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The best used cars to buy in 2022
Looking to buy a second-hand car this year? Don’t do it until you’ve read this list of our favourite used cars on the market
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With the war and global manufacturing shortages having taken their toll on supply, new cars are still pretty tricky to get hold of. No wonder buyers are still turning to the used market in their droves, in order to get their hands on a car right now, rather than a promise of one in several months’ time.
But which are the best nearly-new cars to buy in 2022? Look no further. All of these cars still look like decent value despite today’s overheated used car market; all provide a decent reputation for reliability, and some can be had with a whopping warranty that negates one of the biggest downsides of buying used: the fact you don’t usually get one.
Best for crossover buyers
Seat Ateca
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- 2016-present
- Price to pay: from £10,000
- We found: 2019 Ateca 1.0 TSI Ecomotive SE, 16,000 miles, full service history, £15,994
- Pros: Great handling, smart looks, roomy interior, excellent value
- Cons: Firm ride with larger wheels
Value. That, in short, is the Seat Ateca’s greatest asset. Despite its popularity, this family-sized crossover is surprisingly affordable. Yet it doesn’t feel cheap and cheerful. In fact, the Ateca’s roomy interior is smart and well thought out, and there’s a choice of frugal petrol and diesel engines, too.
It’s best served with the smaller of those engines, and smaller wheels, too – that way, the ride quality and handling are at their best. That said, every Ateca boasts impressive body control, lots of grip and responsive steering.
What’s more, you get extra peace of mind if you buy your Ateca from a Seat dealer – approved used examples now qualify for a two-year warranty.
Best for first-time drivers
Kia Picanto
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- 2017-present
- Price to pay: from £6,000
- We found: 2018 Picanto 1.0 2, 18,000 miles, full service history, £8,495
- Pros: Spacious, smart interior, long warranty, reliable
- Cons: Not as much fun to drive as some rivals
The Kia Picanto is one of our favourite city cars, and makes a brilliant first car. Not only is it well built and smart to look at, both inside and out, but it’s a doddle to drive, with light, easy-going controls and good visibility.
There’s space for mates in the back, too; unlike some of its city car rivals, the Picanto can seat four adults comfortably on a long trip, with sufficient space in the boot for their bags.
And it also gets Kia’s excellent seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty, so even when buying one that’s a few years old, you should still be covered when things go wrong.
Best hybrid
Toyota Corolla
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- 2018-present
- Price to pay: from £14,000
- We found: 2019 Corolla 1.8 Hybrid Design, 29,000 miles, full service history, £18,995
- Pros: Brilliant warranty, excellent reliability record, frugal
- Cons: Not as much fun as a Focus, 1.8 litre engine can get noisy
Hybrid cars came of age with this latest generation Corolla. It’s available either as a handsome hatchback or a particularly useful estate, with a smart interior, generous equipment, and a tidy driving experience. It’s very fuel efficient, too.
What’s more, like every Toyota (and Lexus, for that matter), the Corolla is now eligible to have its manufacturer’s warranty extended by a year if it’s serviced at a main dealer, up to a maximum of 10 years old or 100,000 miles. The car doesn’t even need a prior history of main dealer servicing. That’ll bring Corolla buyes peace of mind for years to come.
Best family hatchback
Ford Focus
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- 2018-present
- Price to pay: from £10,000
- We found: 2019 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost 100 Zetec, 25,000 miles, full service history, £13,800
- Pros: Great to drive, plenty around, affordable running cost
- Cons: Cheap-feeling interior, some fiddly switchgear
When you spend a bit of time in a Ford Focus, it isn’t hard to work out why it’s so popular. This latest generation in particular drives brilliantly, managing to blend a comfortable ride with involving dynamics like no other family hatchback.
It’s spacious, too, especially if you choose the practical estate, and while the interior is rather plasticky, it is at least pretty well laid out and easy to use. But the best part is that the Focus is still decent value, even after all the recent price rises – and it’s cheap to maintain and repair, too.
Best long-range EV
Jaguar I-Pace
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- 2018-present
- Price to pay: from £40,000
- We found: 2019 I-Pace EV400 SE, 26,000 miles, full service history, £48,290
- Pros: Beautifully finished interior, supremely comfortable, involving handling
- Cons: Teslas offer a better charging network
Jaguar beat its premium rivals to the punch by launching its first battery electric SUV ahead of the pack. And what a car it was: handsome to look at, smartly finished inside and endowed with the sort of handling most electric cars could only dream of.
Now, the I-Pace is shaping up to be an excellent used pick. It has a respectable reputation for reliability, having come fifth out of the 10 electric cars in last year’s What Car? Reliability Survey, and with the earliest examples now a few years old, prices are sliding to a more affordable level.
Best for larger families
Skoda Kodiaq seven-seat
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- 2016-present
- Price to pay: from £19,000
- We found: 2019 Kodiaq 2.0 TDI 150 SE L DSG 7st, 25,000 miles, full service history, £25,200
- Pros: Practical, spacious, well built, good value
- Cons: Not the roomiest third row around, middle row could be more versatile
Skoda’s big, friendly giant makes a lot of sense as a used buy for a larger family. Five seats came as standard, but most on the used market have seven, and it’s one of these seven-seaters you’ll want to go for.
The rearmost row is spacious enough for kids, and while the middle row doesn’t slide, all three of its seats’ backs can be reclined and folded down individually, making it pretty flexible. Out on the road, the Kodiaq is crisp and comfortable, with gutsy diesel engines that make light work of motorways, and the smart interior is a pleasant place to spend time.
Best suburban runaround
Seat Ibiza
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- 2017-present
- Price to pay: from £8,000
- We found: 2019 Ibiza 1.0 TSI 95 SE Technology, 5,000 miles, full service history, £12,995
- Pros: Great to drive, sharp styling, roomy, reliable
- Cons: Firm-ish ride, interior feels cheap in places
It’s sometimes overlooked by small car buyers, but that just means this generation of the Seat Ibiza is terrific value on the second-hand market. Like-for-like, it costs no more than a Ford Fiesta, yet delivers more space, better fuel economy, and more equipment for the same money.
It’s smarter inside, too, even if it can’t quite live up to the standards of the Volkswagen Polo. Better still, the Ibiza is very nearly as much fun to drive as the Fiesta, with a zingy chassis and a punchy little turbocharged engine – and it has a better reliability record, too. And for added peace of mind, Seat dealers now offer a two-year warranty on their approved used Ibizas.
Best for drivers wanting to switch to electric
Volkswagen E-Golf
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- 2014-2020
- Price to pay: from £16,000
- We found: 2018 E-Golf 35.8kWh, 23,000 miles, full service history, £19,499
- Pros: As familiar as an electric car gets, classy interior, plenty of passenger space
- Cons: Not as fast or as long-range as some newer EVs
If you’re looking to hop on the electric car bandwagon, there are few better ways to do it these days than with the Volkswagen E-Golf.
For starters, it drives much like the standard Golf, and feels identical inside, and that familiarity goes a long way toward making it welcoming and easy to get to grips with for EV novices. It’s just as spacious as a regular golf, too (though the boot’s a bit smaller).
And with prices starting at £16,000, it’s even becoming pretty affordable – though if you can stretch to the 2017-on model with the upgraded battery (and 50 miles more range), it’d be worth your while – these start at around £18,000.
Best for the finer things
Audi A8
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- 2018-present
- Price to pay: from £28,000
- We found: 2018 3.0 TDI V6 Quattro, 20,997 miles, full service history, £29,995
- Pros: Incredibly smooth ride, gutsy engines, extraordinary value
- Cons: Sluggish automatic, fiddly touchscreen
This latest generation Audi A8 suffers from parlous depreciation when it’s new – but that’s of huge benefit to the used car buyer, because it means it can be had for faintly unbelievable sums when it’s just a few years old.
Let’s not forget that this is a bona fide luxury limo, with bells and whistles galore and creamy-smooth air suspension that allows it to whisk you along the motorway in splendid isolation. The A8 is as roomy as you’d hope, too, and it has a huge boot. And with that air suspension firmed up, the A8 is even pretty decent to hustle along.
Best for brilliant fuel economy
Vauxhall Corsa
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- 2019-present
- Price to pay: from £12,000
- We found: 2020 1.5 Turbo D SE, 14,000 miles, full service history, £13,999
- Pros: Exceptionally economical, smart interior, fun to drive
- Cons: Cramped rear seats, firm ride
Diesel-powered cars of the Corsa’s size are few and far between, and they aren’t much loved by new car buyers either, which means the Corsa diesel is rare and rather tricky to find.
However, it’s worth doing so, because it’s one of the most frugal used cars you can buy – capable of up to 70.6mpg, according to the official tests, which should equate to an average of around 60mpg in the real world. The Corsa is stylish to look at and smart inside, too – and it’s also terrific value, costing far less than the Peugeot 208 on which it’s based.
Best estate car
Skoda Superb
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- 2015-present
- Price to pay: from £11,000
- We found: 2017 2.0 TDI 150 SE L Executive, 38,000 miles, full service history, £17,995
- Pros: Huge boot, vast amounts of space, comfortable ride, generous equipment
- Cons: Not exciting to drive, sluggish diesel autos
If you need the maximum amount of boot space for the minimum amount of cash, there really is no better way to do it than the Skoda Superb Estate. Its enormous boot means you’ll never want for luggage space, while the vast leg room in the back seats means even the gangliest of teenagers will be satisfied.
Most Superbs come well equipped, and there’s an excellent range of petrol and diesel engines, manual or automatic gearbox, and even four-wheel drive-equipped models available on the used market. In short, there’s a Superb for everyone – and all are brilliant estate cars.
Best sports saloon
BMW 3 Series
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- 2019-present
- Price to pay: from £19,000
- We found: 2019 320i Sport Auto, 30,000 miles, full service history, £22,950
- Pros: Brilliant to drive, excellent dashboard, spacious, economical
- Cons: Firm ride in M Sport form
The BMW 3 Series has long been much loved for its sporty driving experience, and this latest version is no different. It’s one of the most involving and responsive saloon cars on the market.
But it isn’t a one trick pony. The 3 Series teams these slick dynamics with practicality; it’s spacious enough for four adults (or an average-sized family) and there’s a boot that’s plenty big enough to hold a set of golf clubs – or the luggage for a family holiday. And it’s pretty fuel efficient, too.
Pick one of the peppy 2.0-litre petrol engines for a brilliant all-rounder – or go for the top-of-the-range M340i for a truly scintillating drive.
This article has been updated with the latest information.
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