The hot hatch market has had a major shift in recent years. It still remains as popular as ever, but the criteria for what’s important has significantly changed. No longer is the market led by lightweight, sparsely-kitted, cheap boxes of fun. The new era of hot hatches focusses on power and interior that rival the executive saloon market. It’s not uncommon to see cars with north of 350PS (257kW). In fact the Mercedes-AMG A45 has 365PS (268kW) and the starting price is just shy of the £50,000 mark.
Spending that much money on what is supposed to be an accessible route to some motoring fun for the masses just isn’t feasible. However, don’t despair. If we look at the second-hand market there are quite a few affordable options if you’re looking to get your pocket rocket thrills on a modest budget. Winding the clock back to the mid-2000s and early 2010s is where we can find the majority of these gems, so we’ve broken down the best affordable hot hatches to save you time.
Honda Civic Type R EP3
A design that has aged rather well, the now 21-year-old EP3 is currently in the sweet spot of affordability with prices starting to rise. So if you’re looking for that hot hatch experience that may potentially end up making you money, then the second generation Honda Civic Type R may be the perfect one for you.
Why is the EP3 the one to go for? Well, its predecessor, the EK9 is a rare beast and you won’t find an example in good condition that isn’t going to break the bank. Despite only being three or four years older than the EP3, the EK9 prices have gone through the roof. The EP3 hasn’t gone that way yet, mainly due to them being much more common on the ground, but finding one that hasn’t been modified is becoming increasingly difficult. The successor to the EP3, the FN2, wasn’t a favourite amongst Type R fans, so there is a big gap between the EP3 and the next cult classic Civic Type R, making it more and more desirable.
If you find your EP3 unmolested and in good condition, you’ll be the owner of a high-revving, well-made and great handling cult classic. With prices ever creeping up, you should still be able to find a relatively low mile example in good condition around the £7,000 mark. You can always take the risk on a higher-mile example, but these are cars that love to be driven hard and they often are.
Fiat Panda 100HP
The market is yet to realise how much fun the Fiat Panda 100HP really is. It is a classic case of ‘those that know, know.’ You won’t see a huge number of these available for purchase, but they are worth it if you find the right one. I bought my rather underwhelmingly grey coloured Panda 100HP in 2015 and the market hasn’t really moved from there. There are a few low mile examples that are north of £3,500 now, but still at that price they are really worth it.
To lay my cards on the table somewhat, the Panda 100HP isn’t the hottest of hatches. It’s more ‘your cup of tea you’ve forgotten about but remember just before it’s stone-cold’ hatch. This is most likely the main reason why it is overlooked, but once you’re sat behind the wheel and using the six-speed manual gearbox and 100 per cent of the 100HP on a twisty b-road, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.
I drove the Civic Type R EP3 and Panda 100HP back to back when choosing my next car and even if it wasn’t half the price, I enjoyed the driving experience much more in the piccola Panda. They are starting to be talked about more and more as a second-hand bargain these days, so eventually prices will rise, but right now, you won’t find more bang for your buck than with a Fiat Panda 100HP.
Suzuki Swift Sport
The 2006-2011 Suzuki Swift Sport is, like the Fiat Panda 100HP, a fun hatchback that might not fall into everyone’s definition of ‘hot.’ However, if you’re looking for an affordable vehicle that has the essence of the original hot hatches, then the Swift Sport is the perfect option for you. In the late ‘00s, it is fair to say Suzuki wasn’t known for much more than producing inoffensive family cars. Then, all of a sudden, it managed to produce this little gem.
The 1.6-litre VVT engine isn’t too powerful, but it more than makes up for that with its handling and agility. I won’t promise you any level of refinement or stunning interior quality, but that’s not what affordable hot hatches are about. What I can promise you is that for less than £2,500 you’ll have a reliable car that paints a massive smile on your face.
In terms of the future market of the Suzuki Swift Sport, I doubt we’ll ever see a great increase in price. It was only £13,500 brand new, so it will forever remain a bargain pocket rocket.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk5
One of the original hot hatches that paved the way for the whole genre was the ‘76 VW Golf GTI. Nimble and crispier than the Walkers’ factory, it won the hearts of so many and remains an icon to this day. The next three instalments of the Golf GTI lost their way a little. The Mk2 gained a little weight but still thrilled the masses, the Mk3 didn’t quite get the formula right and the Mk4 had a mid-life crisis and completely let itself go. Then, in 2005, the Golf GTI got its mojo back with the Mk5.
Critics loved it. The nimbleness was back. It was comfortable, it was refined and it was everything anyone could want from a hot hatch. Fast forward to the present day and they represent fantastic value for money. Once again, prices are on their way up, but you can find a sub-100k mile car for around £5,000. You’ll have to search pretty thoroughly to find one that hasn’t had the full Tesco car meet treatment, but if you do, snap the seller’s hand off.
If you’re budget extends to the £7,500-£10,000 range, you’ll pick yourself up a superb example that will just keep on going. If you do spot one that’s looking mightily tempting at the £2,500 mark, it’s most likely too good to be true.
Ford Fiesta ST
I really can’t conjure any negatives for the 2013-2017 Ford Fiesta ST. In terms of how fun they are to drive, they are unmatched in the genre – Ford absolutely nailed the formula with the second generation ST. The 1.6-litre Ecoboost engine produced 182PS (134kW) which may not sound groundbreaking, but because it was so light, it really packs a punch.
The handling is razor-sharp and will have you diverting your route just to find a b-road. And it may be a rather subjective factor, but I think this model of Fiesta ST is one of, if not the, best looking hot hatch on the market.
Fast Fords will always be popular, and when you add all of these ingredients together, you have a guaranteed future classic. The price will be a little more than most of the others on this list, but it’s a good five or six years younger than the other entries. If your budget stretches to £8,000-£10,000 I wouldn’t look any further than this.
Renault Clio 182 Cup
I’m not sure how I’ve come this far and not mentioned a French hot hatch. Well let’s change that shall we. The Renault Clio 182 Cup really is your classic combination for a hot hatch. Energetic engine, lightweight, great chassis and in this case, some va va voom. The Clio 182 Cup has caught the attention of quite a few young thrill seekers as it is getting harder and harder to find an example that hasn’t had the ‘track treatment.’
If you do manage to find one that hasn’t got a roll cage and lime green wheels, then you’ll be making a wise investment as, once again, prices are on the rise. It wasn’t more than two years ago I was considering a 70k-mile example for £2,500, but you’ll have to triple that mileage for that budget today. If you have around £5,000 burning a hole in your pocket, then it wouldn’t be the worst investment to secure a bit of joie de vie before they start demanding ridiculous figures.
Why go for the Clio Cup 182 over the alternatives? The Clio just has that extra bit of character that it’s hard to quantify. Maybe I’ve been influenced by Thierry Henry and his va va voom campaign, but dare I say it… it’s cooler than the others?
Mazda 3 MPS
This last option is a bit of a curve ball. It’s a hot hatch that really has been lost and forgotten about with time and I can’t really see why. It didn’t get five-star reviews on release and didn’t set the world alight. There is no predecessor or any kind of heritage with the hot hatch genre, so that could also be a factor.
The reviews it did have criticised it for torque-steer which I think may have been exaggerated by the journalists just looking for something to say about the car. In its day, the Mazda 3 MPS was fairly powerful with 256PS (188kW) and 380Nm (280lb ft), but it still handled well.
The reason it is a bit of a curve ball is that it’s the only one on the list I’d recommend spending some additional funds to modify. If you modify any of the others on this list, I wouldn’t be angry, I’d just be disappointed, However, I’m a man of the people, so I’ve slid in the Mazda 3 MPS as an option you can destr…. Sorry ‘customise’ to your liking. It is very easy to tune with a Stage 1 remap taking you to 300PS (221kW) if you really want an affordable hot hatch to rival the ‘all power, no handling’ car the genre has become.
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