Five reasons to buy a hatchback

It might be your first set of wheels – or the first you’re actually buying with your own cash now that the cheap deal or hand-me-down from a relative is ready for the scrap heap.

Grandpa’s 2004 Mitsubishi Magna looked pretty good when you had next to nothing, but it’s time to upgrade into something you’ll love to drive and won’t break the bank either.

Depending on your needs, that might be an SUV, a ute or, sure, a little red Corvette.

But here we’re putting up the five-door hatchback as a car that’s worthy of your attention.

Reasons? Here are five…

Hatchbacks are still among the most affordable cars you can lay your hands on. They’ve been super-popular for a long time, which means there’s plenty of choice and competition out there – and that works in your favour as a buyer, whether shopping in new or used car land.

Bigger cars like SUVs or utes generally cost more. Unless it’s from a Euro brand or some other luxury player, the cost of servicing and repairing a hatch should be decent too.

And hatches are pretty much always economical, saving you money at the servo, but we’ll get to that…

Like it says on the wrapper, five-door hatchbacks are a lot more flexible than a four-door sedan with a boot. That’s because they’ve got a handy lift-up tailgate, a low loading height and a decent amount of space that can be easily extended by folding down the back seat.

It’s just the thing to carry IKEA flatpacks, other big, long and/or bulky stuff – and to sleep in, if you must.

Hatchbacks are small cars overall, but big on the inside, relatively light weight and they don’t have big engines stuffed in them, so that means good fuel-efficiency and less money you’re draining out of your bank account every time you visit the servo.

That’s important with petrol prices so high, and $1 coffee at 7-Eleven no longer a thing.

Most hatches have small petrol engines, but diesel can be even more efficient, and some newer models have petrol-electric hybrid systems in them. Watch out for full-electric hatchbacks too.

The small size of a hatchback and their tight turning circle make them easier to manage in the city. You can flit into car parks, venture down into laneways, come up with some awesome rat runs, do a U-turn anywhere you like. They’re also better for darting in and out of traffic.

Even if they’re not hot hatches with a turbo stuffed into the engine bay, small hatches still look cool. In fact, it’s pretty hard to make a hatchback look rubbish.

Car companies bang on about sleek lines, or a sporty stance, but we’d simply say that small sedans are almost invisible today because the vast majority of compact car buyers opt for a hatch these days.

And we reckon that’s a pretty strong vote of confidence in the hatchback, which also remains the most popular body style in Europe and globally.

If things are getting serious, also check out: