The Kia Cee’d is our top best used buy as it’s a thoroughly competent car & comes with a fully-transferable 7 year warranty 
While it’s not the most exciting car to drive, the Cee’d is comfortable and relaxing on the road Interior quality is generally decent, even if the dashboard design is fairly conservative The Vauxhall Insignia may be due for replacement soon, but heavy depreciation makes this model an excellent used buy It may not have the handling finesse of the Ford Mondeo, but the Insignia is a genuinely relaxing car to drive The interior design plays it safe, but equipment levels are reasonable – though we suggest avoiding entry-level models The Skoda Yeti is a fun, functional car, with masses of interior space Despite its practical credentials, the Yeti is also pretty enjoyable to drive Interior quality and ergonomics are strong, even if everything is a little grey The Dacia Duster may be cheap, but it’s also an excellent and bona fide SUV While its three star safety rating from Euro NCAP is below par, that score is partly due to suboptimal pedestrian protection Inside, the Duster’s rock-bottom price point is evident, but we advise against top-spec models The Ford Focus is something of a default choice for many buyers, and for good reason It’s great to drive, pretty well equipped, comfortable and comes with a wide range of engines The new Vauxhall Astra has a nicer dashboard than the Focus, but everything is well put together & the seats are comfortable The SEAT Leon is a VW Golf for people who don’t want a Golf. To our eyes it’s a sleeker, more stylish car The Leon’s driving experience is involving, and choosing one over a Golf will save you a fair amount of money It may be a bit of a sea of grey inside, but you can’t fault the Leon for fit & finish The Lexus GS is effortlessly relaxing to drive, though it’s not as involving as the BMW 5 Series The automatic CVT gearbox takes some getting used to, but the Lexus GS has an excellent reliability record Interior quality is beyond reproach, and many will find the GS’ dashboard has a certain character its rivals lack If you’re after a second hand electric car, the comfortable and easy to drive Nissan Leaf takes some beating Electric cars tend to suffer from quite heavy depreciation, but that’s great news for used buyers The Leaf has enough hi-tech touches to remind you you’re driving something different, but the controls work intuitively Most used buyers will be looking at the previous generation Jaguar XF, but it hasn’t lost any of its charm over the years The XF is genuinely enjoyable driver’s car with powerful engines, great handling and a smooth-shifting automatic gearbox The XF’s interior is distinctive & has some neat design touches, while its heated seats are some of the most powerful around The BMW Z4 may be due for replacement soon, but that means now is a great time to pick up a second hand one The lack of a diesel may put some off, though some may argue convertibles like the Z4 should really have a petrol engine Interior quality is strong, though the Z4’s dashboard design is starting to show its age a little now
Best used cars - pictures
A selection of images of our top 10 recommended best second hand buys
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