Volkswagen’s new ID.Polo is an important car. Falling sales and closing factories mean the arrival of VW’s latest EV couldn’t have come at a more crucial time, and its mandate is to revive the company’s fortunes with a healthy dose of common sense, returning VW to the values that made it so successful in the first place.
It’s not the only car that’s had so much asked of it, though. Every now and again, a car comes along that stands out in hindsight as a milestone; a return to form for a car maker that might have… well… let itself go, somewhat.
Take the Renault 5, for example. Beloved of journalists and owners alike and winner of the European Car of the Year award in 2025, the 5 arrived after a period of fairly humdrum new model launches from Renault. But it’s been a sensation, thanks in large part to its winning combination of charming retro looks, beautifully finished interior and excellent driving dynamics.
Its desirability means second-hand values are rock-solid, but there are still bargains to be had, particularly if you’re looking to buy nearly-new as a more cost-effective alternative to a showroom-fresh example.
Take the 2026 Comfort Range Iconic model I found, on for £25,995. It’s done just 1,000 miles, making it effectively a new car, yet at this price, it’ll save you almost £1,000 compared with the cost of buying brand-new. And of course, it’ll also enable you to skip the waiting list and take delivery right away.
But perhaps an EV isn’t right for you. In which case, how about a self-charging hybrid? The latest Toyota Corolla is another of those cars that really sparked a revival in its manufacturer’s fortunes, in the UK at least.
Until its arrival, the humdrum Auris and bland Avensis meant Toyota’s cars had all the appeal of a plate of boiled cabbage. Good for you, yes, but not exactly appetising.
But with its sharp looks, improved build quality and spacious interior, the Corolla changed all that, meaning it became possible to please heart and head at the same time.
That’s even more true when buying second-hand; once again, the Corolla holds its value well, but it isn’t impossible to root out a bargain. Take the 2022 Icon Tech Hybrid version I found, with a very reasonable 33,000 miles on the clock. It’s yours for just £15,291, which places it at a whopping £1,852 less than it’s actually worth: that’s according to the CarGurus IMV, or Instant Market Value, which works out a car’s value based on the sale prices of similar cars, helping you to work out whether it’s a good deal or not.
But good deals don’t have to come at the top end of the market. I found one for less than £3,000, and it’s yet another car that proved to be a watershed moment for its maker. It’s the Fiat 500, a car that stood out like a shining beacon from Fiat’s less-than-stellar range of the late-noughties and early-teenies.
This one’s a 2013 example, an entry-level Pop, and with a distinctly reasonably 56,000 miles on the clock. It’s an ideal first car; easy to drive, cheap to insure, and chock-full of street cred, and it’s yours for just £2,795, which is £576 below its IMV. Cheap and cheerful motoring, in a car that proved to be a milestone for its manufacturer.
But perhaps all of the above options are just a bit too… well… small. Maybe you need something with a little more space. Enter the second-generation Volvo XC90 – a car that completely redefined how its manufacturer was perceived.
It was still big, comfortable and practical – as you’d expect from a Volvo and as we'd come to expect from the first-generation XC90 – but this time around, the XC90 had a level of quality and a premium feel Volvo hadn’t thus far been capable of. It therefore heralded the arrival of Volvo as a true premium manufacturer. And it looked the part, taking cues from Volvo’s radical XC Concept Coupe show car.
Despite its many talents, XC90s are becoming surprisingly affordable. Beware the cheapest examples, though: these are complicated cars, and if neglected, they can be very expensive further down the line.
But a 2020 B5D Inscription with 47,000 miles sounds like a pretty safe bet, especially when it's going for £27,860. That’s a huge £1,724 below its market value, according to the CarGurus IMV, a brilliant saving on a car that should be able to deal with whatever family capers you’d care to throw at it.
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