A £30,000 budget opens up a lot of fantastic nearly new and used cars. We’ve rounded up 10 of our favourites
These days, you might be surprised how many new cars cost over £30,000. By also searching nearly new and used cars at that price, you open your choices up and can get more for your money.
We’re not talking ropey 1980s Ferraris – unless you’re taking a very brave pill – but cars that are a couple of years old that have already lost a considerable amount of their initial value. Our list includes hot hatches, SUVs, sports cars and state-of-the-art electric cars. Which of our choices for the best cars for under £30k would you choose?
Ford Focus ST
The Ford Focus ST is one of the most engaging and best hot hatches money can buy, even in a world of 400hp German mega-hatches. This fast Ford makes a healthy 280hp, but it’s the rest of the driving experience that really shines. It devours twisty roads and makes every journey feel like you’re winning a touring car race, yet it still offers family-friendly practicality and an interior full of the latest infotainment tech. You also get much sportier seats than the standard Focus, which are guaranteed to keep you snugly in place when you’re pretending to be a racing car driver. We’d get it in Mean Green (pictured) for knockout visual appeal.
Shop used Ford Focus ST cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Ford Focus review
Audi A4
While the Focus will entertain on a twisty backroad, the Audi A4 will soothe on a long and arduous motorway journey. It’s comfortable, feels plush and has powerful engines that make light work of getting up to the national speed limit. As we write this, a brand-new A4 in range-topping Black Edition trim is around £40,000 but, if you can cope without having the very latest number plate, you can find six-month-old examples sneaking under £30,000. Just imagine how smug you’d feel at that saving!
Shop used Audi A4 cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Audi A4 review
Range Rover Evoque
Part fashion symbol, part off-roader – the Range Rover Evoque is the brand’s most metropolitan model but still features all-terrain tech. Its breadth of capabilities is incredibly impressive, with decent rear seat space, luxury materials and badge appeal that means it’s not out of place in Knightsbridge. Get a newish car and you’ll also get Land Rover’s latest infotainment system, which no longer feels like you’re doing brain surgery to put a postcode in.
Shop used Range Rover Evoque cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Range Rover Evoque review
Hyundai Tucson
The Hyundai Tucson and its cousin, the Kia Sportage, are our favourite midsize SUVs. Both offer bold styling, efficient hybrid engines and long warranties, but we’ve picked the Tucson as it’s even more practical than the Sportage and gets the glossy big screens as standard. Go for the mid-range hybrid engine and you’ll get up to 50mpg without having to plug in. Premium and Ultimate specs get more equipment than wasps at a picnic.
Shop used Hyundai Tucson cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Hyundai Tucson review
Skoda Superb
If you’re not absolutely set on an SUV, the Skoda Superb is a great choice. Interior space is absolutely vast and so is the boot, and you get materials that manage to tread the line between sturdy and plush. Diesel power suits the Superb down to a tee and motorway munchers can see over 850 miles to a tank of fuel, but there are also petrol and plug-in hybrid engines if you don’t do regular long journeys.
Shop used Skoda Superb cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our review of the new 2024 Skoda Superb
Cupra Formentor
You might not initially realise that the Superb and the Cupra Formentor share oily bits, given how executive the Superb feels and how sporty the Formentor feels. Cupra’s first exclusive model – there’s no SEAT version unlike the Leon and Ateca – is only sold with sporty looks and big wheels, and it’s marked out by copper trim and suede fabrics. Alongside a range of increasingly powerful petrol engines are two plug-in hybrid options.
Shop used Cupra Formentor cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Cupra Formentor review
BMW 4 Series
For something even sportier, how about a premium and fun-to-drive coupe? The BMW 4 Series takes the underpinnings of the relatively humble 3 Series and wraps them in swoopy, sleek body work. A high-end, high-tech interior meets engaging handling and long-distance comfort. Pick the coupe if you won’t often have people in the back seats, or the five-door 4 Series Gran Coupe if you need a bit of practicality and rear-seat access.
Shop used BMW 4 Series cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our BMW 4 Series review
Peugeot 408
Part hatchback, part SUV and part coupe, the Peugeot 408 promises a lot – and it lives up to those promises. It’s better to drive than the larger 3008, higher off the road than the 308 hatchback and as practical as you’d hope a crossover to be. Its coupe-ish body is the epitome of maximalism in car design. We love its sharp styling, and that it’s easy to mistake the 408 for a Lamborghini Urus at a quick glance.
Shop used Peugeot 408 cars for sale at Motorpoint
Toyota GR Yaris
A car that even sounds aggressive, the GR Yaris is nothing like the standard Toyota Yaris. Only the lights, door mirrors, roof aerial and name badges are carried over – everything else is new and bespoke, including a completely redesigned three-door body. The GR Yaris is a raw and focused sports car, with a rabid 1.6-litre petrol engine – in place of the normal Yaris’ sensible hybrid engine – rally-ready four-wheel drive and a sublime manual gearbox. It shouldn’t exist in these times but, goodness, keen drivers should be glad it does.
Shop used Toyota GR Yaris cars for sale
Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model 3s are everywhere. You’ll count hundreds on any given motorway journey. There are plenty available under £30,000, which seems like good value for a car that’s so high-tech and feels so futuristic – even several years after its launch. The entry-level Standard Plus Model 3 has addictively fast acceleration and a range of almost 280 miles, while the Dual Motor versions add more range and power.
Shop used Tesla Model 3 cars for sale at Motorpoint
