Fun-sized sweeties
These hot hatches are both small and speedy, but which paints the bigger smile across its driver’s face, and which is the better used buy?
Price today
£19,000*
Hyundai i20 N 1.6 T-GDi 204 List price when new £24,995 Available from 2021-2024
It has similar on-paper credentials to the ST, but is the i20 N as thrilling as its rival?
Price today
£18,000*
Ford Fiesta ST 1.5 Ecoboost 200 ST-3 3dr List price when new £24,580 Available from 2018-2024
A lively engine meets entertaining handling in the popular Fiesta ST
*Price today is based on a 2021 model with average mileage and full service history, correct at time of writing
FORD FIESTA ST
BEST HANDLING
Fiesta ST’s more playful handling raises a huge grin, but its steering isn’t as communicative as the i20 N’s
HYUNDAI i20 N
Overall, the i20 N delivers a more relaxed driving experience, and its ride is comfier – most of the time
HAVE YOU EVER gone to rewatch your favourite show, only to discover it’s mysteriously vanished from the streaming service you once binged it on? Next thing you know, you’re frantically searching every other outlet, finding diddly squat and wondering why you’re paying for all those subscriptions. Your last hope: used DVDs on eBay.
Well, a similar pain has been felt by fans of the hot hatch. Two of the best – the Ford Fiesta ST and Hyundai i20 N – have recently ended their production runs, and neither has a direct successor waiting in the wings. Soon, the last bastion between their existence and extinction will be the used car market.
Look on the bright side, though. You can buy a three-year-old i20 N for almost £6000 less than you’d have paid when it was new, and a Fiesta ST (of the same vintage) is almost £7000 cheaper than it was when new. And if you’re struggling to choose between them, we can tell you the one we prefer.