Best Hatchbacks 2024

The hatchback has been a staple on the roads ever since the first Volkswagen Golf in 1974. (We know it wasn’t the first. Don’t @ us.) Anything with a tailgate that opens for access into the body of the car is technically a hatchback – which means all SUVs are – but here we’re talking about the hatchback as a class of car. They’re cars designed to offer maximum space and flexibility in a relatively compact, light, and fuel-efficient package. Those qualities are why the hatchback is still going strong, despite the (literal) rise of the SUV and all manner of other unusual car body styles.
We’ve split the list into small, medium and large, based broadly on how much interior space they have and how they feel behind the wheel. So, here are some of the best hatchbacks you can buy or lease today.

Great value, good to look at and a hoot to drive. That statement could apply to any Suzuki Swift going back 20 years. The latest version, new for 2024, thankfully retains those qualities by keeping things simple. Five doors, plenty of space, lots of tech and packed with safety kit, even in the lowest of its two trim levels, the Swift is the perfect first car. Or perfect for anyone who wants something cheap, reliable and fun. The 1.2 mild hybrid engine is good for 60mpg. Nice.
Read our full review of the Suzuki Swift here

The Clio is almost certainly the best small hatchback on sale today. Updated for 2024 so that it looks more like Renault’s newer electric stuff, it’s sharp-looking, very spacious for its size, and feels like a proper ‘grown up’ car behind the wheel. The interior is higher quality than you probably expect, and the 66mpg E-Tech version has a clever hybrid system that allows for short bursts of electric-only driving at town speed.
Read our full review of the Renault Clio here

The Fabia is the most sensible small hatchback on the market. An automotive zip-up fleece. In beige. From M&S. The sort of small car you get because you want a comfortable driving position, excellent 360-degree visibility, a dashboard that makes sense, sturdy cupholders, and an ice-scraper that you can’t lose because it’s built into the fuel filler flap. (Well, you could lose it, but it would be an effort.) Don’t bother with Monte Carlo version – it’s daft in the same way that a racing stripe on a train seat is – just get a nice mid-spec 1.0-litre petrol and enjoy your money well spent.
Read our full review of the Skoda Fabia here

It’s the curse of a car listicle writer that every time we want to recommend a Fiat 500, we have to explain which one we’re recommending because Fiat sells two now: the 2012 ‘original’, which is petrol-only and very cool but subjectively quite poor these days. And this much newer one, which is a totally different car, is electric-only, and much better in every way. It has a modern and high-quality interior, and quite unlike the petrol 500, a driving position that’s been modelled around the actual human form. It’s quick and responsive, like a good town car should be, and the battery range is decent – especially if you opt for the 42kWh version.
Read our full review of the Fiat 500 Electric here

Get a new Ford Focus while you can, because in 2025 it’ll go to the same fossil fuel graveyard as the Fiesta. Ford is focusing (ahem) on electric cars now, and for some reason is killing off two of its most classic nameplates – couldn’t it just make electric versions of the Fiesta and Focus, like it has with the Mustang? Anyways, today’s Focus is one of the best hatchbacks ever made, as brilliant at being driven hard on a twisty road as it is being a comfy long-distance car for five. It’s a balance that the best Fords are brilliant at. The Fiesta was the same. RIP. Sob.
Read our full review of the Ford Focus here

The Civic is on the cusp of the medium category here because it’s actually quite substantial – it’s long, anyway. That means it has excellent rear legroom and boot space. To give you context, a Focus has a 341-litre boot and the Civic 410, as well as a much bigger tailgate, making it great if you need to load bulky stuff – your golf sticks or a pram or an old stairgate that you’re taking to the tip. The list of prototypical personal objects is endless. Aside from that, the sole hybrid engine is good for 60mpg while being quick, smooth and quiet, and more generally the Civic feels high quality and comfy. A great all-rounder.
Read our full review of the Honda Civic here

What’s left to say about the Volkswagen Golf, the progenitor of the family hatchback genre and multi-generational icon? Nothing, is the answer. So instead, we’ll just tell you that if you want a family car that does almost everything exceptionally well, get a Golf. Then we’ll tell you to read the review for more detail, which you’ll find here. Oh, but before you do, a quick note on the Golf’s only flaw: an infotainment system so clunky and poorly designed that it can have the same effect on you as finding a chicken brain in your bucket of KFC wings.
Check out our review of the most exciting Golf, the R, right here

On the surface, the Cupra Born is a Volkswagen ID.3 with different badges and some bronze bits on it. So at its core, it’s a spacious five-seat electric hatchback with lots to like, but also the same mildly problematic infotainment system as the Golf. However, as the ‘yoofy’ brand of the Volkswagen Group, Cupra has altered the ID.3 with sportier (lower) suspension, a body kit, fancier looking wheels, and a boost mode that gives it a short burst of additional power. It’s a little cheaper than an ID.3, too, giving you a higher value, better looking, and better-to-drive alternative to the original. The sort of thing SEAT used to do with Volkswagens, funnily enough.
Read our full review of the Cupra Born here

In many ways the Megane E-Tech feels like the ID.3 that Volkswagen should have made. The interior quality, refinement, driving experience and infotainment system are all above the VW’s. That tells you everything you need to know about how good this Megane is. It has the space of an SUV without the in-your-face styling, the real-world battery range is more than 200 miles, and the cabin feels techy and modern without being confusing to use. We lived with one for six months and loved it.
Read our full review of the Renault Megane E-Tech here

The Skoda Octavia is remarkable not because it does anything particularly special, but rather because it does everything very well, with zero fuss. If your car’s back seats get a lot of use, and/or you carry a lot of stuff, and/or you do a lot of miles and want to do them in space and comfort, the Octavia is for you. The boot is enormous, the interior is exceptionally well made, the infotainment is easy to use, and the range of engines is wide. The basic petrols are cheap to buy and will return 40mpg, the 2.0-litre diesel will add 20mpg to that, or if you want a bit of excitement thrown in, the 245 horsepower vRS version is genuinely entertaining to drive.
Read our full review of the Skoda Octavia here

If you like your hatchbacks with a lot of idiosyncratic French charm, the Citroen C4 is for you. Don’t confuse it with the C4 X, which is less flexible because it’s a saloon, even though by volume the X’s boot is much bigger. Anyways, the C4 does feel big on the road because it’s so long, but if that doesn’t bother you it means masses of interior space. It’s quite high-riding and has very floaty body control, which along with its flat, squishy seats, make it one of the most comfortable cars you’ll ever drive. You’ll have more fun driving a Ford Focus or VW Golf, and the touchscreen software is a bit frustrating, but if it’s comfort and space you’re after, few do it better than this.
Find your perfect Citroen C4 here

Think of the Arteon as a VW Passat or a Skoda Octavia with added design flair and kerb appeal, and you’re about there. You pay more for this, of course, but the Arteon is one of the most impressive looking and lovely-to-drive big hatchbacks on sale. The ‘Shooting Brake’ (estate) adds even more practicality but either way you‘re getting a huge boot, loads of interior space and a truly ‘premium’ driving experience. Weirdly, it’s a bonus that the Arteon still uses VW’s last-generation touchscreen tech because it’s much better than the newer stuff.
Read our review of the VW Arteon here