What are the best used cars under £15,000?

If you have a budget of up to £15,000 to spend on a used car here’s some good news: you have some absolutely cracking cars available to you. In fact, this is something of a sweet spot in the used car market, bagging you a motor that’s just a few years old, has lots of modern tech and may even have some of its original manufacturer warranty left.

And while you can count the number of new cars available for less than £15k on one hand, when it comes to used cars the world is your oyster – as our list of the best used cars for less than £15,000 proves. There’s something for just about everyone here, including small hatchbacks that cost pennies to run, SUVs, hybrids and electric cars. We researched our prices in May 2025 using the UK’s biggest car listings site (you know the one!), with a limit of 70,000 miles for the car we selected.

1. Kia Picanto

The Kia Picanto is one of the cheapest new cars in the UK, so £15,000 is enough to get you a car with only a handful of miles on the clock. In fact, as of May 2025, it’s enough to get a brand-new one because some dealers offer discounts of £1500 or so on the car’s £16k+ list price. That’s incredible value, because the Picanto is one of the best city cars around. 

Although it’s tiny on the outside, the Picanto has decent space inside and a bigger boot than most similar cars. The interior has a smart, high-tech look and you get lots of big-car features – even the cheapest brand-new models have air conditioning, Apple Carplay and Android Auto integration, a rear-view camera and cruise control. Go for a high-spec nearly new version and you could get a car with LED headlights, heated front seats and even a heated steering wheel. The Picanto is good to drive, costs little to run and feels built to last. And to top it all you get the reassurance of Kia’s class-leading seven-year/100,000 warranty.

2. Renault Clio

There are any number of excellent small cars available for up to £15,000 but few give you as much for your money as the Renault Clio. It’s got a bigger boot than any other small car, for a start, and more standard kit than most. 

Style is subjective, but few would disagree that the Clio is also one of the best-looking small cars. It’s just as stylish inside, and all versions have an touchscreen infotainment system that’s packed with features but easy to use. As well as a super-fuel-efficient petrol engine, the Clio offers something that many rivals can’t at this price – a full hybrid option that gives you low running costs and an automatic gearbox as standard.

3. Toyota Corolla

The humble Toyota Corolla is the world’s best-selling car ever, with more than 50 million sold since the first version went on sale in 1966. The latest model arrived in 2019 and a budget of £15,000 will get you a fine example of either the hatchback or the estate version (which is called Corolla Touring Sport). 

It’s good to drive, and most versions are petrol-electric hybrids that give excellent fuel economy and low ownership costs. While some similar cars have more design flair than the Corolla, or a bit more interior space, few are likely to be as reliable. In fact, Toyota is so confident in the durability of its cars that it offers an incredible 10-year warranty. It doesn’t just apply to new cars, either – every time you get a Toyota serviced at an official dealership you get another year of warranty cover, up to a maximum of 100,000 miles or 10 years from when the car was first registered.

4. Skoda Octavia

Modern Skodas generally score higher than most rival cars in two areas: value and boot space. The Skoda Octavia delivers massively on both those counts, making it a great choice if you’re looking for a cost-effective yet practical car.

The Octavia has more than just those two attributes in its locker, though. It’s also good to drive and has an interior that’s both easy to use and easy on the eye. There’s a wide range of models to choose from, including some with very low running costs, a practical estate and sporty vRS models. All represent excellent value for money.

5. Audi Q2

Looking for an SUV that’s compact and affordable yet has a premium look and feel? Look no further than the Audi Q2. It might be the brand’s smallest SUV but it packs all of the style and quality you associate with Audi into a car that’s a cinch to park and gives sensible ownership costs. 

Admittedly, you’ll pay more for the Q2 than you would for similar cars such as the Renault Captur and Seat Arona. But the Q2 feels worth paying a bit more for because of the feelgood factor you get from its high-quality interior and the fact that most versions are very well-equipped. It’s also enjoyable to drive and has a very good reputation for reliability.

6. MG4

The MG 4 proves that for less than £15,000 you can get a cutting-edge, nearly new electric family hatchback that’s one of the best electric cars around. Yep, depreciation is your friend because although new MG 4 prices start at about £27,000 you can get one that’s less than two years old, with less than 20,000 miles on the clock, for little more than half that. 

Introduced in 2022, the MG 4 is a sharp-looking car that’s about the same size as a VW Golf. Standard models have a battery range of 218 miles, while Long Range models boost that to 281 miles. All versions are fun to drive and have a smart-looking interior that has good headroom and legroom. Boot space is below average and MG’s reputation for reliability isn’t anything special, but you do get the reassurance of a  seven-year/80,000-mile warranty.

7. Skoda Karoq

Okay, this is our second Skoda so you know the drill: lots of boot space and excellent value are the headlines here. As well as ticking those boxes, the Skoda Karoq ticks a lot more besides to make it one of the best all-rounders in the family SUV category. 

While it looks smart on the outside it’s on the inside where the Karoq really shines, with an interior that’s roomy and has a real feeling of quality throughout. Comfortable seats and a smooth ride make the Karoq a car that’s very easy to get along with and there’s a fine selection of engines to choose from. There are no hybrid options, but each one gives good mpg and there are versions with four-wheel drive if that’s your thing.

8. Peugeot 5008

The Peugeot 5008 is a practical seven-seater that gives you more tech and style than you might expect with a budget of less than £15,000. While it’s a sharp-looking SUV on the outside and has a similarly futuristic design on the inside it also gives you MPV-style practicality, with three individual second-row seats that each fold, slide and have an Isofix child seat mounting point. The third-row seats fold away easily when you don’t need them to leave a vast, well-shaped boot. 

While it’s a fairly large car, the 5008 gives low running costs thanks to its especially fuel-efficient engines. It’s smooth and quiet on the move, too, which can help to make family road trips that bit more peaceful.

9. Tesla Model 3

We’re not going to mention you-know-who – the big news is that you can now get a used Tesla Model 3 for about a third of the cost of a brand-new one. And although it won’t be the latest, recently-updated model, a used Model 3 at this price range still outdoes many new electric cars for battery range, tech and performance. As well as giving you access to Tesla’s fast and reliable ‘Supercharger’ chargers. 

There’s no doubt that the Model 3 was ahead of its time when it arrived in the UK in 2019 and its interior looks bang up to date thanks to its huge touchscreen and minimalist design. Battery range varies between about 250 miles and 350 miles for a sub-£15k car, depending on which version you go for. Every Model 3 is fast and well-equipped and it’s also a practical family car with a large boot.

10. Audi A5

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself and that’s what cars like the Audi A5 are all about. Sleek and classy, it looks a million dollars whether you go for the two-door coupe or convertible models, or the five-door ‘Sportback’ hatchback version. And as well as being a car that you’ll always enjoy looking at, it’s one that you’ll always enjoy getting into thanks to its beautifully built, comfortable interior. 

A huge range of engines are available, and most have an automatic gearbox as standard. You get lots of premium, high-tech features too, and there’s more interior space than you might expect considering the A5’s swooping roofline.