The best hot hatchbacks you can still buy in 2025 – evo.co.uk
The hot hatch has had a rough run over the last few years, with tightening emissions regulations and slim profit margins claiming Renault Sport and Peugeot Sport wholesale, the Ford Fiesta ST, Hyundai’s brilliant i20 N, i30 N and Abarth’s petrol-powered 595s and 695s. Now gone too is the Ford Focus ST and soon, horrifyingly, the Honda Civic Type R. Even ‘warm’ hatches have fallen, like the Volkswagen Up GTI and the Suzuki Swift Sport.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though, with a number of hot hatch options still available for buyers that want something fast and special that’s more practical and less expensive (generally) than a sports car.
From the last of the Civic Type Rs and Toyota’s GR Yaris, to Mercedes-AMG’s A35 and A45 S, to the new electric Alpine A290, here are the best hot hatches you can buy.
The only way Honda ever disappointed us with the FL5 Civic Type R was when it announced its imminent discontinuation. Indeed it is soon to be taken off sale, though you can still grab one new throughout the rest of this year and indeed, get into the new Ultimate Edition too.
Yes, its hardware is very similar to the previous FK8 model, but everything from the engine, gearbox, chassis and suspension has been further honed to within an inch of perfection. The FL5 feels more like a super touring car than a hot hatchback, with a low, flat cornering stance and a level of clarity and precision you’d expect from a bespoke sports car.
The Civic’s 2-litre turbocharged engine revs cleanly and pulls hard throughout the rev band, but it could do with a little more aural excitement to accompany the performance. And the manual gearbox? Still one of the best available at any price.
‘With single steering inputs you carve neatly through the turns, while adding to the sense of precision and calm is the chassis, rotating the car just so and filtering out noise from the road surface. There’s a rare and wonderful quality to its dynamics, a clean, effortless precision that genuinely does bring to mind the 911 GT3.’ – Richard Meaden, evo editor-at-large.
It’s difficult to find many weaknesses in the package, but the Type R’s near £52k price tag does sting a little. Context is important, though, because a well-specced Golf R can cost over £50k. The Mercedes-AMG A45 S is £13k more expensive and the Audi RS3 is now over £60k. The Honda feels more special and rewarding than both.
The GR Yaris had quite some pressure on its pumped up haunches leading up to its arrival in 2020. It was the first genuine WRC homologation road car in decades – a bespoke, highly tuned, finely wrought performance machine that many anticipated would become an icon, even before its wheels hit the tarmac. Thankfully, the GR Yaris turned out to be as brilliant as we’d hoped, and Toyota couldn’t build enough of them.
This meant that Toyota could justify launching a heavily revised Gen 2 version to build on the attributes that made the original great. The new car has the same tenacious character but with added bite and precision, and with a 276bhp three-pot driving through a revised four-wheel drive system, it’s noticeably quicker than before.
But aside from its giant-killing performance, it’s the GR Yaris’s unique, competition-derived DNA that separates it from conventional hot hatches. Few other performance cars have the same built-for-purpose feel.
‘It may carry advanced hardware but there’s an honest and robust feel to the way the Yaris goes about its business, with grumbly tones from the engine, heavy and communicative steering and a sense of solidity in the way it tackles bumps.’ – Yousuf Ashraf, evo senior staff writer
The GR Yaris is without conventional rivals simply because in a world where the hot hatch is a dying breed, a rally-bred homologation special is a glaring anomaly. The Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG A45 are as close as it gets, in terms of the levels of engineering they boast. They also make over £40k for the Yaris look cheap… More akin to the Yaris? The old Subaru Impreza Turbo has a similar dynamic alacrity on all roads, in all conditions.
Mercedes-Benz didn’t start the hot hatchback game off particularly well with the original A45 AMG. It was certainly powerful, trading blows with the Audi RS3 for the title of hottest hot hatchback, but it was too inert to be considered a truly great performance car. The same cannot be said for the latest A45 S though, as this model is as far removed from its predecessor as you could possibly imagine.
Gone is the harsh wooden-like suspension and numb steering, in their place a supple feel and an interactive chassis when the right modes are selected. With more power under the bonnet (415bhp), it’s even faster than its predecessor, too.
In some ways, the A45’s adjustability and rear-led balance feels more like an old Mitsubishi Evo than a conventional hot hatch, and when the road allows, it’s hard not to become absorbed in the ferocity of that engine. A shame, that like so many other hot hatches, its days are numbered, with Mercedes not set to replace the A-class at all.
‘Once you start trusting it you can add more aggression to your driving and the A45 gives you more options. Turn in hard on the brakes and there’s a sense of mobility at the rear, and with the revs up high you can carry this attitude through as you jump back on the power, straighten the wheel and fire onto the next straight. Suddenly you realise how the A45 wants to behave and how rewarding it can be – it just takes a bit more time to get there.’ – Yousuf Ashraf, evo senior staff writer
The Mercedes-AMG A45 enjoys what is a rare thing in the hot hatch space these days: a direct rival. The Audi RS3 has recently undergone a significant update, with a new torque-splitter differential at the rear for some welcome adjustability in its driving dynamics. The best indirect rival? Front-driven it may be, but the Civic Type R is unmatched in its capability but also its intensity.
In recent years, Seat (now Cupra) has been able to squeeze just a little bit more out of the same ingredients than Volkswagen with its Golf GTI. The Cupra Leon 300 is a case in point; compared to the Mk8 GTI, it’s more exciting and energetic to drive with a greater sense of fun. It also has a rapid turn of speed thanks to a 2-litre turbocharged engine with 296bhp.
That engine is paired to a crisp-shifting DSG gearbox that allows easy access to the engine’s potential. The Cupra isn’t an especially great communicator – certainly not compared to the likes of the Civic Type R – but its clean, accurate steering makes it easy to place on the kind of technical roads that hot hatches thrive on. The standard Dynamic Chassis Control is great too, allowing you to tailor the ride to the demands of the road surface but not to the detriment of platform control. While not the last word in interactivity, it feels more alive than any Mk8 Golf GTI yet produced.
The recent facelift has also given it a more ‘Cupra’ identity, too, which is handy in the fight to have it seen as more than a hot Seat. On the inside it’s a bit sharper too with an updated infotainment system and praise be, physical controls on the steering wheel.
‘Do you almost wear the Cupra Leon 300 like you do the total-engagement Honda Civic Type R? Not at all. It’s still no pretender to Golf Mk7 Clubsport S or Leon Sub8 status in the VAG hot hatch hall of fame but it delivers a pleasantly surprising level of enjoyment by comparison with its current VW-badged cousins.’ – Ethan Jupp, evo web editor
While the Cupra Leon is for the moment the best Golf GTI you can get, you can still count the Mk8.5 GTI Clubsport as a firmly appealing alternative. It’s less bold and brash, less frenetic, which some people surely welcome in their hot hatch. Want more anger? There’s no better than the Honda Civic Type R, though the Focus ST Performance is a fine thing.
The Mk8 Golf GTI didn't quite hit the spot like its predecessor did and while the Mk8.5 facelifted Golf GTI Clubsport moved things in the right direction, it’s to the Golf GTI Edition 50 that we look to as the best hot Golf Volkswagen currently makes. Edition 50 spec yields extra power, with the EA888 producing a Type R-beating 321bhp and 310lb ft here. That power goes to the front wheels via the seven-speed DSG and ane-LSD with tweaked control software.
The big changes to the Edition 50 are in the suspension. Spring rates are up by 57 per cent at the front and 63 per cent at the rear. Roll is down by 13 per cent, while there are new front uprights to allow increased camber. New bushings and stiffer mounts (the rear toe links in particular) make it tauter and stiffer, with less flexion in its suspension under load. The DCC dampers remain with 15 stages of adjustment that have been tweaked in accordance with the rest of the changes to the Edition 50.
‘Some exploratory waggles of the steering wheel reveal a more positive connection to the front end than in the Clubsport. Not the synaptic connection and precision of a Type R, but less of the standard GTI’s woolly on-centre feel. The stiffer springs keep the car flat and stable through quick lane changes, and you don’t need to wait a moment for the suspension to settle and the tyres to dig in. It’s more precise and keener to respond.’ – Yousuf Ashraf, evo senior staff writer, who tested the Golf GTI Edition 50 on track.
The Edition 50 is the most hardcore Golf GTI since the fabulous Clubsport S of 2016. That said, it’s still not as pure a hot hatch driving experience as the Honda Civic Type R. Happily, Cupra will soon bring the limited-run hopped-up Leon VZ TCR to challenge the Edition 50 from within the VW Group family.
The Mercedes-AMG A35 might look almost identical to the A45 S, but it’s less expressive, less exciting and not as explosive to drive. That’s to be expected, though. This car operates at a much lower price point than the flagship, and when judged with that in mind, it’s worthy of a spot on this list.
Against the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf R, the Mercedes wins out for its more upmarket feel and sense of fun. With a 302bhp turbocharged four-cylinder engine it achieves a swift 4.7sec 0-62mph time, and while it doesn’t have the A45’s clever torque vectoring rear diff, it deploys its power cleanly with a slight sense of adjustability at the rear.
Climb inside and the A35 has a glitzy, tech-packed interior, but it’s one that can be frustrating to use unless you’re intimately familiar with the UI. The infotainment system is controlled via a central touchscreen and haptic steering wheel pads, and we wish there were a few more physical controls to make it easier to operate on the move.
‘Driven hard, the A35’s immense traction, impressive braking and undoubted agility mean it covers ground at an astonishing rate. It’s a more grown-up experience than that of the terrier-like hot hatches of old, but it does feel hugely capable.’ – Jordan Katsianis
The A35 is a good match from Mercedes for a number of alternatives that punch around the same weight. There’s the Audi S3, the Volkswagen Golf R and most recently, BMW, with a refreshed M135 hot hatch. All are AWD, with punchy four-cylinders, that don’t throw out the essential usability and drivability that makes a great all-round hot hatch.
The bods at BMW M have sprinkled a bit of silliness on the somewhat staid M135 hatchback with the M Dynamic pack that adds Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber, a dash of camber at the front end, drilled compound brakes and sportier 19-inch wheels.
Certain M135 traits are difficult to iron out – the 296bhp, 295lb ft engine remains a bit flat even if it’s effective, you sit a bit high and the steering wheel is too fat. But the M Dynamic pack M135 has an extra playfulness to it that’s very much welcome. The changes to the suspension add a degree of crashiness – it’s almost Mini-like in this respect – but that’s a worthwhile tradeoff to bring it to life a bit. The only shame is that there isn’t a sense of feel and communication through the steering to match its sharpened responses. It’s still a decent choice however and certainly the best yet from this maligned front-driven era of BMW’s hot hatches.
‘You sit high in those sports seats and the wheel rim is too fat in typical M style, but there’s a pointiness that’s reminiscent of a hot Mini, the nose car feeling firm and tense. Its reactions have been cranked right up to imbue it with a sense of sportiness and agility, but it feels a little unnatural somehow. There’s little to no sense of connection to the front tyres to go with that sharpness either, the wheel being lifeless in Comfort mode and heavier but still lacking feel in Sport.’ – Yousuf Ashraf, evo senior staff writer.
We’d seriously consider a Mercedes-AMG A35 over the M135. It’s a hot hatch in which you sit lower and feel more in touch behind the wheel. It’s not as pointy as the BMW but there’s more polish. Look too towards Audi’s S3, which sort of splits the difference between the Mercedes and BMW. Or, swerve towards Cupra’s Leon, which doesn’t have the badge kudos or AWD capability but beats all the Germans for pugnacious hot hatch personality.
There’s a lot riding on the A290 – the future of Alpine, the future of the French hot hatch and the future of hot hatches as a whole. For as much as it follows in the footsteps of other highly-decorated machinery from Dieppe – the Renault Sport Megane R26.R is an evo all-time favourite – it also leads the charge, so to speak, for the hot hatch as a breed, if it is to experience a resurgence going into an uncertain new era.
Here is a car whose power, performance and dynamics have been very carefully judged, to deliver a potent if not uproarious small sporty electric car, that isn’t compromised at the point of real use. That’s to say, it still rides well, it’s still (relatively) light, it still has usable range and it’s still practical. No, 217bhp in top level A290 GTS trim isn’t spectacular, nor the 6.4sec 0-62mph time. But 1479kg is a commendably low mass figure and 236 miles is an adequate maximum range.
So how is it? In a word, good… if not outstanding. Judged by the standards of its forebears, it is a lukewarm, slightly inert device. Judged by comparison to contemporary machinery like the Abarth 500e and Mini Cooper SE, it’s a big step in the right direction – lighter (than the heavyweight Mini), better to drive, with more range (than the Abarth) and with a really engaging design. It does have a sense of humour, it does have dynamic polish. The R5 is a car Renault was very careful to get right. Alpine has taken a similar approach, albeit erring on the side of caution.
Is the A110 DNA Alpine claims it's baked into the A290 luminous in the driving experience? When we got Alpine's outgoing sports car and its new hot hatch together, it was clear they were two very different cars. But the A110's serving as a heady benchmark is clearly part of why the A290 is as good as it is.
‘The A290’s fundamentals are sound, though, the handling neat and intuitive. It doesn't have a mechanical locking diff, but the front end still finds good bite and traction, and if you lift off into a corner you can feel the rear taking an attitude to set you up for a straighter exit. It’s not as expressive as Renault Sport hatches of old, or the A110, but there is fun to be had – and you sense that an A290 S or R would unlock an extra edge to its performance.’ – Yousuf Ashraf, evo senior staff writer
The small hot hatch market and the electric small hot hatch market are now one and the same, given there pretty much aren’t any petrol-powered cars left in the segment, unless you want your teeth shaken out by the latest Mini Cooper S JCW. There’s the Abarth 500e if you don’t like going as far and having less fun while doing so, than in the Alpine. What we’re really looking forward to is getting it alongside the new e-208 GTI for an old-school French hot hatch showdown with an electric twist.
The Audi RS3 has always been a bit of a charming pariah in the hot hatch arena. Its 2.5-litre turbocharged engine is bewitching but it’s never been attached to a car that can match it for addictive charms. Happily, over the years, Audi has committed to its hyper hatch with incremental updates, edging it closer and closer to a balanced all-round star. But even this latest model with its revised chassis can’t quite match the granular tactility of the likes of the Honda Civic Type R as a devoted driver’s car.
It remains devastatingly fast of course, managing 0-62mph in under four seconds thanks to its 394bhp, 369lb ft, all-wheel-drive and dual-clutch transmission. On top of that the engine that lends the RS3 all that shove is still a joy. It’s also a much more balanced, neutral car than early RS3s ever were thanks to its trick torque-splitter rear differential. You can play with the RS3 to under or oversteer depending on your inputs. It’s controlled and devastatingly effective on track, in acceleration, braking and cornering.
But it does take speeds appropriate only on track, for the RS3 to really come alive. We found as much during our three-car hot hatch test, where we pit the RS3 against the Mercedes-AMG A45 S and the Toyota GR Yaris Auto. It proved to be monstrously capable, with a strange split personality on track, with traits of both a front- and rear-driven car.
The optional (£2000) carbon bucket seats get you closer to the action of course and indeed being an Audi, it’s a proper quality item with which to interact. In its genre of hyper-hot hatch, it and the Mercedes-AMG A45S are without peer, even for £60k.
‘Fully unleashed, the RS3 is really exciting, with the brutality and muscle you’d expect of a fast Audi underlined with real edge and adjustability. On a damp, bumpy road you need to stay right on top of it, not just because of how quick it is, but because of how excitable the rear end can get as it skips across the surface and you learn to exploit that diff. It’s a very different thrill to the one you get from a traditional front-drive hatch, but a thrill it most definitely is.’ – Yousuf Ashraf, evo senior staff writer
The Germans have their own little thing going on at this level, with only Mercedes-AMG’s A45 S there to meet Audi’s RS3 as a proper level-pegging rival. Want less performance, expense and intensity? Go for a Golf R. Want more intensity, if not the same AWD capability? Get a Honda Civic Type R.
Joining Alpine’s A290 soon will be Peugeot with the e-208 GTi, the French brand reviving a badge and bloodline that dates back to the beginning of the history of the hot hatch. It’s set to pack 276bhp, a wider track, mechanical limited-slip diff and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
If the rumours hold true, Toyota’s GR Yaris will be joined soon by its GR Corolla sibling for the first time in the UK and Europe. Previously the preserve of the US, Japanese and Australian markets, rumours of the GR Corolla’s introduction here have always been strong. They only got stronger when Toyota announced production of the GR Corolla would be started at its UK plant, meaning a UK introduction would make a lot of sense.
Cupra has revealed the Leon VZ TCR, a hardcore model that could offer a spanish alternative to Volkswagen’s Golf Edition 50. Specifics on the suspension set-up aren’t yet known but it gets the full 328bhp punch, wider front tyres, more aggressive aero and the option to remove the rear seats.
Possibly the most exciting new hot hatch on the way for 2026 is Audi’s RS3 GT, a runout special to wave off the Audi’s five-cylinder icon. It’s expected to pack more power, more aggressive (possibly manually adjustable) suspension and a more aggressive design.
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