Top 5 used hyper hatches under £25,000

Hot hatchbacks are a fantastically fun and practical car class. They’re those special vehicles which combine fun-filled driving thrills with day-to-day usability, reasonable running costs and family-friendliness. It’s a beloved segment filled with entries from the fairly fast to the insanely quick, aka the hyper hatches.

These are the hot hatches which go above and beyond the class norm when it comes to performance. It’s a relatively new term – one coined in the wake of 350bhp+ four-wheel-drive rockets such as the Mercedes A45 and Audi RS3.  

There is, however, a catch. You see, sky-high performance often demands a sky-high price tag. New hyper hatches tend to cost in the region of £50,000, which can be difficult to stomach for the average hot hatch buyer. This is where the used market comes into play.

Here are five amazing used hyper hatches available for under £25,000…

Ford Focus RS

‘Five doors, five seats and decent boot space’ is what you’ll tell your family. ‘Four-wheel-drive, 345bhp and 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds’ is what you’ll tell your friends. The Ford Focus RS is one of the very best examples of an average family hatch turned road-legal rally car.

Although, this hyper hatch isn’t just extremely fast; it’s also extremely fun to drive. Under the bonnet, you’ll find 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine with plenty of thrilling turbocharged grunt. Plus, it’s a six-speed manual – only. Get this thing on a twisty road and it won’t disappoint.

The Focus RS is by no means a bargain but used examples can now be had for a reasonable £23,000.  

Mercedes A45 AMG

The Mercedes A45 AMG arguably began the whole hyper hatch craze. Though somewhat initially dismissed by critics due to its high price tag (of over £35,000) compared to more mainstream hot hatches, this 354bhp four-wheel-drive hyper hatch has a lot to offer – especially considering the model can now be had for around £18,000 on the used market.

Also within budget is the facelifted version (pictured above). For 2015, Mercedes upped the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder’s power output to 376bhp while introducing various other tweaks and upgrades. This A45 AMG is even more of an undeniably rapid machine, featuring a 0-60mph time of only 4.2 seconds – faster than the Porsche 911 Carrera of the time.  

Audi RS3

The Audi RS3 is another ballistic German hyper hatch. As the A45’s arch nemeses, it one-ups the Merc in a few key ways. First of all, the RS3 gets a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine with 395bhp and a V10-esque exhaust note. With a larger, more powerful engine, as well as four-wheel-drive, the model is able to slightly better the A45’s 4.2-second 0-60mph time – the Audi will do the sprint in 4.1 seconds.

Some say it’s a tad too cold and clinical for a hot hatch, but you can’t argue its soulful engine brings with it a ton of character. This, combined with its rapid pace, makes the RS3 an incredibly compelling hyper hatch, especially at £25,000 on the used market.

BMW M140i

Five cylinders still not enough for you? Consider the BMW M140i with its monstrous 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder powerplant. With 335bhp, it’s not as powerful as the previous cars on this list, however, it’s arguably more fun thanks to its rear-wheel-drive setup.

It’s a hyper hatch which drives like lively BMW sports cars such as the M2, making it very different to the competition. The M140i is fantastic driver’s car and an absolute steal at around £16,000 on the used market.

Volkswagen Golf R

The Volkswagen Golf R is a wolf in sheep’s clothing: an assault rifle disguised as a nerf gun. It may not appear particularly rapid on first glance, but on nailing the throttle it reveals itself as the hyper hatch it truly is. In facelifted form (pictured above), it’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder produces 306bhp, which is sent to all four wheels for a 0-60mph time of 4.8 seconds (with the auto gearbox) – not the quickest on this list, but still blistering, nonetheless.

The R is a more sensible car than its competitors. It’s certainly not as outlandish as the Focus RS. That being said, it’s balanced, grippy and exciting to drive enthusiastically, making it an practical, yet entirely enjoyable hyper hatch. The price is around £20,000 on the used market (for the updated, more powerful version).