We’ve chosen to leave out the Westfield Sport and the Caterham Seven. Of course, great cars, but more track cars than practical in our opinion so we’ve skipped them. Soon you’ll be able to play around with this stuff for yourself, for now, put up with me and my charts..!

5. Nissan 350Z 2dr coupe V6 GT 309bhp – £29400

First up is the Nissan 350Z V6 GT which comes in just within our price range and goes from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. This car like many of the others in our chart doesn’t stop till it hits 155mph. This 2 door coupe really feels the acceleration because of its weight and its engine size.

Overall this is a compact and driveable, a real driver’s car, and without a doubt, a heavyweight in the performance field.

4. BMW 1 Series 2dr coupe 135i M Sport - £29755

Jeremy Clarkson raved about this in his review at the start of 2008 and rightly so. A new BMW for under £30k, with incredible performance enabling you to hit 60mph in 5.3s. He also comments on the ride, the handling, and the fantastic way the turbo reacts when hitting the gas. It also looks much better than some of BMW’s more recent cars.

• Jeremy Clarkson BMW Review

3. Lotus Elise 2dr open 1.8 R - £28550

The Lotus Elise 1.8 R breaks the 5 second 0-60 time in our chart hitting 60mph in 4.9 seconds. Not the most comfortable or practical of cars, and is pushing the limit on our decision to not use impractical cars like the Caterham and the …. However, it has a roof, even if in this case it can be removed, therefore makes it into our chart at number 3.

There’s only milliseconds in it for the rest of the chart, so the Lotus only misses out on the top spot by 0.2s. It’s supreme handling, weight and grip makes it tremendously fast around corners too. Find a nice stretch of road which plenty of corners, and you’re sure to enjoy every second.

2. Subaru Impreza 5dr hatchback 2.5 WRX STI – £26595

The rivalry between the Impreza and the Evo is well known, and have always dominated the market for practical high-performance cars. You could quite easily fit the family with luggage into the Impreza, and indeed some of the lower spec models are meant for just that. This particular 2.5 WRX STI model is the high-end Impreza with performance in mind. Boasting acceleration to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds certainly aids its reputation.

The Impreza is the cheapest car in our chart, and you could probably buy one even cheaper right now.

1. Mitsubishi Evo 4dr saloon 2.0T FQ-300 GS - £27849

Our fastest car for less then £30k is the Mitsubishi Evo with a 0-60 time of just 4.7 seconds. You have to have respect for the super-car rivalling time from these high-end practical cars. Apart from the huge spoiler, you would probably think the Evo is your usual family saloon – perhaps a sporty looking one at that. However, the spoiler is certainly there for a reason, holding the beast to the road.

We had UK spec car data available to us and we’ve chosen the top of the range car where possible.

The top 2 cars were not the most practical of cars for obvious reasons, so we’ve chosen to leave out the Westfield Sport and the Caterham Seven. Undoubtedly these are both great cars, but for the purposes of this chart we have omitted them both.

Ready..? Let’s go.

Honda Civic 2.0 Type R

5. Honda Civic Type R

Honda’s updated model of its excellent longstanding type R is a little bit bulkier than its predecessor, however coming in at around £18,000 and doing 0-60 in 6.6s puts the Civic at number 5 in our chart. The Honda Civic has always been a favourite amongst the hot hatch fans, and thanks to its performance deserves its position in our chart.

Seat Leon 5dr hatchback 2.0 TFSI Cupra

4. Seat Leon 2.0 TFSI Cupra

Possibly my favourite on our list is the Seat Leon Cupra. It looks great, it performs fantastically and is comfortable and well made. Perhaps even a 2009 purchase for me, I’m that much of a fan. This car just makes it into our chart’s price bracket at £19,545 and races to 60mph in 6.4s.

Renualt Megane 2.0T Renaultsport

3. Renault Megane 2.0T Renaultsport

This hot hatch is beefier than the Clio version and slips into our range at a price of about £19,395 and pushing itself from 0-60 in 6.3s. Perhaps one of the more understated hot hatches in terms of its aesthetics but handles very well, and is a great all-rounder.

Vauxhall Astra VXR

2. Vauxhall Astra VXR

The priciest car in our chart, edging the closest to our £20k limit. This looks great, accelerates hard, and is quite roomy. The only downside perhaps is that it’s the most likely to lose its value over any of the others in our chart. However, if that doesn’t really bother you (and to be honest, there won’t be much in it), then this will take you from 0-60 in 6.2s.

Mazda 3 2.3 MPS hatchback

1. Mazda 3 2.3 MPS

Looks can be deceptive, and our no.1 is deceptively quick. The quoted spec time for 0-60 is 6.1s, however word is that it can probably beat the 6 second barrier. That’s quicker than a Lotus Elise, which is pretty impressive. It’s perhaps not for the “hot hatch” fan who probably wants it to look as fast as it performs. However, the Mazda 3 2.3 MPS is a surprise package to appear at the top of our charts being the fastest car for under £20,000.

Reviews for all the cars

• Mazda 3 2.3 MPS
• Vauxhall Astra VXR
• Renault Megane 2.0T Renaultsport
• Seat Leon 2.0 TFSI Cupra
• Honda Civic Type R