These are the best used cars for under £5,000

Buying a used car can be a stressful and risky process.

There are thousands of examples on the market that may seem cheap on the surface, but underneath can hide a lot of nasty secrets. It’s why we’d always recommend doing your homework on any used car to make sure that it hasn’t failed previous MOTs or been involved in an accident. This is something you can find out online for little outlay.

New cars can be very expensive, but the second-hand market is full of fun, inexpensive and affordable vehicles that can be purchased for less than £5,000.

At this price point, cars ranging from cheap and economical hatchbacks, right up to two-seater sports cars can be purchased within this budget.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the best used cars for under £5,000.

If you want a bit of fun in the sun, you can’t go wrong with Mazda’s MX-5.

It’s been around since 1989 and in that time it has become one of the world’s best-selling two-seater convertibles. It’s great fun to drive, comes with an easy-to-operate folding roof and has low running costs, too.

On the used market, you can pick up a decent third-generation example for less than £5,000, which comes with a full service history and tidy bodywork. Just watch out on first and second-generation cars for rust – as this is the MX-5’s weak point when it comes to its durability.

A practical family car that is offered in either hatchback or estate guise is the Skoda Octavia.

There is a choice of petrol and diesel variants available at this price point, and if you want lots of space, the more practical estate comes with a very large boot capacity and acres of rear legroom.

On the used market, a 2011 1.6-litre TDi estate with between 70,000 to 80,000 miles on the clock will fit beneath the £5,000 budget. It comes with low running costs, and these VW Group diesel engines are renowned for longevity – making the Octavia reliable and durable.

The Toyota Yaris is one of the most reliable and sensible choices in the supermini category.

Our £5,000 budget can get you in a first, second or third-generation example with all variants being a smart choice.

First-generation cars are fun, frugal, cheap to maintain and come with some ingenious bits of interior design. However, just watch out for rust, as these Yaris’ can suffer from rotten rear sills.

The second generation offers more space with the same practical interior design, near-endless cubby holes and a clever 60:40 split sliding rear seat.

Meanwhile, the third generation is a lot more sophisticated with its touchscreen infotainment system and reversing camera.

One of Britain’s cheapest cars is also one of the nation’s best used buys, too.

You can pick up a Dacia Sandero in flagship ‘Laureate’ trim for under £5,000.

It features alloy wheels, air conditioning, four electric windows and the option of a leather interior – which represents great value for money.

Just make sure that it comes with decent service history as these cars can be neglected due to their budget costs.

One of the most practical and reliable superminis is Honda’s Jazz. At this price point, it will get you into a second-generation model, which ran from 2008 to 2015.

The Jazz comes with Honda’s clever magic seats which allows the rear seat bases to fold upright. The fuel tank is located underneath the front seats to enable the rear bench to fold completely flat – while the tailgate opening has a low load lip, too.

It’s not the most exciting car but the Jazz is one of the most practical, reliable and easy cars to live with on a day-to-day basis.

If you can find a top-of-the-line ‘EX’ model, it will come with lots of toys such as a full-length glass panoramic roof, climate control, automatic headlights and power-folding door mirrors.