James Ruppert: Gong in sixty seconds

There are a ton of used car awards, but they only matter if real buyers are involved. So here’s your chance to be part of the 2020 Autocar Awards, which arrive in May. Here is my top 10 shortlist for Used Car Hero, with on-sale examples that you can pick apart. Your input is vital.

The Ford Fiesta is no ordinary small hatchback – it is a best-seller, both new and used. Fiestas are great to drive, easy to own and fantastic value for money. Here’s a one-owner 1.0 Titanium from 2014 with a full Ford history, new cambelt and 160,000 miles on the clock. Proof if you need it that they go the distance, and all for just over £3000.

Now, the stylish yin to the Fiesta’s workaday yang is the Fiat 500. We must enjoy small Fiats while they last and these have proved to be such sound little buys. I rather like this 2014 Cult special edition with a panoramic roof. It has a 1.2-litre engine, 80,000 miles showing and is in tidy condition for £3500.

Then there is the Nissan Qashqai. Don’t groan, because it is the two-wheel-drive SUV that everyone buys. They can be very tough, as a 2014 1.5 dCi Acenta with 175,000 miles shows. It has a full service history, a year’s MOT and is £5400 from a dealer.

If you’re an executive, you’ll be wanting one of those BMW 5 Series. It remains the peerless way to travel. A 2014 520d SE is a Euro 6, so is ULEZ friendly and a 141k-mile example sold by a trader costs £6995. The Mercedes A-Class is popular on the PCP front, and a 2014 A180 CDI ECO SE with 110k miles is just £6795.

Next up, Mini. In their second decade, Minis came into their own with an explosion of models and options. They are everywhere, and not always that mini. I’d go for the oddity that is a Paceman Cooper. A 2014 1.6D with 60k miles with loads of extras is £6300. That would be fun.

On the face of it less fun, a Toyota Prius is still worthy of consideration if you are a private-hire wage slave. If your priorities are spending less money on fuel and not breaking down, then here is possibly the perfect family hatch. Goodness me, there are a lot of old grey imports to dodge around. A 2014 T3 with 47k miles from a dealer at £9250 is better than the ex-hire ones.