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Seat’s popular Leon hatchback has topped the What Car? Used Car of the Year Awards, fending off stiff competition from 14 other category winners to be named the best used car on UK forecourts today.
Introduced in 2013, the latest version of the Leon was praised for its unbeatable combination of driving dynamics, quality, safety and kerb appeal. In the family car category, the Leon beat the Kia Cee’d and Ford Focus.
Audi also proved successful, with the Audi Q7, Audi TT and Audi R8 taking the best used luxury SUV, best used coupe and best used sports car titles respectively.
The 15 What Car? Used Car of the Year Winners were categorised into age groups to reflect the choice available on the used car market. The final decision on winners was taken by a panel of experts, based on the main criteria of quality, reliability, value and the availability of desirable versions with the Leon coming out on top.
Other notable winners were Ford and BMW, each taking three category wins. Renault’s electric Zoe supermini celebrated its fifth birthday this year, and was named the victor in the green car of the year category as the latest generation of EVs become attractive used propositions.
What Car? Used Car of the Year Winners 2018
| Age group | 1-3 years (2014-2016) | 4-6 years (2011-2013) | 7-10 years (2007-2010) | |||
| Best used city car | Hyundai i10 (WINNER) | 14-present | Skoda Citigo | 12-present | Hyundai i10 | 08-13 |
| Best used small car | Skoda Fabia | 15-present | Audi A1 | 10-present | Ford Fiesta (WINNER) | 08-17 |
| Best used family car | Seat Leon (WINNER) | 13-present | Kia Cee’d | 12-present | Ford Focus | 04-11 |
| Best used executive car | Volkswagen Passat | 15-present | BMW 3 Series (WINNER) | 12-present | Ford Mondeo | 07-15 |
| Best used luxury car | BMW 5 Series (WINNER) | 10-17 | Mercedes-Benz CLS | 11-present | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 06-13 |
| Best used small SUV | BMW X1 | 15-present | Nissan Qashqai (WINNER) | 07-13 | Skoda Yeti | 09-17 |
| Best used large SUV | Kia Sorento | 15-present | Mazda CX-5 (WINNER) | 12-17 | Volvo XC60 | 08-17 |
| Best used luxury SUV | Audi Q7 (WINNER) | 15-present | BMW X5 | 13-present | Volvo XC90 | 02-14 |
| Best used MPV | Volkswagen Touran | 15-present | Ford S-Max | 06-14 | Citroën C3 Picasso (WINNER) | 09-17 |
| Best used estate car | Seat Leon ST | 13-present | BMW 5 Series Touring | 10-17 | Ford Mondeo Estate (WINNER) | 07-15 |
| Best used hot hatch | Ford Fiesta ST (WINNER) | 12-present | Honda Civic Type R | 07-12 | Volkswagen Golf GTI | 05-08 |
| Best used coupe | Audi TT | 14-present | Audi TT (WINNER) | 06-14 | BMW 3 Series Coupe | 06-13 |
| Best used convertible | Audi A3 | 14-present | Mazda MX-5 | 05-15 | BMW Z4 (WINNER) | 09-present |
| Best used sports car | Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG | 09-16 | Porsche Cayman | 05-13 | Audi R8 (WINNER) | 07-16 |
| Best used green car | BMW 330e | 16-present | Renault Zoe (WINNER) | 12-present | Honda CR-Z | 10-14 |
| Used car of the year | Seat Leon | 13-present | ||||
“The breadth of talent among our award winners this year just proves what a wealth of fantastic cars are now available to used car buyers,” said Alex Robbins, used cars editor at What Car?
“Our overall winner, the 2013-on Seat Leon not only offers outstanding value for money, but also manages to cram in a dash of flair that makes it a delight to live with, with sharp handling and great looks. Throw in a smart and well laid out interior, plenty of space for the whole family and a solid reliability record and the Leon makes a very compelling choice.”
