Fuel Type: Petrol
It all started with leaded fuel, then moved onto unleaded, but petrol power has always been the favourite for hot hatchbacks. Sure, the 00s and 10s saw a surge in popularity for fast diesels, but fashions have changed again and petrol is back as the main choice for a performance hatch. However, there’s some serious competition coming from the battery-powered brigade.
Petrol Hot Hatches
Browse Petrol hot hatch entries with comparable specs and model links from 57 published entries.
Models In This Section
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Volkswagen Golf GTI (5G)
The seventh generation of Volkswagen Golf GTI arrived in 2015 and, in many ways, it was the car that reminded everyone why the GTI badge still mattered. It did not try to win the hot-hatch war with absurd power figures; instead, it doubled down on the classic Golf formula of being quick, polished, practical, and…
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Volvo C30 T5 Polestar (P1)
This Volvo C30 T5 Polestar is the sensible, production-ready one: essentially a C30 T5, often in R-Design form, with dealer-installed Polestar ECU remap, rather than the wild blue 405bhp AWD concept car. The official Polestar product sheet for a C30 lists the upgrade from 227 hp to 250 hp, with torque rising from 236 lb-ft…
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BMW M135i (F21)
The BMW M135i F21 arrived in 2012 as the three-door version of the second-generation 1 Series, and it was a very BMW-flavoured answer to the rising premium hot-hatch market. Where many rivals were moving toward transverse four-cylinder engines and all-wheel drive, the M135i kept a longitudinal engine layout, rear-wheel drive, and a turbocharged straight-six. BMW’s…
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Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG (W176)
The Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG W176 arrived in 2013 as a very different kind of hot hatch: not just a faster A-Class, but AMG’s first serious move into the compact performance class. Its headline was the hand-built M133 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, producing 265 kW / 360 PS / 355 bhp and 450 Nm, sent through a…
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Skoda Fabia vRS (5J)
The Škoda Fabia vRS 5J is one of those slightly left-field hot hatches that looks sensible at first glance but hides a surprisingly serious drivetrain. Launched as the RS/vRS version of the second-generation Fabia, it moved away from the cult diesel character of the earlier Fabia vRS and adopted a much more contemporary petrol hot-hatch…
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Mini John Cooper Works F56 automatic
The automatic John Cooper Works is the quicker-accelerating F56 variant despite being slightly heavier than the manual. It’s also more economical, making it cheaper to run. Does that make it ‘better’ than the manual, though?
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Cupra Leon VZ (KL)
The Cupra Leon continues the hot hatch lineage after Seat spun Cupra into its own brand. It uses much of the VAG group’s best hardware, making it a serious contender against the likes of the Golf GTI Clubsport and Civic Type R.
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Mini John Cooper Works GP (2020)
The 2020 JCW GP was a 300-plus horsepower, two-seat Mini special with dramatic aero and automatic-only transmission. It is one of the most extreme modern front-drive limited editions.
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Fiat Strada Abarth 130 TC
The Strada Abarth 130 TC was a raw twin-cam Italian rival to the Golf and 205, complete with carburettor character and serious period pace. What made the Strada Abarth (or Ritmo Abarth in Europe) interesting was that it did not feel like a sanitised, polished hot hatch in the Golf GTI mould. The 125 TC…
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Renault Clio Renaultsport 197 (2006)
The Clio 197 moved Renaultsport to a larger, heavier platform but retained a high-revving naturally aspirated engine.
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BMW M135i xDrive (F40)
The F40 M135i moved BMW’s hot hatch from rear-drive six-cylinder character to AWD four-cylinder speed. It is important as a generational reset, but seems like a backward step compared to the more charismatic, rear-driven F20/F21 cars.
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Alfa Romeo 147 GTA Selespeed
The manual version of the 147 GTA wasn’t exactly a common sight on the roads, but the Selespeed automatic version is rarer still. It keeps the same V6 Busso appeal but does the gear-shifting for you, while gaining a few extra kilos. Definitely not the purist’s choice, but the 147 GTA always was a car…
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Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
The 147 GTA was a compact hatch with Alfa’s charismatic Busso V6 squeezed into the nose. It wasn’t the neatest-handling hot hatch on the market, but it was rare and its engine gave it bucketloads of character.
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SEAT Ibiza Cupra (6J)
Powered by the VAG group’s punchy twin-charged 1.4-litre engine, and mated to a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, the SEAT Ibiza Cupra was a rapid entrant into the competitive hot hatch market of the 2010s. The Cupra had more flair than the Polo GTI and more street cred than the Skoda Fabia with which it shared…
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