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.