but you don’t fancy an electric powertrain or a £30,000-plus asking price, we've compiled a list of the some of the best used hot hatchbacks you can buy right now.
It’s like owning a terrier, with a hilarious mismatch between bark and bite, so the Abarth is not for everyone but some will adore it. Prices start at £20k and cars with the incredibly rare dog-ring gearbox option – £50k when new – cost more than double that.Designed to look like somebody wearing a baseball cap backwards, the Mini Coupé was one of those incredibly rare examples of a big firm showing a sense of humour.
If you choose a car with the optional Cup pack, you also get suspension lowered by 4mm and a weight saving of 10kg.This crisply styled, 155bhp Italian supermini is the definition of a pocket rocket. With brakes upgraded over the standard car’s, a 10mm-lower ride height and a slightly wider front track, the Punto Abarth is as sharp to look at as it is to drive.
Its naturally aspirated 148bhp 2.0-litre four-pot and kerb weight of just 1137kg means it shoots to 62mph in around eight seconds. Its racy styling, well-equipped interior and low insurance costs make them very popular with young enthusiasts, which means there are plenty to choose from. Starting from around £6000 now, there is a choice of the Rallye S1 or the facelifted Rallye S2, the former with a 0-62mph time of 9.6sec and top speed of 113mph, and the latter 8.8sec and 121mph.The original Clio V6 is rather, err, spicy: mid-mounted 230bhp V6, rear-wheel drive, a short wheelbase and inadequate steering lock. Legend has it that several were written off in slippery conditions on the car’s press launch, prompting a major redesign that led to the facelifted Phase 2 car.