Best hot hatches in 2024
If you want a car that does it all, a hot hatch is probably what you need. But which one is the best?
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After nearly 50 years of the genre, finding the best hot hatch in 2024 is no mean feat. There are quite literally endless options, and different pathways to suit everyone’s taste, so it’s hard to know where to start.
Do you go French or German? Three-cylinder or four-cylinder? Front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive? In this guide we’re going to dispel the myth of the best hot hatch 2024.
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What’s the best hot hatch?
Defining what the best hot hatchback is boils down to a few things for us.
It needs to be:
Fast
Eye-catching
Fun to drive
Practical
Good value for money
All of these ingredients are what make up the well-rounded soup, that is the hot hatch.
Best hot hatch under £15k: Mini Cooper S
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If you want the best cheap hot hatch for under £15,000, there’s very little better than the Mini Cooper S.
With a history spanning back to 1963 and with so much classic character, it’s hard to ignore a newer one with all the mod cons and added power we’re used to.
You can easily pick up a used third-gen Mini Cooper S for less than £15,000 and this gives you a 192hp four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine.
The Cooper S is made for tearing up B-roads with ease and a smile on your face.
Best hot hatch under £20k: VW Golf GTI
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Often referred to as being the best hot hatch ever made, it would be criminal to make this list and not include the iconic VW Golf GTI.
For less than £20k, you can pick up almost every single generation of Golf GTI, but we’d recommend the Mk7 because it balances performance with practicality really well.
Plus, its tech is modern enough to make you feel as though it’s a new car, while still driving like an old-school hot hatch, in a good way.
And you can get one with that classic golf ball gear stick (if you choose a manual).
Best small hot hatch: Toyota GR Yaris
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Ever since the Toyota GR Yaris came out in 2020, it’s had rave reviews. No matter who you speak to, the GR Yaris is hallowed as being one of, if not, the best little runarounds money can buy.
Power goes to all four wheels from a 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine that produces 280hp and 390Nm of torque, so it’s no slouch either.
What makes it so special is the way it handles. It's almost like a rally car for the road in the way it tackles the road surface.
It makes sense since Toyota made them to meet World Rally Championship (WRC) homologation requirements.
Best family hot hatch: VW Golf R
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If you want something more family-oriented, then you can’t beat a VW Golf R. Sure, the GTI is a great hot hatch, but if you want a proper all-rounder then you can’t beat the ‘R’.
Adding to its big boot, fast acceleration and understated appearance is the fact it’s all-wheel drive (AWD).
Yes, that helps you get off the line quicker, but it’s also safer in wintry conditions – important when carrying precious cargo.
If anyone ever says the Golf is boring, show them the 315hp Golf R and it’ll soon change their minds.
And, it’s sort of cheating, but there’s also an estate version of the Golf R if you need extra boot space.
Best electric hot hatch: Hyundai IONIQ 5 N
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It’s very convenient that one of the best cars of the year is also the best electric hot hatch money can buy.
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N combines a proper electric car experience with something as fun to drive as a baby supercar.
The way it tackles corners and fires out of them makes it truly one of the most exciting cars of the modern age. Plus, that bright blue paint is stunning.
We also appreciate how it’s trying to bring some of the hot hatch flavour to an EV – those sound effects are a bit gimmicky, but a hot hatch is all about having a good time behind the wheel.
Best hybrid hot hatch: CUPRA Leon
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Oddly enough, proper hybrid hot hatches aren’t really a thing, at least not as much as a fully electric one like the IONIQ 5.
But one car that changes this is the CUPRA Leon. Not only can it drive 36 miles on electric power alone, but it’s also capable of 0-62mph in a swift 7.7 seconds.
Yes, this is lower than the full fat 300hp Leon 300, but if you want added fuel efficiency, you have to make sacrifices.
However, the 205hp is nothing to turn your nose up at either. It’s very efficient and nippy when it needs to be.
Best diesel hot hatch: VW Golf GTD
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There aren’t many proper diesel hot hatches anymore but one that only disappeared recently was the Golf GTD, and what a fine choice that is.
The recent Mk7-generation Golf GTD is the one we’d recommend because it's not far off a GTI but with much better fuel economy.
And you still get181hp and 380Nm of torque from its 2.0-litre engine – that’s more low-down grunt than its petrol sibling.
Plus, when driven frugally, the Mk7 GTD has been known to eke out more than 600 miles on a tank, while still being great to drive when you don’t mind about the mpg. And who doesn’t want that?
Best petrol hot hatch: Renault Megane R.S.
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Picking the best petrol hot hatch is hard, especially when there are so many great options out there from the Civic Type-R to the Focus ST, but our choice is the Renault Megane R.S.
In many ways, a forgotten gem in a hatchback world that’s so competitive, but one we’d like to give a shout out to.
It’s a proper car with genuine charm that will embarrass almost anything else on track. Plus, if you’ve ever seen one, you’ll know its stance is unrivalled and, if you’ve ever driven one, you’ll know its poise around tight country roads is phenomenal.
Best hot hatch of all time: Peugeot 205 GTI
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The best hot hatch is a huge claim to make. It’s a bit like a mother choosing a favourite child – it’s unethical but deep down you have an answer.
In this case, it’s the Peugeot 205 GTI. Maybe a predictable choice, yes, but one that touches the hearts of all motoring enthusiasts.
It kicked off a passion for so many people, and in many ways was one of the first true hot hatchbacks to grace our roads.
So yes, the winner is the 205 GTI, but if you want something with a little more safety and a little more tech, you can’t go wrong with a Golf GTI. Or a Civic Type-R. Or a Fiesta ST.
You get the point, it’s hard to go wrong with modern hatchbacks, but the 205 GTI is a proper icon.
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