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WhatCar.com is the UK’s most popular destination for prospective car buyers.
Our data shows the most-researched cars on the website so far this year. It serves as a weathervane for where buyers’ interest and focus lies – and it makes for intriguing reading… We start at number 20 and work our way up to the car What Car? users are most interested in - and give our snap verdicts on every one of them.
We use current official on-the-road pricing for the cheapest model in the range, and also the What Car? Target Price – the price we think you should aim to pay including current discounts in the marketplace:
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20: Ford Fiesta – from £13,715 – What Car? Target Price: £12,907
Britain’s most popular car for a decade, the Fiesta combines a great drive with practicality and a competitive price. It’s been in its latest generation since 2017. How come such a popular car ranks fairly low on this list? Our data suggests that the smaller the car and thus lower the cost, the less prior research is done before purchase – which makes sense, though we think everyone should do a lot of homework before spending any significant sum of money. Our verdict on the Fiesta?
“With brilliant ride and handling coupled with punchy Ecoboost petrol engines, the Fiesta is as good to drive as ever. Rivals may be better value but the Fiesta has a smart interior and is still one of the very best small cars.”
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19: Peugeot 5008 – from £25,020 - Target Price: £24,939
The Peugeot 5008 began life as an MPV in 2009 but was redesigned into an SUV in 2017. Most buyers no longer want frumpy-looking MPVs and Peugeot (like most car manufacturers these days) was keen to provide. Our verdict:
“Compared with rivals like the Skoda Kodiaq and Tiguan, the interior looks almost concept-like. It’s not all style over substance as it has a decent ride and fun handling. While it has a flexible seating arrangement the panoramic roof does encroach on rear head room.”
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18: Jaguar E-Pace – from £28,930 - Target Price: £27,886
Keen to capitalise on the success of the F-Pace large SUV, the smaller E-Pace is expected to become the brand’s big seller and it’ll have to be good to steal sales from the BMW X1, new Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40. Our verdict:
“With design cues from the F-Type sports car it’s great to look at, but rivals are better to drive and plusher inside. Despite being more expensive than the competition, E-Pace owners will benefit from slow depreciation.”
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17: Dacia Duster – from £9,995 - Target Price: £9,904
Dacia has been a decent sales hit for parent company Renault, helped mainly by Dacia’s no-frills approach to building and selling cars. This latest version of the Dacia Duster may still be a remodelled Renault underneath, but it’s a lot of car for your money. Our verdict:
“The Dacia Duster is not the most sophisticated car to drive, but it’s practical and has off-road pretentions thanks to the option of four-wheel drive. There is a cheap feel to the interior but it’s as spacious as a Nissan Qashqai and Seat Ateca while costing almost 50% less.”
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16: Nissan Leaf – from £25,190 - Target Price: £21,564
The original Leaf was one of the best affordable electric cars you could buy. With more car manufacturers going electric, this second generation has to be better. Our verdict:
“The Nissan Leaf has good road manners and is easy to live with. The interior could be classier and range anxiety will still be common if you regularly travel long distances, but it's one of the very best electric cars.”
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15: Toyota CH-R – from £21,880 - Target Price: £20,156
Toyota already had the ever-popular RAV-4 but decided on providing us with a smaller, stylish Nissan Qashqai rival in 2017. Our verdict:
“It has plenty of kit as standard, and its pricing rivals the Nissan Qashqai’s. But for practicality and the CH-R loses out, though the petrol-only CH-R is a very good drive. The hybrid version is, however, too heavy.”
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14: Kia Sportage – from £20,305 - Target Price: £19,204
The Kia Sportage has been a solid choice for a while in the in the brimmed family SUV market. It’s never been great to drive, but with a new range of engines Kia could be onto a winner. Our verdict:
“The Sportage represents good value for money in the right spec. A spacious and practical interior as well as good resale values are the main highlights but as a package it’s more flawed than the Seat Ateca.”
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13: BMW X1 - from £27,630 - Target Price: £26,032
BMW’s smallest SUV isn’t the best but still proves a solid premium competitor in the SUV market. Our verdict:
“The BMW X1 is hardly cheap for a car of its size, and it’s predicted to lose value more quickly than the similarly priced Audi Q3. That said, reasonable discounts are available for hagglers, and some of BMW’s PCP deals are also attractive if you need to take out finance.”
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12: Skoda Kodiaq - from £22,755 - Target Price: £21,222
An excellent entry into the SUV sector for Skoda; choose carefully and you’ll get one of the best seven-seat SUVs around. Our verdict:
“While the starting price looks tempting, the seven-seat options are among the best. The equipment list is long so beware, top-of-the-range versions are unjustifiably pricey.”
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11: Seat Arona – from £16,905 - Target Price: £15,321
Until recently, Seat hadn’t had much experience building SUVs. With help from Volkswagen however they managed to pull off a blinder with the Ateca and they hope to do the same with the smaller Arona. Our verdict:
“The Seat Arona is good to drive, roomy inside and fairly affordable to own. Avoid the pricey top trims as interior quality remains average.”
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10: Peugeot 3008 – from £24,109 - Target Price: £22,902
With much more aggressive styling than its MPV-like predecessor and a high-quality interior, the latest 3008 has gone upmarket. The price has gone up too and it’ll need more than good looks to break through in this crowded class. Our verdict:
“Stylish, practical and good to drive, the Peugeot 3008 is one the best family SUVs you can buy. It’s certainly a contender against rivals with more premium badges.”
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9: Volkswagen Tiguan – from £23,485 - Target Price: £21,505
Originally, the Tiguan was billed as a Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage rival. It’s now been reinvented as a more spacious, more expensive SUV placing it squarely against the BMW X1. Our verdict:
"The Tiguan applies some of its bigger-brother Touareg DNA in its smart and spacious interior while remaining good to drive like the smaller T-Roc. Emissions could be lower and with must-have options, it can get pricey.”
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8: Mazda CX-5 – from £24,795 - Target Price: £23,446
The latest version of the CX-5 could rise to the top of the class with lots of kit as standard and modern looks. Our verdict:
“Like most models from Mazda, the CX-5 handles brilliantly. It also has a surprisingly classy interior with a long list of standard kit that makes it good value for money. Unlike the Nissan X-Trail or Skoda Kodiaq, there’s no seven-seat option.”
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7: Seat Ibiza – from £15,595 - Target Price: £13,103
The Ibiza has always been a decent offering from Seat but long overshadowed by the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo. In its latest version, can it finally swoop in and take the small hatchback crown? Our verdict:
“Strong petrol engines, a spacious interior and great handling make the Seat Ibiza the best small car on the market. While the Skoda Fabia is cheaper, the Ibiza should hold its value better."
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6: Suzuki Vitara – from £16,999 - Target Price: £15,387
The latest generation Vitara may not be the most upmarket small SUV but it represents great value for money considering its size. Our verdict:
“Pleasant on-road manners, a commodious and easy to use interior and lots of standard kit makes the current Vitara a great buy. The engines are a bit unrefined, but like the Dacia Duster this is a lot of car for the money.”
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5: Audi Q2 – from £22,440 - Target Price: £20,468
You may have realised already from this list that small SUVs are nothing new, but Audi’s Q2 was still one of the first to put a premium badge on a small SUV. Despite having similar proportions to the Seat Arona and Renault Captur, the Q2 costs as much as the larger Skoda Karoq and Peugeot 3008. Our verdict:
“The Audi Q2 is a desirable small SUV which drives well and has an interior classier than its rivals. It has a firm ride but that’s offset by good performance and pliant handling.”
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4: Volvo XC40 – from £27,610 - Target Price: £26,672
Volvo has been on a roll recently thanks in no small part to major funding from Geely – their parent company. This new XC40 looks to expand the brand’s success into the small SUV segment. Our verdict:
“The XC40 mixes style, space and comfort with cutting-edge safety and relative affordability so ably that we named it the 2018 What Car? Car of the Year.”
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3: Nissan Qashqai – from £19,300 - Target Price: £19,300
Seen as something of a gamble in 2007, it’s safe to say the Nissan Qashqai paid off. The second generation was recently lightly face-lifted and gets a host of efficient engines, but it will take more than that to stay top dog in the SUV sector. Our verdict:
“The Nissan Qashqai is a fine SUV that is a pleasure to live with and makes a terrific family car. Avoid the 19-inch wheels for a more comfortable ride.”
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2: VW T-Roc – from £18,955 - Target Price: £18,230
The Tiguan features on this list but it’s the new T-Roc small SUV that places higher, probably thanks to its sleeker style and lower price. Our verdict:
“The T-Roc more than makes up for its low-rent interior, with a comfortable ride, impressive safety and a great range of engines.”
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1: Seat Ateca – from £21,880 - Target Price: £19,568
Seat have a few entries in this list but it’s the Ateca family SUV that comes top. It may have turned up late to the SUV party, but it’s one of the most rounded cars on sale. Our verdict:
“Class-leading handling, a spacious interior and keen pricing make the Ateca a great family car. If you’re not fussed by the lack of flexible seating, the Ateca covers nearly all bases.”
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Conclusion
The SUV class remains red-hot in the UK. The top 5 most popular cars on What Car? so far in 2018 are all small or medium-sized SUVs. Looking at the top 20 as a whole, fully 17 are SUVs of one size or another.
It’s interesting to contrast this list with the top selling cars in the UK so far this year. Of the big sellers, the best-selling car, the Ford Fiesta, only just creeps into this list at number 20. Other big-selling absentees from our Top 20 include the Ford Focus, the Vauxhall Corsa, the Mini, and the Mercedes’ A-Class and C-Class.
Whatever consumer worries there are over Brexit, tax changes and the future of diesel, Britain’s love affair with the SUV seems to be continuing.
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