6: Volkswagen Golf – sometimes the majority of buyers can actually be right

Getting on a bit now, and indeed there’s an eighth-generation of Golf waiting in the wings to replace this seventh-in-line version. That doesn’t really matter though - after all the new one will almost doubtlessly look exactly like this current one, so all but a few motoring anoraks will just assume that yours is the new one anyway…

To drive a Golf is to have one of those epiphanies about how the majority of people can, sometimes, actually be right. The Golf is still the best-selling five-door hatch around and you can instantly see why.

It's classy, it's smooth, there's a smidgen of fun to be had in driving it, and all but a few models are economical and refined. GTI is still, for all the opposition's efforts, the benchmark hot hatch, while the e-Golf electric car is one of the most impressive of the breed. Estate looks smart and makes a mockery of most SUVs when it comes to being practical family transport, but buy one soon as it's coming off the Irish price list in 2019, due to sluggish sales. Best model: Golf Highline 1.0 TSI for €29,195

Price range: €21,095 to €45,250. Finance from €169 per month.