The top 28 used car experts say you should choose a Volvo at number one in 2024

The best used car to buy this year is a particularly sensible option, according to a group of road testing experts.

Which car? has announced the winners and highly acclaimed engines at its annual Used Car of the Year Awards – and the standout model is something of a considered and rational selection from Volvo’s range of practical vehicles.

The automobile magazine’s used car victory for 2024 goes to the Swedish brand’s XC40 SUV.

It narrowly beat out a wide range of electric vehicles that have become far more attractive to motorists as they suffered massive depreciation in their first year and lost value on the used market at cheaper prices.

A sensible used choice: Which car? has awarded the Volvo XC40 SUV the “Used Car of the Year 2024” award. Find out which other models were recommended by the team of experts

Used car prices have fallen in recent months after rising to a record high due to supply shortages of new vehicles following the pandemic.

The latest Auto Trader retail price index for September shows the average used car value fell to £16,450 – a fall of 8.4 per cent on the same month in 2023.

But during this recent market Stability may be good news for the used car buyer in general, but it hasn’t made it any easier for drivers to choose the best option for their next engine.

What Car?’s annual Used Car of the Year Awards are designed to help drivers make decisions by highlighting the best used models across eight classes, from hatchbacks to SUVs, with an overall winner selected from the category winners.

The frontrunner this year is the Volvo XC40, which also took a place the “best used SUV” category.

The jury praised it for its high-quality interior, excellent features and family-friendly practicality.

This was enough to fend off competition from a number of electric cars, namely the Tesla Model 3, the Volkswagen ID.3 and the Kia e-Niro, all of which are temptingly priced given the significant decline in the residual value of electric cars, which tends to be the case offer The value decreases dramatically in the first 12 months of ownership.

An exclusive study for This is Money by Cap Hpi earlier this year showed the importance of the first year impact on electric vehicle residual values.

Seven comparisons with petrol or hybrid equivalents showed that the battery model tended to lose value much more quickly in the first 12 months – so much so that it actually fell at a lower price than the combustion engine option.

An exclusive comparison of the residual values ​​of electric cars with gasoline equivalents earlier this year found that a higher-priced electric car would lose value far more in the first year than a comparable combustion alternative – so much so that the battery versions would be cheaper to buy after 12 months

Recommending the “

“The XC40 is the all-rounder in a class of its own. It’s a reliable and desirable car that does almost everything exceptionally well, meaning you can buy it with both your head and your heart.

“It is also extremely versatile as you can have it as a petrol, diesel, mild hybrid or fully electric car.”

“It is the way it excels in so many areas and the variety of options it offers the used car buyer that gave it the win.”

“The fact that this extremely attractive family SUV offers such good value for money, even when used, was the deciding factor for us.”

Other winners included the recently discontinued Audi TT (2014-2024), Honda Jazz (since 2020), Peugeot 5008 (since 2017) and BMW 330e (since 2019).

In addition to the used car of the year and the eight category winners, What Car? has named a number of alternative cars to consider in each category. These are characterized by areas that may be of particular interest to used buyers.

Here is the full list of winners and highly praised alternatives across the eight different vehicle segments:

The winners and runners-up of What Car? for the used car of the year 2024

The Volvo XC40 was praised for its “high-quality interior, superb refinement and family-friendly practicality.”

USED ​​CAR OF THE YEAR 2024: Volvo XC40

The Honda Jazz won the top award for used hatchbacks

BEST USED HATCHBACK

Honda Jazz (2020-present)

Also consider:

BMW 1 Series (2011-2019)

Volkswagen ID 3 (2020-present)

Skoda Citigo (2012-2020)

The Tesla Model 3 beat all of its ICE competitors to take the award for best used executive car

BEST USED EXECUTIVE CAR

Tesla Model 3 (2019-present)

Also consider:

Audi A4 (2015-present)

BMW 3 Series (2019-present)

BMW 5 Series (2017-2023)

Despite strong competition, Skoda’s versatile Octavia won best used station wagon

BEST USED PROPERTY

Skoda Octavia station wagon (2013-2020)

Also consider:

Mercedes E-Class Estate (2016-2023)

MG5 (2020-present)

Toyota Corolla Touring Sports (2019-present)

Ford Puma is a recommended used SUV

BEST USED SUV

Volvo XC40 (2018-present)

Also consider:

Ford Puma (2019-present)

Kia Sportage (2021-present)

Which car? If you need a used 7-seater, look no further than the Peugeot 5008

BEST USED 7 SEATER

Peugeot 5008 (2017-present)

Also consider:

Audi Q7 (2015-present)

Citroën Grand C4 Spacetourer (2018-2022)

In the highly competitive ranking of used electric SUVs, Kia’s e-Niro took first place

BEST USED ELECTRIC SUV

Kia e-Niro (2018-2022)

Also consider:

Mercedes EQC (2019-2024)

Skoda Enyaq (2020-present)

BMW’s 330e was voted the best used hybrid vehicle

BEST USED HYBRID

BMW 330e (2019-present)

Also consider:

Volkswagen Golf GTE (2015-2019)

Volvo XC90 T8 (2015-present)

The last-generation Audi TT – which was discontinued this year – is What Car?’s choice of used sports cars for 2024

BEST USED SPORTS CAR

Audi TT (2014-2024)

Also consider:

BMW 4 Series Convertible (2021-present)

Ford Fiesta ST (2013-2017)

Mercedes-AMG C63 (2019-2024)