Best petrol cars in the UK
High quality petrol cars from rated and reviewed dealers

What are the best petrol cars you can buy in the UK in 2025?
Choosing a petrol car in 2025 doesn’t need to be a complicated process. Yes, the world is turning towards electric cars, but they don’t suit everyone yet, and the best petrol cars come in all shapes and sizes to suit all needs.
So whether you’re looking for a city-friendly small car or something bigger to carry your family around, there’s a petrol car for you. There’s also a selection of manual and automatic gearboxes, with the former typically being more affordable and the latter being easier to drive, particularly in heavy traffic.
And don’t think that you need a hybrid car to get really good fuel economy, as many of the cars in this list will be more than efficient enough for most people.
Carwow’s expert reviews team has been behind the wheel of all the best petrol cars on sale in the UK to put together this selection. There’s everything from family friendly SUVs to small hatchbacks – and even a few performance cars that highlight just how wonderful a petrol engine can be.
The Dacia Duster is one of those cars that just works, almost no matter what you do with it. It has the chunky looks of an SUV — especially in this latest version, with that massive, square-edged bonnet — but under the skin it’s more like a compact hatchback, so you’ll never get stuck trying to do a three-point turn.
It’s roomy enough in the back that you can get four adults in (not that the back is especially comfy) and the boot is big enough for everyone’s luggage. Need more storage? The roof rails have pop-out arms so that you can easily bolt on a roof box.
Up front, the digital instruments and the touchscreen are pared back and simple to use, and there’s a handy clamp for your mobile phone. All of the plastics are cheap, but Dacia stamps them with interesting little patterns and embossing, so they never quite tip over that limit.
Basic versions come with a sweet little 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which can also run on LPG, which is useful if you have a fuel station nearby. Actually, it’s more powerful on LPG, reaching 100hp, whereas on petrol it’s pumping out 90hp. Upgrade to the 1.2-litre 130hp petrol engine and you can have four-wheel drive, which turns the diminutive Duster into a proper go-anywhere hero.
The 1.0-litre engine should easily average 45mpg, but you might end up ducking under the 40mpg mark in the 4x4.
Okay, so refinement isn’t brilliant, and a shortcoming of these manual-gearbox petrol models is that the clutch is in a really awkward spot if you’re a taller driver, making the driving position more uncomfortable than it should be. Still, as ever, for the price a Dacia Duster is truly hard to beat.
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Small cars used to be cheap and basic, and then in the 1990s the Renault Clio came along and ushered in a new era of chic, stylish, comfortable small cars. That era continues with the current Clio, which not only looks great on the outside, but also has a stylish and welcoming cabin.
The basic 1.0-litre TCE 90hp petrol engine is excellent, so you don’t really need to spend the extra to get the hybrid option. Actually, the petrol more than holds its own on the fuel economy front — you should easily see 50mpg, and it’s way more lively to drive than the 12.2-second 0-62mph time would have you believe.
The cabin looks good and is mostly well-made, although there are a couple of wobbly panels around the place. The front seats are wonderfully comfortable, but legroom is a little tight in the back seats, though you do get a big boot.
If you enjoy driving the Clio is much nicer to drive than most alternatives — the steering is light, but zippy and you can tell that there are people who know how to make great sports cars working in Renault’s chassis department.
The only black mark is when it comes to refinement — the Clio gets a bit easily upset by bumps, and it’s noisier at motorway speeds than the Volkswagen Polo. Neither should be a deal-breaker though, as this is a seriously sweet small hatchback.
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If space is the final frontier, then the Skoda Superb Estate is what Captain Kirk was looking for, all those years. Lift up the tailgate and there’s a 690-litre boot waiting for all of your luggage, shopping, and/or dogs. And that’s just up to the luggage cover — fold down the back seats and there’s 1,920 litres of room. There are vans that can’t carry this much.
This being a Skoda, of course, there are also lots of little handy touches such as velcro-bottomed boot dividers, a 12-volt socket, bag hooks, and a load-through in the middle of the back seat for narrow items.
Of course, all this would be for naught if the rest of the Superb wasn’t any good, but in spite of setting itself up for a fall with the name, Skoda continues to defy hubris and the Superb lives up to its moniker. Working forwards, the back seats are massively roomy, with legroom and headroom for even the tallest passengers.
In the front, there’s a cool ribbed pattern running across the back of the dashboard that looks like Darth Vader’s kitchen cabinet. The big digital screen is pretty good too, and helped by the fact that the Superb comes with handy physical rotary controllers that take care of cabin and seat heat, as well as stereo volume, driving modes, and more. It’s a much better solution than having everything on the screen.
The only problem is that there’s a few too many cheap plastics around the place, especially in the large storage spaces in the centre console. The old Superb felt more tightly-built.
The basic engine choice — VW Group’s familiar 1.5-litre TSI turbo petrol with mild-hybrid assistance, and while that may not sound like much for a big car, don’t worry; there’s adequate performance and surprisingly good 50mpg fuel economy. There is a plug-in hybrid version too, but that loses 180 litres of boot space, which rather spoils the space-faring effect.
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If you want a petrol-powered 3 Series, now is the time to strike. BMW is winding up for the launch of an all-new, all-electric 3 Series in two years’ time, and while there might still be some petrol versions around, nothing is guaranteed anymore.
There are no diesel-engined 3 Series anymore, but you can still buy a 320i petrol, which comes with the excellent 184hp 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. This might be a basic engine in price terms, but not in driving terms, with a creamy mid-range punch and very good fuel economy too.
The 320i is a good car, maybe even a great one once you take into account the 3 Series’ brilliant steering and pitch-perfect chassis, plus its quality and useful levels of spaciousness. Buy a 320i Touring estate and honestly you’d never need another car.
However, there is another petrol 3 Series — the M340i, with its turbocharged 374hp straight-six engine, four-wheel drive, and tuned chassis and steering. This is a truly brilliant car, and is arguably a better machine for everyday use than the more extreme BMW M3. Fast, but still smooth, and enormous fun on a twisty road, yet you can still buy it with the practical Touring estate bodywork. A perfect car? Damned close…
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Volkswagen’s big family car is basically the replacement for the old Tiguan Allspace, but while it clearly shares a lot with the new Tiguan, the Tayron has been granted its own name and something of a personality all of its own too.
Sure, from the front you’d swear it was a Tiguan, and the extra metalwork at the back is neatly integrated so there’s no dramatic difference there either. Up front, the cabin looks and works just like the Tiguan too, which means a slightly overly-fiddly touchscreen and some occasional cheap bits amongst the decent build quality.
Space in the back seats is very good, but the Tayron’s winning hand is its extra seats in the boot. These are tight enough that, really, only kids will fit but that’s probably what you want them for anyway. Fold them down, and there’s a massive 705-litre boot.
The basic 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine proves surprisingly perky, although it will get a bit thirsty if you’re driving hard with all the seats filled. Still, going for petrol power means that you can at least have the full seven seats — the plug-in hybrid version is only a five-seater because the battery gets in the way.
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Honestly, the Mazda MX-5 should be available on prescription. It may be a ten-year old design now, but it still feels as fresh and as fun as the day it was launched, and it’s almost impossible to feel down once you slip behind the three-spoke steering wheel.
Okay, so it’s not perfect. The cabin looks and feels cheap in places, and if you’re much over six-foot, you’ll struggle to get comfortable. Oh, and the boot is small.
None of which really matters. The secret is to get the top down as soon as you can, and revel in the combo of pacy petrol performance and one of the best manual gearshifts ever created.
There’s a more powerful 184hp 2.0-litre petrol, which also gets a clever limited slip differential, a body-stiffening strut under the bonnet, and cool BBS alloy wheels. However, to be honest, the basic 134hp 1.5-litre model is actually the better buy. Sure, it’s a little softer around the edges, but then the point of an MX-5 has never been about going fast. It’s always been about having maximum fun without ever getting near the speed limit.
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Many have tried to claim the 911’s crown since the first model was launched in 1963. Many have failed. If you come for the King, you’d better not miss…
True, the 911 has changed almost totally since those far-off days. It’s a much bigger, heavier car now, with an almost all-turbocharged flat-six engine lineup, and most of them even come with a standard automatic PDK gearbox. Thankfully, the 911 T and 911 GT3 still fly the flag for a proper manual, and an engine without turbos, too.
Mind you, it doesn’t really matter much which 911 you buy, as all that really changes is how fast the scenery whips past. The basics remain the same — telepathic steering, a neatly balanced chassis that flexes with bad roads, and that yowling flat-six engine that sounds better and better the more revs you add to the counter. This is a car that can win its category at Le Mans on the weekend, and yet do a snow-covered school run on a weekday. It’s hard to get a basic one for less than £100,000 now though, and the options list runs to a second and third mortgage.
Still, the 911 is, as it has always been, well-built, quite practical, reliable, and yet as soulful to drive as any Ferrari. The King reigns.
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We’re headed towards an electric future, that much is pretty certain now. However, there’s still time to buy a petrol engine, and if you’re going to go out, go out with some style and a soundtrack that’s hard to beat. The Audi RS3 has a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine that not only produces 400hp but also a growly rumble in an odd time signature that takes you right back to the original Quattro rally cars of the 1980s.
Mind you, not many original Quattros accelerate like an RS3. It’ll hit 62mph in just 3.8 seconds, and with that engine bellowing away that’s like falling down a lift shaft while strapped to an enraged bull.
Better still, this is one of the best Audis to drive, thanks to a trick four-wheel drive system that makes it feel way more agile than the sporty Audi norm. The steering feels talkative, and it’s closer in spirit to a BMW M2 than a Mercedes A45 AMG.
There’s also a high-quality cabin with excellent bucket front seats. It’s just about roomy enough to be practical, but the RS3 does suffer from a small boot which takes the shine off it just a little.
The 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder Mustang is no more, which is actually kinda sad — it was a better car than many gave it credit for and more of a modern-day Capri than the actual modern-day Capri.
However, for the latest Mustang, Ford has ruled — V8 only. The 5.0-litre engine might be an ageing design, and 446hp isn’t all that much to get from all that cubic capacity, but the rumbly soundtrack — and the fact that you can get this mighty monster with a manual — more than makes up for that.
You can add bigger brakes and tweaked suspension if you like, and there’s a crazy-high performance GTD version coming (no, it’s not a diesel…) but the standard V8 Mustang is the best. It’s a more affordable alternative to a BMW M4, which might lack the sophistication of the BMW, but the Beemer could never be this cool. The cabin looks a bit cheap, and the big digital screens seem somehow out of place, but the Mustang’s fairly practical and better-made than you think at first.
Yes, there’s a burnout mode. And yes, there’s a setting that allows you to use the electronic parking brake for handbrake turns. That’s the kind of car the Mustang is — it’s a big kid’s dream machine.
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You’ve really got to admire the French — while the Germans get on with making all the big, luxury cars the French have been the go-to nation for the cars that we all really need. Compact and affordable hatchbacks.
Citroen has really done a good job with its latest entry into that canon, the C3. Not the e-C3 (that’s the electric version), here we’re talking here about the basic 1.2-litre petrol C3, with 100hp and a manual gearbox.
This is as basic as a C3 gets, but this also might just be the best version of the smallest Citroen. Stripped of the weight of the other two versions, the hydraulically assisted suspension lopes over bumps like a sofa with jelly springs. The light steering makes it feel spectacularly nippy, and there’s enough performance that longer journeys aren’t too much of a chore. It’s not a lot of fun in corners, and doesn’t like crosswinds, but with all the money you’re saving you won’t really care.
The cabin is basic, but very comfortable and pretty spacious, and there’s a useful 310-litre boot in the boxy bodywork at the back. The C3, then, is not a thrilling nor exciting car, but it’s genuinely cheap and cheerful, and has a charm all of its own.
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How to choose the best petrol car for you
Choosing a petrol car comes down to two things. Are you choosing for economy or performance? With the availability of diesel models dwindling, petrol engines are often now the only choice for those who don’t fancy a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid, but the good news is that the latest designs can offer almost diesel-like fuel economy, and surprisingly low CO2 emissions in some cases. The VW Group 1.5-litre petrol turbo engine is a case in point. In a Skoda Superb, you can easily tickle that to return 50mpg.
Of course, you might also be thinking about performance. While it’s true that petrol power is increasingly struggling to keep up with the straight-line performance and acceleration of the best electric cars, the fact is that petrol cars are much lighter than EVs, so they’re almost always better to drive.
They also refuel (occasionally expensively) in minutes, and are generally much more fun to drive than something with batteries.
If the sound is important to you, there are really only three choices — Porsche, Audi, or Ford Mustang. Flat-six, inline-five, or V8. Make a recording of the noises for posterity and play it back for your grandchildren.
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