Peugeot 206 SW

Supermini estates are thin on the ground. Only Toyota's comically-styled Yaris Verso and Skoda's Fabia estate compete, if you're buying new. The 206SW beats them both hands down. It looks good, has stylish interiors, a good range of engines and is great fun to drive. 2.0 HDi diesel is the best engine choice, but all are competent and cheap to run.

XL, S, 16V, XT, SI, HDI, TD, SE, XSI

Base models are spartan but the others get a decent level of kit. CD player on most cars, air-con easy to find. Lots of safety kit, but ABS is optional on most models.

2.0