Volkswagen Golf GTI review – the quintessential hot hatch
The 10 best hot hatchbacks to buy in 2024
A hot hatch should combine driving thrills with everyday usability at a reasonable price – we round up the best
If you want one car that can do it all, a hot hatchback is a good place to start. You get the practicality of a regular family hatch, but with performance that will get your heart racing along a good B road.
They’ve long been a favourite of UK car buyers, with models like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Fiesta ST finding plenty of homes over the years. There are fewer to choose from these days, thanks to the push towards electrification and the popularity of SUVs, but there’s still a handful on sale in 2024 that offer space, low running costs and plenty of speed.
Knowing which hot hatchback is right for you can be a bit tricky. Some are little more than regular family cars with a bit more power, while others are much more hardcore machines designed for setting lap records. The best hot hatchbacks often land somewhere in between, offering enough comfort to drive everyday, but with a focus on fun and engagement you won't find in a basic grocery-getter.
We’ve covered all bases on this list, with models ranging from the lukewarm end of the hot hatch spectrum, right up to extra spicy. There’s even a couple of electric hot hatchbacks, too, and they’re already proving that you can have plenty of fun with zero emissions.
If you’re after something with even more space, but still plenty of performance, why not check out our list of the best sports and performance SUVs? For a mixture of different cars that will put a smile on your face, read our list of the best driver’s cars.
- Priced from around £39,000
Arguably the father of all hot hatchbacks, the Volkswagen Golf GTI still has what it takes to sit above the competition. It offers the most well-rounded balance of performance and practicality on this list, so it’s no surprise that it picked up the Carbuyer Best Hot Hatchback award for 2025.
The Golf GTI combines an impressive history, together with more than enough performance for most drivers and roads. Accelerating from 0-62mph takes under six seconds thanks to the 261bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, which is smooth and eager when accelerating. Some enthusiasts might be disappointed by the lack of a manual gearbox, but the DSG automatic is as sharp and responsive as they come.
Sure, the mighty Golf R might have the GTI pipped for straight line speed, but that’s never really been the goal of a hot hatchback. The GTI thrives in the corners, and the optional Clubsport package turns things up another notch. It costs an extra £2,300, but we think it’s well worth it for driving enthusiasts – you get more power, suspension changes and some sportier exterior bits.
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- Priced from around £65,000
As one of only a few electric hot hatchbacks on sale, there was a lot riding on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N before its launch this year. Having nailed the i20 N, could Hyundai’s engineers prove that batteries are just as much fun as petrol-power? The answer was a resounding yes.
With incredible straight-line speed, superb handling and sporty-looks all bundled into Hyundai’s spacious family EV, the Ioniq 5 N ticks all the boxes of the hot hatchback brief. A hefty price tag of £65,000 means the Ioniq 5 N is comfortably the most expensive car on this list, but with a supercar-rivalling 641bhp on tap, you’ll struggle to find something faster for the money. There’s even a driving mode that replicates the feel and sound of a petrol engine, complete with fake gearshifts. It sounds silly, but trust us, it’s very entertaining.
When you’re not busy blasting down a B-road, the Ioniq 5 N can handle everything that daily-driving has to throw at it, with around 280 miles of range, 350kW rapid-charging compatibility and 527 litres of boot space. It is a big car, though, so it won’t feel quite as nimble around town or along a narrow road as some of the other hatchbacks on this list.
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- Priced from around £50,000
If lap times are more important to you than anything else, no hot hatch will satisfy your need for speed better than the Honda Civic Type R. With a powerful 325bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and one of the best-feeling manual gear shifts out there, the latest Type R will reach 62mph in just 5.4 seconds. While this may be slower than some automatic rivals, increased chassis stiffening and other mechanical tweaks mean the hottest Civic can take a corner much faster than almost any other hot hatch.
That big rear spoiler might scream performance, but the latest Civic Type R sports a far more restrained look compared to the last generation. Depending on your taste, that’ll either be a good or bad thing, but both camps are sure to appreciate the much more up to date cabin. There’s plenty of legroom in the rear, too, while a 410-litre boot should be enough to cater for most families’ luggage. The key factor detracting from the Civic Type R’s practicality is its price; at around £50,000, it’s one of the most expensive hot hatches on the market. The lack of an automatic gearbox option could put off some buyers, too.
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- Priced from around £31,000
If you’re a fan of the Volkswagen Golf GTI but find its styling a little too bland, the Cupra Leon could be the hot hatchback for you. Its copper-coloured accents, aggressive face and twin-exhausts certainly look the part, but hot hatchback fans will be pleased to know that the Leon delivers in the driving dynamics department too.
There are multiple variants of the Cupra Leon to choose from, but thankfully, they’re all fun to drive. The entry-level model isn’t particularly sporty, but buyers seeking the fastest Leon can opt for the 296bhp top-spec ‘300’ model instead. This shares its engine with the Golf GTI Clubsport and can complete the 0-62mph sprint in just 5.7 seconds.
When it comes to daily driving, the Cupra Leon covers all the necessary bases, with good on-road comfort, all the equipment you could need and respectable boot space. It's even available as an estate for those wanting to haul extra luggage.
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- Priced from around £38,000
Ford has a reputation for making its cars fun to drive, and the Ford Focus ST is no different. The standard Focus handles excellently, but the ST throws a 276bhp 2.3-litre engine into the mix, ramping up the speed and drama. The 0-62mph sprint takes just 5.7 seconds, although in reality, the Focus ST really comes into its own on winding B roads which show off its superb handling. Ford’s latest anti-lag technology also means that power is more instant when you put your foot on the throttle in Sport and Track modes.
Ford offers the Focus ST with its Track Pack bundle, which brings a lightweight set of alloy wheels, styling upgrades, and a more tunable suspension setup featuring KW coilovers. When we drove it, the Focus ST with the Track Pack option felt very firm, but quite honestly it helped make it feel like a hot hatch of old that prioritises fun and body control above all else.
Other variants include an automatic and an estate version, too, so if you still want a hot hatch but the family is growing, the latter will add another layer of practicality thanks to its larger boot and roof rails. You better be quick, though – Ford has confirmed that Focus will be discontinued at some point in 2025, bringing its run of brilliant ST models to an end.
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- Priced from around £44,000
Those two letters between ‘Toyota’ and ‘Yaris’ are important, because they signify that this is no ordinary Yaris. GR stands for Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s motorsport arm that competes in the World Rally Championship. With help from the team’s drivers, Toyota has totally transformed the rather boring Yaris with an entirely new three-door body – including a carbon fibre roof – and a remarkable driving experience.
The engineers have also wrung out 276bhp from the 1.6-litre engine, while four-wheel drive allows for a rapid 5.5-second 0-62mph time. The manual gearbox feels slick to use and the newly-developed automatic gearbox option is pretty snappy, too. Since its 2024 refresh, the GR Yaris also gets a bespoke interior. Early issues, including the high driving position and obtrusive rear-view mirror, have since been sorted, so there’s little to complain about in this department.
Still, it’s the way the Toyota GR Yaris drives which makes it appealing. Essentially a rally car for the road, the hot Yaris offers mountains of grip, allowing you to attack a corner much faster than you would in a front-wheel-drive hot hatch. Of course, this all comes at a price; the GR Yaris now costs over £20,000 more than a regular Yaris. But in fairness, the two cars have little to do with each other from behind the wheel.
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- Priced from TBC
A follow up to the mighty Alpine A110 sports car was always going to be tough, but the A290 hot hatchback lives up to the French brand’s sporty DNA. It goes about things in a very different way, mind. For starters, the A290 is fully-electric, sharing its chassis and EV tech with the Renault 5. That car is a hoot to drive in its own right, but Alpine has taken things a step further with more power, sharper handling and sportier looks.
The result is the best electric hot hatchback we’ve tested to date, discounting the much bigger and much more expensive Hyundai Ioniq 5 N above. The A290 doesn’t rely on stomach-churning straight-line speed for thrills like many EVs. Instead, it rewards drivers through the corners, with its traditional front-wheel drive setup finding loads of grip. There’s a choice between a 178bhp or 219bhp motor, and the latter will happily spin the front wheels if you boot it out of a corner. It really is fun in the old hot hatchback sense, despite the new-age tech.
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- Priced from around £63,000
Let’s get the tricky bit out of the way – the Mercedes-AMG A 45 costs over £63,000. Yes, that’s over double the price of the cheapest A-Class, but for some buyers, that’ll be more than worth it. It is, quite simply, one of the fastest hot hatchbacks you can buy.
Under the bonnet lies a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 415bhp, driving all four wheels through AMG’s clever 4Matic Plus system. As a result, it finds prodigious levels of grip in all conditions, slingshotting out of corners with enormous pace. It’s surprisingly engaging, too, much like a traditional hot hatchback, although its sheer speed makes it hard to find its limits on the road. You could argue that a hot hatchback doesn’t need to be this fast, but then AMG has never done things by halves.
Importantly, the A 45 retains everything we like about the regular A-Class, including its upmarket interior, widely-adjustable driving position and decent-sized boot.
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- Priced from around £44,000
It’s pitched as the ultimate Golf, and on paper, the Golf R certainly delivers. With 329bhp, four-wheel drive, and a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds, it’s a seriously quick machine – as quick, in fact, as the first Audi R8 supercar.
There are few cars with the Golf R’s breadth of ability. Day to day, it’s no different to drive than a standard Golf hatchback, but stick it in a sportier driving mode and it really comes alive. It finds huge amounts of grip no matter the weather, and it’ll push you back in your seat if you floor it in any gear. We’re pleased to report that a mid-life refresh for the Golf R has added a bit more involvement into the driving experience, too – something that was lacking before.
We still think that most buyers will be better off with the cheaper Golf GTI, which is even more fun to drive. The Golf R also misses out on the GTI’s new steering wheel, which features much easier-to-use physical buttons. A small point, but something that could become irritating if you plan to drive your hot hatchback everyday.
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- Priced from around £60,000
The Audi RS 3 is based on the same platform as the Volkswagen Golf R, so how does it justify its £60,000 price tag? Well, let’s start with what’s under the bonnet. It features an unusual 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine, which has been tinkered with over the past decade to the tune of 394bhp. Acceleration is blistering – 0-62mph takes 3.8 seconds – but it also sounds great, howling like a miniature version of the R8 supercar’s V10.
For the latest generation of RS 3, Audi has turned its attention to the driving experience. Old RS 3s have often felt a bit blunt, but the new suspension system fitted to this car has improved things massively. It’s now far more resistant to understeer, at last making it a fun hatch to weave along a twisty road rather than just a drag strip rocket ship.
Fortunately, the new suspension system hasn’t impacted comfort. The RS 3 is still just as easy to live with as a regular A3, fuel costs aside. The interior feels pretty special, too, although we still think the Mercedes A45 is the super-hatch to beat overall.
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Best hot hatchbacks: prices and score table
You can compare the prices of each of the hot hatchbacks above in the following table. We’ve also included a column for their Carbuyer score, which is decided by our expert road testers.
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Best hot hatchback ranking |
Make and model |
Priced from |
Carbuyer rating (out of 5) |
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1 |
Volkswagen Golf GTI |
£39,000 |
4.2 |
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2 |
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N |
£65,000 |
4.4 |
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3 |
Honda Civic Type R |
£50,000 |
4.2 |
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4 |
Cupra Leon |
£31,000 |
4.2 |
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5 |
Ford Focus ST |
£38,000 |
4.2 |
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6 |
Toyota GR Yaris |
£44,000 |
4.1 |
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7 |
Alpine A290 |
TBC |
4.0 |
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8 |
Mercedes-AMG A 45 |
£63,000 |
4.0 |
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9 |
Volkswagen Golf R |
£44,000 |
3.9 |
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10 |
Audi RS 3 |
£60,000 |
3.8 |
Don’t quite need the extra space? Check out our list of the best sports cars you can buy instead…
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