elephant), while its engines are smooth and economical and perfectly suited to smooth progress with the automatic dual-clutch gearbox option. Its interior is suitably smart, too, and its used prices are temptingly affordable. 

We found: 2019 Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI SE Business DSG, 49,000 miles, £14,925

Read our used Volkswagen Passat review

Search for a used Volkswagen Passat for sale

The 5008  is stylish, practical and good to drive. Those rugged good looks cover an interior that's impressively flexible and will seat seven in comfort. Plus, there's a range of strong engines to choose from, and our favourite 1.2-litre 130 petrol pairs nicely with the eight-speed automatic gearbox. it's well-equipped in all trims and it rides and handles surprisingly well. All in, it's a great car and really good value too.

We found: 2020 Peugeot 5008 1.2 Puretech Allure auto, 26,000 miles, £22,395

Read our used Peugeot 5008 review

Search for a used Peugeot 5008 for sale

The Q7 has won multiple What Car? awards for the very reason that it is an impeccable family car, an excellent long-distance tourer and an outstanding luxury vehicle. Few cars this side of £100,000 have a plusher and quieter interior. It's reliable, too. Plus, buy an earlier, pre-2019 model and you’ll get a much easier-to-operate infotainment system than the one found in later models and you'll be saving nearly half its original value, making a used Q7 an absolute bargain.

We found: 2018 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI S line, 58,000 miles, £30,999

Read our used Audi Q7 review

Search for a used Audi Q7 for sale

If you're looking for a tiny town car that offers more civilised motoring on a sensible budget, the Hyundai i10 is an ideal candidate. It's relatively spacious, comes with a smart-looking interior and a great infotainment system, and it rides and drives more impressively than plenty of bigger, pricier cars. Automatic versions are great around town. Used examples of the latest 2020-onwards version are now plentiful at great prices.

We found 2020 Hyundai i10 1.0 MPi SE Connect auto, 15,000 miles, £12,000

Read our used Hyundai i10 review

Search for a used Hyundai i10 for sale

The TT is a chic sports car that has a very smart interior, as well as efficient engines and sharp handling. It's an incredibly well-rounded package. If you choose one of the more powerful engines offered, such as the 227bhp 2.0-litre petrol, it's quick, too, and it mates up perfectly with the automatic S tronic gearbox. And the cherry on top: reasonable used prices across the board. What more could you want?

We found: 2018 Audi TT Black Edition 2.0 TFSI S tronic, 43,000 miles, £22,500

Read our used Audi TT review

Search for a used Audi TT for sale

The executive BMW 3 Series is great to drive and is available with a wide selection of superb engines that are extremely efficient. They were made for pairing with the eight-speed automatic gearbox, which ushers through changes swiftly and smoothly. It's supremely competent and wonderfully classy. What’s more, it’s spacious enough for the average family and most versions are very comfortable. 

We found: 2021 BMW 3 Series 320d M Sport auto, 29,000 miles, £26,995

Read our used BMW 3 Series review

Search for a used BMW 3 Series for sale

We reckoned that, as a new car, this 2013-2020 version of the classy Audi A3 Sportback was the best family hatchback around. And we think it's great as a used buy, too. It's a premium product with a spacious and practical high-quality interior, a superb ride and handling and an excellent range of engines, of which we'd seek out one of the smooth petrols and pair it with the automatic dual-clutch S tronic gearbox. What’s more, there are plenty of good examples around. 

We found 2020 Audi A3 Sportback 35 TFSI SE Technik S tronic, 15,000 miles, £18,850

Read our used Audi A3 review

Search for a used Audi A3 for sale

The Cayman is a fantastic drive, either with a six-speed manual gearbox or, as here, in the automatic PDK version. It comes with all the features you'd expect from a pukka Porsche sports car; it's precise, well-balanced, engaging and a real hoot to punt down a B-road. Used prices are high, generally, because its residual values are so good, but that just means you won't lose a lot of money when you come to trade it in. 

We found: 2018 Porsche Cayman S PDK, 39,000 miles, £42,995

Read our used Porsche Cayman review

Search for a used Porsche Cayman for sale