In partnership with Auto Trader
What Car? launches used car buying section
Visitors can browse 145,000 used cars for sale, which all come with a warranty, are less than eight years old and have covered less than 100,000 miles. Here are some that have caught our eye...
As part of our continuing efforts to make buying a great used car as easy as possible, we've teamed up with heycar to launch an online used car buying section to complement our roster of nearly 1000 used reviews.
All of the cars for sale – which you can search through here – are quality checked, come with a warranty, are less than eight years old, and have covered less than 100,000 miles. And with 145,000 of them, there's no shortage of choice.
We've already been scouring the adverts so we can reveal some of the very best buys we've come across so far, no matter what sort of car you're after. Our list includes everything from SUVs to performance models, but we start with a city car:
City car
Citroën C1
The C1 is actually part of a trio of cars including the Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo that share many common parts, but it's the Citroën that's the best value. Also, unlike the Toyota, both the 108 and C1 can be found with a larger and more potent 82bhp 1.2-litre petrol should you need a little more power to tackle the odd motorway trip.
We'd suggest going for mid-range Feel trim since this adds the oh-so-important 7.0in infotainment system that features smartphone mirroring, setting it apart from more expensive rivals such as the Volkswagen Up that require you to install your phone in a fiddly cradle and download an app in order to play music or have some from of navigation
We found: 2014 Citroën C1 1.0 Feel 5dr, 32,257 miles, £4495
Search other used Citroën C1s for sale on What Car? >>
Small car
Ford Fiesta
Despite being one of the least expensive used cars around, the Ford Fiesta has never felt bargain basement since it drives brilliantly, and in the case of the last generation version, came with a great range of perky engines that offered good fuel economy.
Also because the Fiesta was one of the best selling new cars, there is so much choice out there that it's not hard to find a well-equipped example for little money. Focus on finding a mid-range Zetec model as per our example and not only will you get niceties such as air conditioning and alloy wheels, but you'll find a nifty heated windscreen that's a real boon on a frosty morning because it saves you freezing your fingers in cold weather trying to clear ice before you set off.
We found: 2014 Ford Fiesta 1.0-litre Zetec 5dr, 54,448 miles, £5,990
Search other used Ford Fiestas for sale on What Car? >>
Family car
Seat Leon
It's a close call between this and the slightly cheaper Vauxhall Astra, but we think the Leon is the better bet overall because it's nicer to drive, comes with a more refined range of engines and has a more user-friendly infotainment system. Stick with an SE Dynamic and you'll avoid the firmer ride of FR models, which have sports suspension fitted as standard.
Prices of the previous generation car have plummeted now that a new Leon is on sale. Some 12 months ago, the 2019 example we found retailed for nearly £20,000, but now you can pick up a nice used example at a dealership for around £11,500.
We found: 2019 Seat Leon 1.0 TSI SE Dynamic, 14,177 miles, £11,495