Best used sporty but economical cars from £2000

With fuel prices hammering our wallets recently, many people are trading in guzzlers and are opting for mpg over mph.

But rather than switching to a hum-drum hatchback in a bid to save cash, why not grab something that balances economy and performance at a decent price? We’ve had a scan of the classifieds and here’s a stack that we think will do the trick:

The 2003-2007 Fabia was offered in an array of guises but the 1.9-litre TDI vRS variant was, and still is, sought after – it’s easy to see why. It may only have a humble 126bhp from its high-pressure diesel engine, but its party piece was the 229lb ft of torque on offer from as little as 1900rpm. This, coupled with a 1300kg weight, provided impressive pace. Skoda quoted 9.6sec for the official 0-60mph, but a previous Autocar test saw 7.2sec – admirable from a car that’ll still deliver 56mpg. £1990 will buy you one with around 150,000 miles on the clock. As long as it has a decent service history it should be good for a fair few thousand more.

Fiat really got everything right with this junior hot hatch, from its swollen arches, tiny roof spoiler and beefy front grille, to its six-speed gearbox, there aren’t enough cars in the world like the Panda 100hp. Yes, you won’t be winning many traffic light grands prix, with 60mph reached in 9.5sec from a rest, but the Panda’s tiny 980kg mass resulted in an agile package, allowing it to dive through the corners with ease. Its 1.4-litre engine is rather economical too, and boasts an official average of 44mpg. This, combined with cheap group 11 insurance, will quickly have you saving pennies whilst retaining that fun factor. We spotted a decent, 107,000-mile example for just £1995.

Suzuki took the Swift – an already decent car – and made it even better with the Swift Sport. It had attractive looks, was well built and although it wasn’t designed to slay GTIs, performance was still strong from its 1.6-litre, 125bhp four pot. Handling was decent too, thanks to Monroe dampers that tightened body control. Combining all of this, you have a sweet entry hot hatch recipe that won’t be a regular in fuel station forecourts: on average, the Swift Sport will return 40mpg. That’s not bad for a car that can crack the 0-60mph dash in 8.9sec. Expect to pay around the £5,500 mark for a low-mile 125bhp model, but if you fancy something newer, high-mile facelift 136bhp variants can be had for roughly the same price.

If a GR Yaris is a tad out of budget, there are other ways to get a fun Yaris – enter the T-Sport. Yes, we know, it doesn’t have four-wheel drive or 257bhp, but the 104bhp that’s produced by the 1.5-litre VVT-i engine is just enough in this petite 940kg junior hot hatch bundle. From a rest, 0-60mph takes just 8.7sec, yet you still get a wallet-friendly 40mpg. Sporty bumpers, side skirts and a rear spoiler give it an edgy look. Well-used cars can be found for as little as £1,395, but we spotted a cracker for £3,950.

By 2008, we were already used to Alfa’s baby 147 and the bigger, family-friendly 155. The handsome Brera had been and gone too, but in 2008 it was time for the Mito to shine as Alfa’s new junior hatchback. Various petrol and diesel options were readily available upon release, but we’ve opted for the Mito TB Veloce as our eco weapon of choice here. Behind the Mito’s handsome front end lay a 1.4-litre turbocharged, 155bhp engine capable of thrusting the Mito from 0-60mph in 8.0sec, yet also delivering a respectable 43.5mpg. We spotted a tidy example for £3,995.

Open-top experiences don’t always come at a high cost and when it comes to inexpensive roadster fun, we feel the Toyota MR2 deserves a spot in the limelight. Toyota put the third-generation version on a diet, ditching the T-bar roof, yielding seriously impressive cornering ability. Thrust came from a 138bhp 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission (in 2002 a six-speed manual was introduced). Insurance is group 13; it will return 38.2mpg and it won’t devour tyres as quick as alternative performance cars. Decent examples can range from as little as £2100 while a well looked after example can fetch up to £8490.

It’s a pity we don’t see many kei cars coming from Japan nowadays. Cars like the tiny Autozam AZ-1 or Daihatsu Copen looked utterly bizarre on British roads and offered pocket-sized, turbocharged fun. The Suzuki Cappuccino is no different and we think it’s the perfect excuse to stray from the sports car norm while watching the pennies. Measuring in at 3.2m long (125in) and 1.3m wide (51in), the Cappuccino’s is a doddle to drive around town. The zippy turbocharged 660cc three-pot, with its 9,300rpm cut-off, has no issue carting around the Cappuccino's 700kg mass and still delivers 40mpg. The best part? It’s rear-wheel drive. We spotted a nice example that had 88,680 miles on the clock for £5995.

When the Up GTI was released back in 2018 people compared it to the Mk1 Golf GTI, and it’s perfectly understandable why. They have similar levels of power and the Up had all the original design cues including the signature red accents around the grille. You got snazzy tartan seats, a five-inch infotainment system, DAB, Bluetooth and some colourful details from the factory. 113bhp may not sound like an awful lot, but the 999cc turbocharged engine delivered lively performance with 0-62mph arriving in 8.8sec and an eventual top speed of 122mph. If that isn’t enough to sway you, then maybe the 50.4mpg figure will. Today, a 2018 model can be yours for around £11,995. 

There’s a plethora of hot hatches available nowadays, but since 2002, the Mini Cooper S has been the choice for many. However, the 595 Abarth might just be worth a look. It has all the ‘go fast’ hot hatch attributes and everything’s functional; not just for added drama. Vertical gills on the front and rear bumper channel cool air to the brakes and the twin exhausts are the real deal rather than just a show piece. The 1.4-litre, turbocharged engine yields a modest 143bhp and in a straight line it will chirrup its way to 60mph in 7.6sec. In a previous Autocar test, the Abarth 595 came into its own on-track, lagging only 1.9sec in dry conditions behind the more powerful Mini Cooper S. By driving the 595 Abarth respectfully, you’ll see 42mpg. We spotted a pristine, relatively low-mile example for £6999. 

If you’re thinking of making the big change to electric, then the BMW i3 might just be the ticket. It might not sport the sex appeal that the BMW M range has but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be considered as a good all-rounder. Nine years on from its release date and the i3’s looks are still advanced. Inside, the futuristic elements continue with lashings of wood and leather, not to mention the drive selector taken straight from a concept car.The aluminium chassis and carbonfibre body make the i3 incredibly light in a bid to aid handling, while the 168bhp motor will help it reach 62mph from a standstill in 7.3sec and see 186 miles from a charge. What’s really impressive is the 50mph to 74.5mph time of 4.9sec - that’s only 0.6sec slower than a DCT-equipped M4. Prices for earlier models start from £7500.

Two seats, a flip-up spoiler and a helmet-like roof were among the Mini Coupe’s quirks, but everything else was still very much so Mini. An abundance of engines were available on release but we’re looking at the 2.0-litre, single-turbo 141bhp diesel unit shoehorned in from the BMW 118d. Agricultural soundtrack aside, the SD Coupe is lots of fun and will do the 0-62mph sprint in 7.9sec. Given enough room, it will soldier on to 134mph – impressive for a car that’ll return 65.7mpg. If you dare to be different and decide not to opt for the Peugeot RCZ or the usual Mini Cooper hatch, a well-specced Coupe SD with low miles can be yours from £5250.

Audi gave us the wild A1 Quattro in 2012 and all 19 cars destined for the UK sold out almost instantly. But after listening to public cries, we were given another four-wheel drive hatchback from Audi in 2014 – the S1. Available in three- and five-door form, the S1 was, and still is, a giant-killer. Its 228bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine packs a hulking 273lb ft of torque, making for effortless overtakes. It’ll climb to 62mph from a standstill in just 5.8sec. Different driving modes were available on all cars - Auto, Dynamic and Efficiency. Auto provides an all-round driving experience while Dynamic stiffens the adaptive dampers, adding artificial weight to the steering and opening an exhaust valve. Efficiency could return a solid 40.4mpg. Prices start from around £10,000. 

Mazda MX-5s are mostly about delivering gigglesome fun, and they do it rather well. The small frame, modest weight, charming styling and rear-wheel drive layout are timeless. The Mazda MX-5 has come a long way from floppy headlights and bare-minimum trinkets in an attempt to reduce weight. With the release of the Mk4 MX-5, further creature comforts were offered, like a 7.0in infotainment screen, sat-nav, automatic lights and wipers, alongside the SE L Nav package, creating a versatile convertible GT sportscar. The 130-litre boot means you can pack some bags and head for some of the UKs best driving roads. Its 1.5-litre engine offers a decent 129bhp and delivers 44.8mpg, but if you opt for the more powerful 2.0-litre 181bhp engine, the economy slumps to 40.9mpg – still not to be sniffed at. We spotted a 2017 1.5-litre car with less than 15,000 miles on the clock for £16,000. 

If you want a posh badge, leather seats and a surplus of advanced gadgets, then perhaps the Toyota GT86 is not for you. However, if you want an enjoyable, well-balanced car with three pedals, then look this way. The GT86’s 197bhp boxer engine doesn’t have much torque so it forces you to work for any performance, but it’s involving and makes a great sound as you mash the throttle. A low-slung driving position suits most humans and direct steering makes for an engaging drive. Weight is low too, at 1222kg. Cars from 2017 have a ‘Track’ mode which will see the traction control system take a back seat, allowing for some interesting angles before the electronics kill the fun. We picked out a 2018 car with 30,600 miles on the clock for £20,499. 

Whether you opt for the coupé or roadster, owning a Mk3 Audi TT will bring a lot of driving delight. You could opt for the bigger 2.0-litre TFSI engine over our 1.8-litre TFSI choice, but in reality, there aren’t monumental performance differences. The 1.8 TFSI engine will still do 150mph and dispatch 0-60mph in 6.9sec. Although it doesn’t have four-wheel drive, it still feels sharp, with stacks of grip. If you’re not overly bothered about changing gears, the S Tronic automatic gearbox can take care of that, but if you’re more back-to-basics then a six-speed manual is available. A solid 47.9mpg can be achieved with the S-Tronic, while a slightly lower 47.1mpg can be expected from the manual. This, combined with £165 per year tax, can make for quite the bargain sports car. We found a clean manual 1.8 TFSI with 29,247 miles on the clock for £13,400

Six-cylinder performance diesels have always been a strength for BMW, with enough torque to throw off the earth’s rotation, sub-6.0sec 0-60mph times and respectable mpg figures. While the 254bhp 330d was still an option, the newer 335d swiftly became a no-brainer for those wanting an even quicker, yet more efficient car. Unlike 3-series of old, the F30 didn’t come in a coupe, leaving only a saloon or an estate to choose from. Underneath the rather smart exterior lay a 309bhp twin-turbocharged straight-six diesel capable of returning 50mpg. As for the earth-moving torque, there’s 465lb ft of the stuff. All this meant a blistering 0-60mph sprint of just 4.9sec. Although there were no manual options, the eight-speed auto box still makes for an enjoyable drive. We spotted a 2017 car with all the M Sport gubbins for under £20,000.

It would be rude not to mention the Mercedes SLK200 given it’s held its own since 1996, albeit more-so for its folding roof than its dynamic prowess. The SLK200 was promised as an all-weather roadster and has a surprisingly punchy four-cylinder under the bonnet. Okay, it might not have been a hardcore sports car so much as a tourer; pop your luggage in the 335-litre boot and off you go. It’s worth remembering that the 335 litres reduce to 225 when you drop the top. Its 1.8-litre 181bhp turbocharged engine was good too, delivering its torque in a diesel-like manner from 1800rpm to 4600rpm whilst being rather frugal and providing 41.5mpg. However, in a previous Autocar test, we could only get 30.1mpg. In the handling department, things weren’t bad but you’ll need to put in a bit of extra effort to get the most from it. We spotted a 2013 AMG Sport model for just over £12,000. 

Renault has given us bags of performance cars over the years, with a track record of building fast and fun hatchbacks. When the Renault Twingo RS was released in 2008 it took our mind off the bloated fast hatches of the era and gave us that old-school hot hatch feeling back. A small kerb weight of 1120kg meant that the Twingo RS could dart and flick with absolute precision. And, with its Renaultsport styling, it looked like a little brawler, too. If you opted for the Cup option, you’d get 10 percent stiffer damping and 4mm chopped from its original ride height, although these versions are harder to come by nowadays. Straight line performance from the 131bhp engine wasn’t the Twingo’s strong point; 0-60mph arrived in 8.7sec with a bit of scrabbling. It’s frugal and if driven ploddingly, you should see a return of 40mpg. If you’re after that classic feel with a modern twist, then the Twingo RS could just be the one for you. We spotted a tidy car with one previous owner for £5995. 

The BMW Z4 has always been an attractive choice with its sharp styling, lavish interior options and a selection of competent engines. The sDrive20i is our pick here; being a lower-output variant of the four-pot 2.0-litre found in the sDrive28i, you got a pretty decent 181bhp and a 6.9sec 0-60mph time. The Z4 sDrive20i’s purpose was to replace the previous Z4 23i and in doing so it dropped four tax bands, allowing a possible saving of £100 per year. It also returned 41.5mpg, but you’d probably miss the six-cylinder soundtrack. There was a weaker sDrive18i option with 154bhp, but for the same mpg return the sDrive20i would be the better pick. We saw a 8000-mile Z4 sDrive23i with cream leather for a smidge under £14,000.

Classed as a “Volkswagen Golf GTI with a bigger boot”, it’s really easy to see why the police opted for the Skoda Octavia vRS as their weapon of choice. It shared the same 197bhp 2.0-litre turbo engine from the Mk5 Golf GTI, while the diesel variant pinched the Golf GT TDI’s 167bhp powerplant. The Octavias were dressed to impress with a bodykit, boot spoiler, twin exhaust pipes and 17in alloys. Whether you opt for the petrol or diesel, you won’t be disappointed because the diesel gave a sprightly 0-60mph time of 8.5sec, and the petrol a friskier 7.2sec. Insurance is reasonable and road tax isn’t bad either. Expect to pay from £5900 for a decent diesel example and around £8500 for an unmolested petrol variant.