The 28 Best Used Cars Experts Say You Should Consider in 2024 With a Volvo Picked at Number One

Choosing the best second-hand car to buy this year is an especially sensible choice, according to a panel of road test experts.

What car? has revealed the winners and most praised engines in its annual Used Car of the Year awards, and the featured model is a sort of measured and rational selection from Volvo’s stable of practical vehicles.

Motor magazine’s used car gong for 2024 has gone to the Swedish brand’s XC40 SUV.

It narrowly edged out a wide selection of electric vehicles, which have become much more attractive to motorists after suffering massive depreciation in their first year and falling in value to more affordable prices on the second-hand market.

Second-hand car prices have been weakening in recent months and have soared to record levels following a tight supply of new vehicles following the pandemic.

Auto Trader’s latest retail price index for September shows the average value of used cars falling to £16,450, down 8.4 per cent on the same month in 2023.

But although this recent market While stability may be good news for the general used car buyer, it hasn’t made it any easier for drivers to choose the best option for their next engine.

What Car?’s annual Used Car of the Year awards are designed to help motorists make the decision by highlighting the best used models in eight classes, from hatchbacks to SUVs, with an overall winner chosen from the category winners.

Their pick of the bunch this year is the Volvo XC40, which also earned the ‘best used SUV’ category.

It was praised by the jury for its high-quality interior, superb refinement and family-friendly practicality.

This was enough to fend off competition from several electric cars, namely the Tesla Model 3, Volkswagen ID.3 and Kia e-Niro, which offer tempting prices given the considerable drop in residual value observed for electric vehicles, which tend to drop dramatically in value in the first 12 months of ownership.

An exclusive study for This is Money conducted by Cap Hpi earlier this year revealed the importance of the first-year impact on EV residual values.

In seven comparisons with gasoline or hybrid equivalents, the battery model tended to depreciate much more quickly in the first 12 months; in fact, so much so that they dropped to a lower price than the internal combustion engine option.

An exclusive comparison of the residual values ​​of electric vehicles with their gasoline equivalents earlier this year found that a higher-priced electric car would depreciate much more in the first year than a comparable combustion alternative, to the point that Battery versions would be cheaper to buy after 12 years. months

Commenting on the recommendation of the XC40 as the best second-hand engine to buy, What Car? Used car editor Mark Pearson said: “The task of choosing a winner can often be daunting for our panel, but this year the vote was unanimous.”

‘The XC40 is the ultimate all-rounder. It’s a reliable and desirable car that does almost everything exceptionally well, meaning you can buy it with both your head and your heart.

“It is also extremely versatile because you can have it as a gasoline, diesel, mild hybrid or fully electric vehicle.

‘It’s the way it excels in so many areas, as well as the variety of options it offers the used car buyer, that gave it victory.

“The fact that this immensely attractive family SUV also has such a high value when bought used simply sealed the deal for us.”

Other winners were the recently discontinued Audi TT (2014-2024), Honda Jazz (2020-present), Peugeot 5008 (2017-present) and BMW 330e (2019-present).

In addition to Used Car of the Year and the winners of the eight categories, What Car? named a number of alternative cars to consider in each category, and these stand out in areas that might be of particular interest to used buyers.

Here is the complete list of winners and highly praised alternatives in the eight different vehicle segments:

Winners and runners-up of the 2024 What Car? Used Car of the Year

The Volvo XC40 was praised for its “high-quality interior, superb refinement and family-friendly practicality.”

OVERALL USED CAR OF THE YEAR 2024: Volvo XC40

Honda Jazz Wins Top Honor Among Used Hatchback Models

BEST USED HATCHBACK

Honda Jazz (2020-present)

Also consider:

BMW 1 Series (2011-2019)

Volkswagen ID 3 (2020-present)

Skoda Citigo (2012-2020)

The Tesla Model 3 beat all its ICE rivals and took the award for best used executive car

BEST USED EXECUTIVE CAR

Tesla Model 3 (2019-present)

Also consider:

Audi A4 (2015-present)

BMW 3 Series (2019-present)

BMW 5 Series (2017-2023)

Despite the great competition, Skoda’s versatile Octavia won the award for best second-hand estate car

BEST USED ESTATE

Skoda Octavia Estate (2013-2020)

Also consider:

Mercedes E-Class Family (2016-2023)

MG5 (2020-present)

Toyota Corolla Touring Sports (2019-present)

Ford Puma is a recommended used SUV

BEST USED SUV

Volvo XC40 (2018-present)

Also consider:

Ford Puma (2019-present)

Kia Sportage (2021-present)

What car? says look no further than a Peugeot 5008 if you need a used 7 seater

7 PLACES BEST USED

Peugeot 5008 (2017-present)

Also consider:

Audi Q7 (2015-present)

Citroën Gran C4 Spacetourer (2018-2022)

In the ranking of highly competitive used electric SUVs, Kia’s e-Niro came in first place

BEST USED ELECTRIC SUV

Kia e-Niro (2018-2022)

Also consider:

Mercedes EQC (2019-2024)

Skoda Enyaq (2020-present)

BMW’s 330e voted best-used hybrid

BEST USED HYBRID

BMW 330e (2019-present)

Also consider:

Volkswagen Golf GTE (2015-2019)

Volvo XC90 T8 (2015-present)

The latest generation Audi TT, discontinued this year, is the choice of What Car? among used sports cars by 2024

BEST USED SPORTS CAR

Audi TT (2014-2024)

Also consider:

BMW 4 Series Convertible (2021-present)

Ford Fiesta ST (2013-2017)

Mercedes-AMG C63 (2019-2024)