What Car?'s best used cars in Britain

Autocar’s sister brand What Car? is the UK's biggest car-buying brand and has been helping Britain's car buyers make purchasing decisions for over 40 years.

But it’s not just about new cars. Every year, What Car? chooses the best used cars in every class, all evaluated, rated and honoured in our annual awards. Find out which models you should make a beeline for – and which one we’ve crowned our overall Used Car of the Year:

This might well be the year of the used car.

With the supply of new cars strangled as manufacturers wrestle with new emissions rules, and the prospect of Brexit also having an impact, the used car market looks set to become more important than ever. Cue the 2019 What Car? Used Car of the Year Awards. As ever, it’s What Car?‘s mission to help you navigate the used car market. The awards combine the road testing expertise of the whole team with the market knowledge of What Car? used car experts to work out which models are the best. You can see the results of this process over the following slides.

How it's decided

We start with the qualities that make a good new car: a comfortable ride, tidy handling, flexible, punchy engines and a practical, well-built interior. But with a used buy, things like reliability become more important, especially if a car is nearing or beyond the end of its warranty, so cars’ performance in What Car?'s latest Reliability Survey is a crucial consideration. And finally, there need to be plenty out there, ideally with a good selection of trims and engines. Value plays the biggest part of all, though. So we look for cars that offer a lot for your money, taking care to sort them from those that are simply cheap.

For each car category, we have two finalists and one category winner:

CITY CARS

FINALIST

Hyundai i10 (2008-2013)  

Best buy - Less than £4000

The first-generation i10 had a roomy interior, good road manners, low running costs and an impressive standard kit list. Today, the 1.2 Classic makes for a terrific, frugal runabout that’s remarkably cheap to buy.

CITY CARS

FINALIST

Hyundai i10 (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £9000

The latest i10 has a choice of efficient engines, a comfy interior and generous equipment. You’ll get what’s left of a five-year warranty, and the 1.0 SE has an ideal blend of performance and fuel economy.

CITY CARS

WINNER

Skoda Citigo (2012-present)

We love the Skoda Citigo as much today as we did when it was launched in 2013. Its three-cylinder engines are lively and efficient, and it’s one of the better cars in this segment to drive, with keen responses and agile handling. The Citigo is also the best-riding car in this class.

The interior is neatly laid out with seating for four adults and plenty of space up front, while its build quality is among the very best.

CITY CARS

WINNER

Skoda Citigo (2012-present)

Our pick of the engines is the 59bhp 1.0-litre petrol, which is punchy around town, strong enough for Motorways and impressively economical in everyday use.  Our recommended SE trim gives you a pleasing amount of equipment, too.  A 2016 example at this price level is a remarkably good buy, making it a newer and lower-mileage car than most of its rivals.

So, despite facing strong opposition from both the old and new versions of the Hyundai i10 (the more recent of which was last year’s category winner), the Citigo clinches victory here this year, thanks to its widespread availability and excellent value.

SMALL CARS

FINALIST

Ford Fiesta (2013-2017)

Best buy - Less than £6000

Small cars can be dull to drive, but the Fiesta is one of the exceptions. It’s also comfortable, with suspension that feels at home on both the motorway and around town. And it’s spectacularly cheap to buy.

SMALL CARS

FINALIST

Mini Hatch (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £14,000

The Mini isn’t as small as it was, but it’s still a compelling premium package. The infotainment system is one of the best and the 138bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine makes the most of the car’s excellent handling.

SMALL CARS

WINNER

Skoda Fabia (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £10,000

Small cars with a big car feel are nothing new, but they usually come with a big price tag. Not so the Skoda Fabia, which manages to provide buyers with everything they could ever need without overstretching their budgets. For example, £10,000 is enough to get you a one-year-old Fabia with the 1.0 TSI petrol engine, which should easily do more than 40mpg in the real world.

This also gets you 16in alloy wheels, air-con, rear parking sensors and smartphone mirroring.

SMALL CARS

WINNER

Skoda Fabia (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £10,000

The Fabia isn’t the sharpest thing to drive, but it's very surefooted, with light but accurate steering, and its turbocharged three-cylinder engines are terrific. It’s also really well screwed together and has proven to be reliable. That was enough to ease the Fabia to victory in its price bracket, but it faced strong opposition for the outright class win from the upmarket Mini Hatch and the cheap and cheerful Ford Fiesta.

The Fabia won through by striking a happy balance between the two, though.

FAMILY CARS

FINALIST

Seat Leon (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £9000

Last year’s overall Used Car of the Year is still an excellent choice. Our favourite engine is the 1.4-litre petrol, but the 1.2 is cheaper to buy and run, easier to find and peppy enough for most people.

FAMILY CARS

FINALIST

Vauxhall Astra (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £13,000

Vauxhalls are often second-hand bargains, but the Astra is more so than most, because it’s also a very good car. There’s a glut of high-spec models around with the excellent 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine, too.

FAMILY CARS

WINNER

Audi A3 Sportback (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £17,000

That we’re big fans of this generation of the Audi A3 at What Car? should come as no surprise; it has won our Family Car of the Year award multiple times and even took our coveted overall Car of the Year gong in 2013. Yet today, a nearly new A3 Sportback with average mileage in our favourite 1.4 TFSI Sport specification can be had within our top price band – in other words, for less than £17,000.

That’s not a whole lot more than you’ll pay for a comparable Vauxhall Astra or Seat Leon. Given how smart the A3 still feels inside - there’s nothing else out there to touch it in this class - and how well it drives, that’s a great deal.

FAMILY CARS

WINNER

Audi A3 Sportback (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £17,000

What’s more, every A3 is well equipped and there are loads to choose from. The split between petrol and diesel models available on the used market is very even too, meaning you have the freedom to choose whichever fuel suits your needs best. All of which is enough to earn the A3 yet another award.

EXECUTIVE CARS

FINALIST

Mazda 6 (2013-2018)

Best buy - Less than £11,000

A robustly built interior, sharp handling and excellent, punchy engines make the 6 a terrific buy. At this price, you get so much for your cash, and it’s easy to find a high-spec, well-equipped example.

EXECUTIVE CARS

FINALIST

Audi A3 Saloon (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £18,000

The A3 Saloon has a terrific, high-quality interior, giving it an expensive feel that belies its reasonable price. There’s a range of efficient engines, and while the A3 is quite compact, it still has plenty of space inside.

EXECUTIVE CARS

WINNER

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £25,000

Question: what do you get if you add the practicality of a hatchback to an executive saloon? Answer: a car like the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé.  As with its close relative, the 3 Series, there’s space for five inside, sharp handling, a choice of strong petrol and diesel engines engines and and plentiful standard equipment.

But the 4 Series Gran Coupé also offers you a hatchback boot – not only making it more practical, but also adding a swooping roofline that makes the car stand out from the crowd.

EXECUTIVE CARS

As an added bonus, most 4 Series Gran Coupés are more richly equipped than their saloon siblings, with many having had a selection of options thrown on by their first owners. Happily, despite this, the 4 Series Gran Coupé is barely any more expensive than the saloon to buy.

That sounds like terrific value to us – more so than our two other price point winners, and in a car more practical and even better to drive than either of them.

LUXURY CARS

FINALIST

BMW 5 Series (2010-2017)

Best buy - Less than £22,000

Last year’s winner of this category remains a compelling choice, thanks to its upmarket styling and sense of class. It’s also terrific to drive and, given the amount of kit you get, very reasonable value.

LUXURY CARS

FINALIST

Porsche Panamera (2016-present)

Best buy - Less than £100,000

Porsche’s big luxury contender is as involving as its smaller models yet also matches its luxury rivals on refinement and quality. As a hatchback, it’s more practical, while the interior is delightfully plush.

LUXURY CARS

WINNER

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £40,000

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been a strong favourite in this segment for many years. So the fact that you can now buy one of the latest models at less than a year old for this sort of money is nothing short of a bargain. You’ll get a car that’s tech-laden, with a swish interior that resembles a boutique hotel and options such as suspension that automatically adjusts to the road conditions ahead and semi-autonomous technology that will reduce the stress of driving.

LUXURY CARS

WINNER

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £40,000

But even the standard S-Class will swaddle you in rich leather and waft you in unparalleled comfort. And with surprisingly agile handling for a car of its heft, it’ll be a pleasure to drive – for you or your chauffeur.

That incredible all-round ability is why the S-Class beats our other two finalists, the BMW 5 Series and Porsche Panamera, to the trophy; even in their exalted company, it’s a clear winner.

SMALL SUVs

FINALIST

Renault Captur (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £11,000

Clever sliding rear seats that allow you to prioritise either leg room or boot space are  a huge plus point here. The Captur is also perky to drive, comfortable and more affordable than many of its rivals.

SMALL SUVs

FINALIST

Volkswagen Tiguan (2016-present)

Best buy - Less than £23,000

Easy to drive,well equipped and practical, the Tiguan is a great buy, especially at this price point. Its 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats make it very family-friendly, and there’s a range of frugal petrol and diesel engines.

SMALL SUVs

WINNER

Seat Ateca (2016-present)

Best buy - Less than £17,000

The Seat Ateca was a real slam-dunk of a car when it came out, going straight to the top of the class. Here was a high-riding small SUV that worked brilliantly as a family car because of its big boot, wide-opening doors and smart, well-equipped interior.

At the same time, it handled better than it had any right to. For a while, used prices remained strong, because demand outstripped supply. However, as more Atecas have filtered onto used forecourts, prices have softened, with the result that an early example now looks like a very tempting buy.

SMALL SUVs

WINNER

Seat Ateca (2016-present)

Best buy - Less than £17,000

In addition to all of these attractive attributes, you get a good choice of petrol and diesel engines. And whichever one you choose, you can be sure you’ll get punchy performance and impressive fuel efficiency.  Granted, the Ateca isn’t the cheapest car in this class, but it’s better value than the pricier Volkswagen Tiguan.

It’s also smarter, more spacious and nicer to drive than the other nominees here, all of which help to seal its victory.

LARGE SUVs

FINALIST

Kia Sorento (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £26,000

Space is the Sorento’s forte, with a vast and  practical interior that includes seven seats. For this money, you can get a barely used 2017 car in well-equipped KX-2 trim, with most of its seven-year warranty left.

LARGE SUVs

FINALIST

Audi Q5 (2016-present)

Best buy - Less than £33,000

The Q5 rides superbly and is beautifully made. Our favourite 2.0 TDI engine has both performance and fuel economy in its favour, while there’s lots of space, too. SE trim is especially good value at this level.

LARGE SUVs

WINNER

Mazda CX-5 (2010-2017)

Best buy - Less than £17,000

It may have been replaced last year by an updated version, but the original Mazda CX-5 is still a great car that offers truly excellent value for those looking for a stylish and spacious SUV. The CX-5 beats its opponents at this price level by being newer and offering a much better drive. Ultimately it beats our two other price point winners here by virtue of its temptingly low prices.                    

On the road, the CX-5 offers a combination of oomph and economy that few can match, thanks to the efficient 2.2-litre diesel that’s our pick of the engine options.

LARGE SUVs

WINNER

Mazda CX-5 (2010-2017)

Best buy - Less than £17,000

It also rides well and handles with a gusto that’s rare in this class; indeed, it’s probably the closest thing to a driver’s car you’ll find among large SUVs. There’s plenty of space for the family, too, and a large enough boot for a couple of pushchairs. Our favourite SE-L Nav trim is also handsomely equipped.

Add in a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and a good reliability record and you’ve got yourself a winner.

LUXURY SUVs

FINALIST

BMW X5 (2013-2018)

Best buy - Less than £30,000

The car that showed a luxury SUV could be fun to drive remains so today. It’s also well equipped and there’s even the option of seven seats. Throw in gutsy diesel engines and you have a very good deal indeed.

LUXURY SUVs

FINALIST

Range Rover Sport (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £60,000

This generation of the Range Rover Sport is almost as opulent as the full-fat Range Rover, with a lavish interior and wafty ride. It’ll hold on to its value, too; that’s crucial when you’re spending this much cash.

LUXURY SUVs

WINNER

Audi Q7 (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £45,000

The Audi Q7 is no stranger to What Car? awards. Not only did it win this category last year, but it’s also a regular fixture in our new car awards. The reason is simple: it’s the best luxury SUV. Not only does it excel at cosseting its occupants within a beautifully made, classy-feeling cockpit, but it keeps them comfortable at all times, too.

More than half of used Q7s are fitted with the optional air suspension system, which turns a comfortable car into a sublime one.

LUXURY SUVs

WINNER

Audi Q7 (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £45,000

And despite their power and torque, the diesel engines turn in excellent fuel economy. All of this would makes a good case for the Q7, but there’s more. It’s one of the most practical SUVs (with seven seats as standard, rather than optional, as with the other two nominees here) and it’s excellent value (like for like, the Q7 is very reasonable, even compared with its fellow price point winners) all of which makes it hard to resist.

It’s vast, fast, comfortable, well equipped, practical, luxurious and economical, then, and won’t cost the Earth to buy. Sounds like an easy win to us.

ESTATE CARS

FINALIST

Skoda Octavia Estate (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £12,000

This really is a fantastic all-rounder: good to drive, comfortable and tremendously roomy inside. It’s practical, too, with a huge boot, and for this money it’s unbeatable value, especially in 2.0 TDI Elegance form.

ESTATE CARS

FINALIST

BMW 3 Series Touring (2011-present)

Best buy - Less than £19,000

Buyers after a premium badge at this price point can do no better than the 3 Series Touring, which combines the saloon’s fine driving manners, comfort and class with extra practicality. The 320d is frugal, too.

ESTATE CARS

WINNER

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate (2017-present)

Best buy - Less than £27,000

Seldom do you encounter a car that offers so much for so little. The Mercedes E-Class Estate takes all the great qualities of the saloon – the refinement, the ride quality, the plushness of its spacious interior – and then adds a boot so large that you could almost house another car within it.

It’s not just the sheer size; it’s immensely practical, too, with an electric tailgate, a large underfloor storage well, electrically folding rear seats and even the option of two extra pull-up child seats that in effect turn the car into a seven-seater.

ESTATE CARS

WINNER

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate (2017-present)

Best buy - Less than £27,000

That you can have all this class and competence with such a huge chunk off the price of a new example, on a car that’s barely a year old seals its victory here, not only over its rivals in its own price bracket but also over our two other splendid estate car finalists.

Our pick would be the economical E220d SE, which, despite being the entry-level model, comes with all the luxuries anyone could reasonably want.

MPVs

FINALIST

BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £16,000

Despite costing nearly £27k new, a two-year-old 1.5 SE petrol Gran Tourer is now a bargain at less than £16k. What’s more, it has class-leading infotainment, flexible seating and gutsy, economical engines.

MPVs

FINALIST

Volkswagen Sharan (2010-present)

Best buy - Less than £22,000

Few MPVs are more accommodating for big families or have such a high-quality interior, while the sliding doors are a boon in tight car parks. Yet all this space can be had for a surprisingly reasonable price.

MPVs

WINNER

Zafira Tourer (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £10,000

Much like the practice of buying an oversized school uniform at the start of the year knowing your child will grow into it, your family will no doubt expand into a big MPV. Trouble is, big MPVs tend to be expensive to buy and run. Unless you go for a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer, that is.

Just £10,000 will buy you a tidy three-year-old example with plenty of kit that’s much less than than you’ll pay for either of our other two finalists, the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer and Volkswagen Sharan. 

MPVs

WINNER

Zafira Tourer (2013-present)

Best buy - Less than £10,000

But the fact that it’s inexpensive to buy doesn’t mean you have to put up with a poor-quality interior, because the Zafira is well built. It’s better than many of its rivals to drive, too.

But what really hands the Zafira the top prize in this category is how much space you get for the money. Luton’s futon beats the 2 Series GranTourer for overall interior volume when the rear seats are folded. It can’t match the Sharan, but let’s not forget that the Zafira is less than half the price. When money is tight and space is important, the Zafira is unbeatable.

HOT HATCHES

FINALIST

Ford Fiesta ST (2012-2017)

Best buy - Less than £16,000

The Fiesta ST won this category last year and is still an outstanding used hot hatch. No other small car is as involving or sharp to drive; throw in that magnificent engine and you have an exemplary package.

HOT HATCHES

FINALIST

Ford Focus RS (2016-present)

Best buy - Less than £28,000

The Focus RS is as quick and exciting as the best fast Fords, while the four-wheel drive system lets you choose between lairiness and traction. As with all RS models, it should hold on to its value very well, too.

HOT HATCHES

WINNER

BMW M135i (2012-2016)

Best buy - Less than £22,000

Once upon a time, the idea of a BMW hot hatch would have been preposterous. Yet, with its first iteration of the breed, BMW hit on a stunner that wowed buyers and road testers alike.

What made the M135i so great when it was new stands true today: a driving experience that centres on its brawny straight six engine. That may sound like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but in reality it delivers a wall of torque and a soundtrack few other hot hatches can match. 

HOT HATCHES

WINNER

BMW M135i (2012-2016)

Best buy - Less than £22,000

And because the M135i is rear-wheel drive, you can choose how you want to corner: shifting the tail around with plenty of power, or clean and precise, using the swift steering to find the ideal line. 

Yet, being a BMW, you also get quality materials inside that few other hot hatches can compete with (certainly, neither of our other two equally exciting nominees can). There’s a decent amount of space, too, making the car pretty practical. And now that prices have fallen off a little, the M135i is even affordable. It is, in short, the perfect used hot hatch.

COUPÉS

FINALIST

Mini Coupé (2011-2015)

Best buy - Less than £15,000

When it comes to fun coupés on a budget, the Mini Coupé is unbeatable. It’s really nippy and handles incredibly well, whether you choose the standard Cooper or the hot John Cooper Works model.

COUPÉS

Jaguar F-Type (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £35,000

Coupés don’t come more stylish than the F-Type. While it looks a million dollars,  the F-Type is now also surprisingly good value. With a 3.0-litre V6 engine and a taut chassis, it’s an exciting choice, too.

COUPÉS

WINNER

Audi TT (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £22,000

A serial winner at the What Car? new car awards, the Audi TT makes just as much sense here – except that, with a few miles under its belt, it’s cheaper and therefore even better value for money. That’s one key reason why it wins over our two other contenders for this award.

The other is that the TT combines the Jaguar F-Type’s maturity with the Mini Coupé’s accessibility, and teams both with a fabulous chassis and one of the finest interiors around.  

COUPÉS

WINNER

Audi TT (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £22,000

You can find 2016 TTs for less than our £22,000 price point. They’re not poor examples either, because there are plenty around with the quick yet efficient 227bhp 2.0 TFSI engine in well-equipped Sport guise – so you get climate control, Bluetooth, a DAB radio and xenon headlights as standard. Look out for sat-nav, though, because it was an expensive option when new.

CONVERTIBLES

FINALIST

Mazda MX-5 (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £15,000

The latest MX-5 is a lightweight delight, with quick steering, joyous handling and a choice of two engines, of which we’d pick the sweeter and cheaper 1.5, preferably combined with well-equipped SE-L Nav trim.

CONVERTIBLES

FINALIST

Audi TT Roadster (2014-present)

Best buy - Less than £22,000

The evergreen TT is one of our favourite drop-tops, thanks to its all-round ability and combination of driving pleasure and ease of use. It feels durable as a used car, too, and its interior is wonderfully classy.

CONVERTIBLES

WINNER

BMW 6 Series Convertible (2011-2018)

Best buy - Less than £35,000

If there is such a thing as a lot of car for the money, the BMW 6 Series Convertible must surely be it. That you can buy a barely used example of this suave, refined grand tourer, with its understated styling and richly appointed interior, at this price level is astonishing.

Indeed, it was the fact that you get so much class and comfort for your cash that gave the 6 Series convertible the victory over other highly desirable cars in its price sector, including the Jaguar F-Type and Mercedes-Benz SL.

CONVERTIBLES

WINNER

BMW 6 Series Convertible (2011-2018)

Best buy - Less than £35,000

That’s ultimately why it beat our other two price point winners, the Mazda MX-5 and Audi TT. There are some great engines to choose from, including a 3.0-litre diesel in our favourite 640d that offers both storming performance and impressive efficiency.

Find one in well-equipped M Sport trim and you’ll have a wonderfully cosseting drop-top cruiser that offers all the wind-in-the-hair fun you could want at a bargain price.

SPORTS CARS

FINALIST

Audi R8 (2007-2016)

Best buy - Less than £70,000

Last year’s category winner is still one of the finest sports cars for this sort of money. A V10 soundtrack, supercar pace,four-wheel drive and astonishing grip combine to deliver an electrifying driving experience.

SPORTS CARS

FINALIST

Mercedes-AMG GT (2015-present)

Best buy - Less than £120,000

Having slipped in value since it hit the used market, Mercedes’ twin-turbo V8 supercar can now be had for a bargain price. Expect lots of noise, tail-happy handling, a beautiful interior and eye-popping looks.

SPORTS CARS

WINNER

Porsche Cayman (2013-2016)

Best buy - Less than £40,000

Buying used doesn’t often bag you a car that’s actually more exciting to drive than its newer version. But in this case it does – because when this second-generation Cayman was replaced by the current model, some of its character was lost. That’s mainly down to the four-cylinder engine that replaced the earlier car’s six-cylinder unit.

The flat six makes a better noise than its successor and rewards its driver more for seeking out the top end of the rev range. It perfectly complements the Cayman’s taut chassis, super-sharp steering and impeccable balance; that’s why buying a used Cayman is a better bet, we reckon, than a new one.

SPORTS CARS

WINNER

Porsche Cayman (2013-2016)

Best buy - Less than £40,000

That isn’t the only reason why it’s here, though. Given its growing cult following, chances are that this Cayman will become sought after. That won’t shield you entirely from depreciation, but it should reduce its rate significantly.

If so, the Cayman will cost you less to buy and lose less of its value than either of our other two price point victors. Given that it’s just as adept at making you grin, it’s an obvious winner.

GREEN CARS

FINALIST

BMW 330e (2016-present)

Best buy - Less than £28,000

This plug-in hybrid BMW 3 Series is for those who don’t want to compromise. Use electric power only around town, or blend with the petrol motor on longer trips. Prices are reasonable and availability is good.

GREEN CARS

FINALIST

Mercedes-Benz E350e (2017-present)

Best buy - Less than £40,000

A refined and readily available means of keeping fuel costs and emissions down. The electric-only range isn’t great, but clever use of the electric motor means real-world efficiency is impressive.

GREEN CARS

WINNER

Hyundai Ioniq (2017-present)

Best buy - Less than £16,000

Which do you want: a plug-in hybrid, a self-charging hybrid or a fully electric car? In the Hyundai Ioniq, you can have any one of these three, because Hyundai cleverly made it available with all three propulsion options.

No other model offers quite such a variety on the used market – one reason why it takes our class win. Its five year warranty is another benefit neither of our other two nominees can match and something that will matter to buyers looking for reassurance as they switch from more conventional models.  

GREEN CARS

WINNER

Hyundai Ioniq (2017-present)

Best buy - Less than £16,000

It’s the hybrid variant that makes the most sense. It was launched earlier than the others so there are more examples around. That means you not only get more choice, but it’s cheaper to buy, too. In fact, the Ioniq is terrific value; despite its low price, you get a well-built interior, a generous amount of equipment and tidy handling.

So it doesn’t just make financial sense; it should be a pleasure to own, too.

OVERALL WINNER

OVERALL WINNER

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate (2017-present)

If you’ve read through all of the categories already, you’ll know just how many strong contenders were in the running for What Car? Used Car of the Year. This made picking a single, overall champion tougher than ever. In the end, our winner came from a surprising category. Rarely does an estate take the overall win in any What Car? awards; this time, though, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate has done it.

That’s because it isn’t just a great used estate; it’s a terrific used car, full stop. From the way its interior wows you to the way its ride cossets at all speeds, via its efficient engines and overflowing standard equipment list, the E-Class Estate is a truly desirable bit of kit. It even wears its miles well; buy one that’s a couple of years old and you’ll struggle to tell the difference from a new one. And of course, that’s before we’ve even discussed that vast, flexible boot. You might think you’d have to pay the Earth for such a thing.

Not so. A one-year-old example of the widely available E220d SE – our favourite version – can be had for as little as £26,000, saving you around £14,000 on a new one. For such a luxurious estate, that’s stonking value. Is it time to rethink that SUV you were planning to buy, then? Absolutely. After all, this car proves that a good used estate has a lot to offer. Opulent yet practical, powerful yet efficient, classy yet affordable, the E-Class Estate is deservedly the 2019 What Car? Used Car of the Year.

BEST USED CAR SCHEME

FINALIST

Mitsubishi

This is an excellent scheme that came very close to claiming victory this year. For starters, it covers cars up to 10 years old and comes with a generous mileage limit of 100,000. There’s also a 24-month warranty and a two-year breakdown package that now includes the EU as well as the UK, and a full service history guarantee.

Its 60-point check isn’t as thorough as some other schemes, though, and the breakdown cover isn’t as comprehensive. If Mitsubishi were to improve the latter, its scheme would be hard to beat.

BEST USED CAR SCHEME

FINALIST

Kia

The Kia scheme offers the longest warranty by a country mile: seven years. Although this is exceptionally generous, the drawback is that it applies only to cars up to 18 months old and with up to 18,000 miles on the clock, whereas some other schemes cover cars that are much older. However, you do get a warranted mileage, and a full service history guarantee, as well as one year’s breakdown cover, a 60-day exchange policy and seven days’ free insurance.

BEST USED CAR SCHEME

WINNER

Jaguar Approved, Land Rover Approved

If you’re looking for a straightforward scheme that offers exceptional peace of mind, Jaguar Land Rover’s is the one to beat. They’re actually two separate schemes, but because they’re identical and from the same parent company, they count as one for our purposes. This scheme covers cars up to five years old and with up to 100,000 miles on the clock. It includes a 24-month, unlimited-mileage warranty, which is much better than most offer, and a comprehensive mechanical check.

You’ll receive two years’ breakdown cover, which covers the EU and includes home-start assistance, car hire and hotel accommodation, all of which is once again more generous than most rival schemes. While a full service history isn’t guaranteed with every car, the dealer will at least carry out the latest service if it’s missing from the record.

All in all, it’s a great deal, and with so much on offer across a broad spectrum, it edges out the highly commended schemes from Mitsubishi and Kia to take the victory here for the second year running.

BEST USED CAR WEBSITE

FINALIST

Mazda Approved Used Cars - mazdausedcarlocator.co.uk

It was let down by a fussy design and it doesn’t quite offer the same functionality as the best, but the Mazda used car site does have a finance calculator, a part-exchange valuation service and lots of information, including the number of previous owners of the car. We’d like to see the information displayed across the whole width of the screen rather than down two columns.

BEST USED CAR WEBSITE

FINALIST

Vauxhall Network Q - networkq.co.uk

Vauxhall’s website is clearer than Mazda’s, because it makes full use of the available space on the page. Also, a pop-up banner appears along the top of the page as you scroll down, showing key details. One feature that stood out on Network Q is that the site makes it really clear how much warranty cover is left on the car. If it had a finance calculator, it would have scored higher.

BEST USED CAR WEBSITE

WINNER

Volkswagen Das Welt Auto

It was only by a matter of a few points, but Volkswagen’s approved website stood out as the best user experience when looking for a used car. Not only is it logically laid out, but it is also engaging, features an attractive design and demonstrates that Volkswagen has worked hard to make the search for a used car as easy and as convenient as possible.

From the start, it’s a paragon of clarity. All the benefits of the Das Welt Auto scheme are displayed in written and video forms, while the pursuit of a used Volkswagen to buy is straightforward thanks to a quick search facility, with a more detailed search option if you have specific criteria.

Adverts show information at the top of the page, including the registration number. Scroll down and a pop-up banner appears with the car price and the dealer’s information so that they’re always visible on-screen, meaning you don’t have to keep heading back to the top of the page to remind yourself. Continue scrolling and you pick up a bar that follows you, displaying short-cuts to all of the seven sections in the advert. Additional functionality includes a finance calculator, plus the ability to request a video of the car, put down a deposit or even make an offer, meaning you can haggle from the comfort of your own home.

In short, not only is this an attractive and easy to use site, but one that’s well tailored to the specific needs of today’s used car buyers.