The best used cars - driven, rated and ranked

Best used fast estate

The Audi RS6 isn’t any old fast estate – it’s the fast estate. The third-generation machine is the pick of the bunch (although that’s open to debate), combining a malevolently powerful twin-turbo V8 and the firm’s trademark Quattro all-wheel drive with more subtle looks than its overtly aggressive successor.

However, it’s the multi-tasking Audi’s ability to slip seamlessly into your life that makes it so satisfying to own. Expensive to run, yes, but considering it’s doing the job of five different cars, you could argue it’s actually saving you money...

Best used supercar

Ask anyone to draw the archetypal supercar and something like an Aventador will probably spring to mind. Eye-poppingly wedgy looks, scissor doors, a ferocious mid-mounted V12 and white-knuckle limit handling combine for an adrenaline-fuelled driving experience few can match.

As Lamborghini eyes an electrified future, the LP700-4 is a nailed-on future classic, so buy now before prices rise.

Best used coupe

It’s a given that the Jaguar F-Type coupé looks good, but in V6 S guise it sounds the part, too. The cultured snarl from its twin-exit exhausts evoke the sonic signature of Jaguar’s hallowed E-Type, while the addition of a supercharger ensures kidney-compressing pace. Flaky infotainment and the odd leaky rear diff are the only concerns.

Best used super-saloon

While the shouty, V8-powered C63 steals all the high-performance headlines, it’s the more sober-suited C43 that makes a better used buy. It’s certainly no slouch thanks to a 362bhp V6, while the four-wheel-drive chassis serves up a compelling blend of poise and plushness. And because it lacks its big brother’s street cred, prices are much lower.

Best used SUV

There was a time when investing in a Porsche Macan was a safer bet than pouring your cash into gold bullion. However, supply eventually caught up with demand, bringing the Porsche into half-price hero territory. Early four-cylinder cars start at £15,000, but the V6-powered GTS best exemplifies the Macan’s many strengths.

Spacious, comfortable and refined enough to play the family car, it also has hot hatch-baiting handling and a serious turn of speed.

Best used sports car

If you want the ultimate connection between car and driver, then look no further than the evergreen Seven. Roadsport trim throws in a few creature comforts so you could – and should – use it every day, while the 1.6-litre Ford engine serves up more than enough poke in a car weighing just half a tonne. This is almost as low as Caterham values go, so you will be quids in should you ever want to sell (you won’t, though).

Best Autocar five-star car

Could the GT86 be the biggest half-price bargain of the lot? After all, supplies of its closely related and equally brilliant successor, the GR86, are limited, which makes current prices for the older Toyota seem criminally low.

There’s no sting in the tail with running costs, either, because the unstressed engine, solid quality and low kerb weight mean the GT86 not only is dependable but also doesn’t chew through consumables. Whether it’s box-fresh or has been around the block, the Toyota continues to deserve is five-star rating.

Best used convertible

A convertible Porsche 911 is a machine with a split personality, something with both the luxury and refinement of a fantastically engineered product, but also the driving prowess of a true sports car.

Couple this with the fact that when you drop the roof and get overly-friendly with the throttle, you're greeted by a raspy, screaming flat-six mounted just behind you, that is both spine-tingling and grin-inducing. Sure, you also get this with the coupe, but now you can pose on continental seafronts in the comfort that you're driving something truly desirable.

The Mazda MX-5 might provide a cheaper - and possibly more charismatic – way of getting drop-top thrills, but it’s difficult to think of alternative convertibles that offer as much as this one does.