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Not everyone can afford to buy a new car right now, especially considering the way the economy is, so Diesel Car’s Used Car of the Year is perfectly timed. We announce the very best used cars spread across nine categories, together with one overall winner. It’s the only way that you’ll know whether you are looking at buying a winner, or being saddled with a dud. We get behind the wheel of BMW’s 3 Series for first time in right-hand-drive UK specification, along with Subaru’s XV, the Fiat Panda and the update Renault Grand Scenic. We also drive the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack, designed to go head to head with Audi’s A4 allroad and we test the latest dual-clutch transmission fitted to the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Finally, Alfa’s MiTo in latest 1.3-litre JTDM-2 guise is put through its paces, boasting sub-100g/km CO2 emissions and economy figures in excess of 78mpg. Audi’s Q3 goes head to head with the Range Rover Evoque, and Chevrolet’s Aveo meets the Chrysler Ypsilon – both boasting the same 1.3-litre GM/Fiat co-developed turbodiesel engine. In Eco Car, we drive Peugeot’s 508 RXH hybrid 4x4 estate for the first time, as well as the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 and the all-electric Renault Fluence on UK roads.