Top 10 hot hatches of the 21st Century (so far)

The Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy has been voted the top hot hatches of the last two decades by readers of PistonHeads.

It was followed by its bigger brother, the Renaultsport Megane R26.R, with the Honda Civic Type R EP3 rounding off the top three.

Readers of the UK’s largest online motoring community were asked to decide which hot hatches are the 21st Century’s greatest hits.

Top 10 hot hatches of the 21st Century

1. Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy
2. Renaultsport Megane R26.R
3. Honda Civic Type R EP3
4. Renaultsport Clio 172 Cup
5. BMW M140i
6. VW Golf GTI MK5
7. Renaultsport Clio V6
8. Ford Fiesta ST MK7
9. Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup
10. Alfa Romeo 147 GTA

“People often think of the 1980s as the golden era of the hot hatch,” said Nic Cackett, Editor of PistonHeads.

“While it’s true that there are a host of unrepeatable classics from this time that have gone on to inspire the hot hatches of today, the reality is that in the 21st century we’ve never had more choice, performance and usability in this sector.

“Hot hatches have a huge following in the motoring community, especially in the UK, and although there are many favourites, it’s interesting to see which features most commonly attract the attention of car enthusiasts.

“All of the cars in the top 10 offer genuine driving thrills and a quick peruse of the PistonHeads Classifieds over a cup of coffee reveals some can be had for temptingly little money.”