Skoda Octavia review – the most practical family hatchback
The 10 best hatchbacks to buy in 2024
Hatchbacks are the ideal car for many drivers, with plentiful interior and boot space packaged in a small footprint – these are the best
Ask someone to imagine a car, and they’re likely to think of a hatchback. Models like the Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic have been carrying passengers on our roads for decades, serving the masses as a practical and affordable method of transportation.
In recent years, the car buying public has begun to throw its weight behind SUVs instead of traditional hatchbacks, saloons and estates, and there are fewer of these models to pick from today as a result. That being said, several hatchbacks routinely appear on the list of best-selling cars in the UK, proving that drivers today still appreciate their small footprint, good practicality and affordability.
Below, we’ve listed our favourite hatchbacks on sale today. For a selection of smaller cars, read our list of the best superminis, or alternatively, read our list of the best used hatchbacks if you’d rather not shop new.
- Priced from £27,000
Park the Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf next to each other, and you probably wouldn’t guess they’re almost identical under the skin. A longer body and stretched boot make the Octavia look like a much larger car, and its luggage space is massive as a result. Despite the extra metalwork, the Octavia is no more expensive than the Golf, and we think it’s the nicer of the two to sit in.
There’s 600 litres of space behind the back seats, and the boot lid opens to reveal a long and wide aperture. It’s a well-thought-out space too, with a 12V power supply, hooks for shopping bags or takeaways, and optional cargo nets to keep items secure. For a practical, affordable and well-equipped hatchback, you won’t find anything better than the Skoda Octavia. Those who need even more space are in luck – there’s also a Skoda Octavia Estate.
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- Priced from £30,000
BYD might not enjoy quite the same legacy as some of its rival European brands, but the Dolphin is an electric hatchback that can compete with the best. It burst onto the scene last year and swiftly picked up both the Carbuyer Best Small Electric Car award and the outright Car of the Year 2024 award – no small feat for the Chinese car maker’s UK debut. It ticks many of the boxes that matter to hatchback buyers; it’s affordable, practical and well-equipped.
We think the Dolphin would make a great first electric car for those ready to leave combustion power behind. It’s easy to drive and a real-world range of over 200 miles means it can handle all but the longest of journeys. It sits somewhere between the old Ford Fiesta and a Ford Focus in size but the interior feels more generous than both of those cars, and the boot measures at a decent 345 litres. All in all, we struggled to fault the Dolphin during our in-depth review, making it our pick of the electric hatchback crop.
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- Priced from £21,000
The Skoda Fabia has proved a huge success since it was launched in the early 2000s as a budget-friendly alternative to the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta. The latest version feels of a higher build quality and more upmarket than ever before, offering much more value-for-money than rivals.
One of the biggest selling points of the Fabia is its brilliant practicality for such a small car. Its 380-litre boot is the best in its class and even gets close to rivalling boot sizes of cars from the class above.
Every version of the Skoda Fabia comes with a decent level of equipment, which seems to have trickled down from models higher in the range. Sleek LED headlights and tail-lights come as standard, and top-of-the-range models get premium features like a panoramic roof and heated steering wheel. The Fabia doesn’t come with a hybrid or even mild-hybrid option and its petrol engines are fairly basic, ranging from an entry-level 79bhp 1.0-litre model capable of up to 54.8mpg, to the most powerful 148bhp 1.5-litre option that can do 51.1mpg, meaning it won’t be too expensive to run, regardless.
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- Priced from £27,000
We’ve been impressed with MG’s latest electric hatchback since its release, and the MG4 serves as a budget-friendly alternative to the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3 and Renault Megane E-Tech. In fact, the MG4 is one of the cheapest electric cars on the market, so it could help plenty of buyers get their first taste of EV ownership. Its boot may not be the biggest in its class, but does beat other smaller electric city cars in its price range.
The range starts with an entry-level 168bhp model with a 51kWh battery providing a range of up to 218 miles. There’s a higher-spec Long Range version which comes with a 200bhp motor and 64kWh battery with a range of 281 miles. 150kWh charging means it will do a 10-80% charge in just over half an hour. The MG4 isn’t just good thanks to its affordability – it also comes with a generous amount of standard kit, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, adaptive cruise control, and plenty of safety systems. You also get premium tech such as a 360-degree camera, heated front seats and wireless phone charging on Trophy models.
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- Priced from £35,000
The latest version of the Honda Civic represents a complete overhaul of Honda’s hatchback, and is the most hi-tech Civic ever. There’s only one powertrain of the latest Civic: a self-charging e:HEV hybrid system consisting of a 2.0-litre petrol engine paired with a 1.05kWh battery that also utilises regenerative braking to charge up. It’s an excellent system – so good, in fact, that we named the Civic as the Best Hybrid at the 2024 Carbuyer Best Car Awards.
The Civic’s longer size means it’s roomier than before and offers a decent-sized boot, with 410 litres making it one of the more practical models in its class. It offers both a good driving experience and a comfortable ride – it can be a rare feat to achieve the two. Its interior is a big improvement over the previous model, with sturdy build quality and feel. It gets smartphone connectivity and at least a nine-inch touchscreen, upgraded to 10.2 inches on higher-spec cars. We even think the current Civic’s interior feels more upmarket than that of a Volkswagen Golf.
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- Priced from £34,000
The Cupra Born shares a platform with the Volkswagen ID.3 and represents a sportier version of the EV on which it’s based. The Born is more aggressively styled, lower and longer than the Volkswagen, adding a little more style and pizzazz than its sibling which makes it a little less clinical. The Born offers a decent 385-litre boot, making it practical enough for most, though its main selling point is its sporty character.
The Cupra born feels good to drive as is intended for an electric hot hatch, and comes offered with either a 58kWh battery with or without ‘e-Boost’, and a 77kWh battery version. Both versions of the 58kWh will manage 260 miles on a charge, with the 77kWh battery capable of 340 miles before needing a top-up. The e-Boost option ups the ante somewhat to deliver more on the electric hot hatch promise.
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- Priced from £31,000
In a market full of exciting new electric models and ultra-affordable offerings, the Toyota Corolla can seem a bit forgettable. It may be one of the older models on this list, but the Corolla is still a hugely capable hatchback that will appeal to many drivers, thanks to its efficient hybrid system, spacious interior and reputation for rock-solid reliability.
Toyota was one of the first adopters of hybrid technology, and the Corolla uses the latest iteration of its self-charging system. Available in 1.8-litre or 2.0-litre guises, the Corolla’s four-cylinder engine will return up to 64mpg either way, making it one of the most fuel-efficient cars in its class. It’s a smooth system, too, and fairly punchy, although the CVT gearbox doesn’t encourage spirited driving. For most drivers, though, the Corolla delivers everything you could need from a family hatchback.
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- Priced from £22,000
Electric cars have ingrained themselves into the mainstream in recent years, but there are still few truly affordable models to choose from in 2024. The Citroen e-C3 is designed to change that, with a starting price of around £22,000 – that’s a competitive price compared to all hatchbacks, not just electric ones. The e-C3 isn’t just cheap, however. Instead, it offers great value for money, packing a spacious interior and comfortable driving experience into a small, stylish package.
Those looking for a luxuriously appointed, tech-packed speed machine are likely to be left disappointed, but that’s not what the e-C3 is trying to be. Instead, Citroen has focused on what’s important to the majority of car buyers, and we think it’s nailed the brief. That being said, the boot space isn’t quite as generous as other hatchbacks, and some buyers may be put off by the scratchy interior plastics. But if you can look past those shortcomings, the e-C3 makes for an excellent electric hatchback.
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- Priced from £33,000
While we appreciate value-for-money here at Carbuyer, not every hatchback needs to be budget-focused. The BMW 1 Series takes the humble hatchback formula but adds a premium Germanic touch, with an interior that’s one of the best in its class. Technology is strong, thanks to the crisp infotainment and driver’s displays, while everything is screwed together in a typically solid BMW fashion. Just be careful about the options list – ticking a few boxes can seriously inflate the 1 Series’s price tag.
A mid-cycle facelift in 2024 brought some sharper styling, but the diesel engines were dropped from the lineup. That leaves just two petrol engines for now – the capable 1.5-litre three-cylinder and the boisterous 2.0-litre unit in the M135. Most drivers will be happy with the former as it's punchy enough and returns up to 52mpg.
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- Priced from £30,000
The A3 is Audi’s direct rival to the 1 Series above, going toe-to-toe in the premium hatchback market. It feels equally well-built, looks just as classy and is fairly comparable in terms of price, too, so we imagine most buyers will pick one based on which badge they prefer. While we think the Beemer is more fun to drive, the A3 delivers a smooth and sturdy driving experience – for more excitement, there’s always the S3 or RS 3.
The A3 shares its underpinnings with the Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf, but it feels like a more upmarket piece of kit. You get a similar choice of engines, including a diesel that will appeal to motorway drivers – something missing from the 1 Series lineup. Even though the A3 is positioned as a more premium alternative to its Golf sister car, the price difference between the two isn’t as vast as it once was, so it could be a viable upgrade for some – especially if you hunt around for an affordable leasing deal.
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Why should I buy a hatchback?
Hatchbacks have been a popular choice among UK car buyers for a number of years, though growing popularity of alternatives such as high-riding small SUVs means the market is smaller than it used to be. The latest hatchbacks are fighting back, though, with impressive fuel economy and even hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric power, but they’re still nimble, easy-to-manoeuvre and yet practical enough as a small family car.
Hatchback cars tend to be the best cars for families, as their large boots are easier to load with everything you need. Some of our best hatchbacks will offer a staggering amount of boot space in spite of their small overall dimensions. Hatchbacks are even making their way into more premium, luxury cars to make them more practical, as manufacturers try to offer as much as they can in one package.
Hatchback boots are also easy to access in almost any parking space and garage, with hydraulic struts or even electric power designed to make opening and shutting the boot easy. This is preferable to the side-opening tailgates of some SUVs like the Land Rover Defender, that can be awkward in tight gaps and very heavy.
Luckily, hatchback fans are spoilt for choice, because not only does just about every supermini and family car come with a hatch, so do most crossovers, SUVs and an increasing number of high-performance and electric cars. Our list of the best hatchbacks on sale in the UK right now includes everything from superminis, larger family-friendly models, hot hatches and luxury cars – many of which are electric.
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