New car time

I know you said petrol but you could get an EV for that.

I know you said petrol but you could get an EV for that.

I could. But I don't want an EV, hence saying petrol.

The bog standard answer of "the newest golf you can afford" does seem to meet your criteria.

On auto trader there are 215 petrol auto 2020 golfs. Starting at about 18k (for non cat S etc)

BMW 330e Hybrid Phev? the non touring (NOT estate) 12KWh versions might just be in budget. you'll get up to 37 miles on electric only and up to 138MPG for the first 100+ miles.

Faced with same criteria I chose a Mazda3 GT sport with Skyactiv X 2.0 mild hybrid engine .
Much nicer interior than a Golf 8 , with proper buttons and no silly infotainment touchscreen interface and very nice to drive.
Loads more standard kit than the equivalent Golf too and you’d be able to get a nice 3 year old , high spec one in budget.

Volvo.

The most comfortable and safest car you are likely to ever own.

My requirements are:
Focus ish in size, maybe a touch bigger.
Petrol
Automatic
Good interior (screen/Apple CarPlay, heated seats and steering wheel, etc.)
Cruise control and reversing cameras
3 ish years old, £20k ish

I have a Leon estate which meets that criteria - if you get the winter pack.

Mine was 5 years/£11.5k, 1.4tsi 150bhp, does over 50mpg on a run and is a lovey car to drive.
A few niggles over centre console layout and the way seats don't fold flat.

Volvo.

The most comfortable and safest car you are likely to ever own.

Agreed - and my V70 was wonderful, but you won't get a V60 or V90 under £20k / 3years.

Civic? Kia Pro-Ceed?

We have a 1.5t 160hp DCT Kia Xceed. We paid £20k new in June 21. I think they have gone up a bit but a 1 year old example should be available for that money.

Drives really well, bigger then a Golf, proper ventilation control, super well equipped, 7 year warranty, cheap to insure. Takes my bike standing up anchored by the dropper with front wheel off. 43 average mpg since new.

Predictable but amazing VFM compared to the over priced and usually not that reliable VW.

Skoda Octavia 1.5tsi dsg SEL spec.

I went for an estate, but shortlist was:

Octavia
Leon
Ceed
A4
C-Class
Civic

I ended up with a Leon. Mine is the diesel, but very pleased with the car overall. Look for late 57>18 onwards for the facelift that comes (at least in FR spec) with LED lights as standard, electronic handbrake, larger screen with Android Auto & Apple equivalent.
Mate at work has the TSi petrol hatchback & the 150 diesel estate - rates both & reckons similar performance.
I think he gets over 50mpg in the petrol, if that's a consideration.
I'm sure you can get similar in a Golf or A3, but for me I don't think they are worth the extra cost.

You might still get it back after its been used for its burglary run.
We had ours back this way.

The Skoda Scala or Kamiq should fit the bill maybe. Or the slightly larger karoq (I have one of these). I think they are lovely cars to be in and you get quite a bit of kit for the money.

but you won’t get a V60 or V90 under £20k / 3years.

Nope, my recently returned, middling to low spec, 3 year old lowish mileage (COVID related) V60 R-Design Diesel is up for the equivalent of about £30000.

Also, no cameras, no carplay.

Look for late 57>18 onwards for the facelift that comes (at least in FR spec) with LED lights as standard, electronic handbrake, larger screen with Android Auto & Apple equivalent.
Mate at work has the TSi petrol hatchback & the 150 diesel estate – rates both & reckons similar performance.
I think he gets over 50mpg in the petrol, if that’s a consideration.

I would echo this - I have a 17 plate that is facelifted and the better Android Auto, but also remains £20 tax.
The 1.4 or 1.5 tsi with ACT is a wonder - at 70mph with just me in last week it did 53mpg London to Stirling....

We like the Golf, but also felt that we wanted the more powerful 150 engine for lugging full car and canoes or bikes, and that meant one model to choose from and they were a *lot* more second hand than the Leon.

The Octavia is bigger.

Skoda Octavia 1.5tsi dsg SEL spec.

Trouble is you'd have to look at it everyday! 🤮

Girlfriend has a 2019 Golf GT TDI (I think that’s the correct description, it’s a high spec sporty diesel), nice but very expensive.
I have the same age Seat Leon hatchback. Mine is the 2 litre FR Sport Black Edition. Very similar interior spec to the Golf but way cheaper. Can’t remember the exact cost of hers, but it must be close to £5k difference.
On mine I get about 38mpg, mixed use, I live in the centre of a busy city so lots of stop and starting.

I’d suggest booking as many test drives as possible, I know it’s rubbish doing it, but I do think it’s worth spending the time finding the right car. I test drove quite a few before going for the Leon. Drives really nicely, I love the auto gearbox. Isn’t a boy racery looking car but does make progress when needed.

So, suggest me a few things to look at before I buy another Kia Ceed.

My last car died a death over Christmas.

I had pretty much your criteria.

Standard 'recommend your own' :

I bought a 5yr/20k miles Insignia estate, for £5k under your budget. Although I miss out on cameras, mine has the other boxes ticked. It is also positively mahoosive in the boot. 2L diesel drives nice + 55mpg on long run. Vauxhall is neither VAG nor Kia and I'm sure someone will shortly be along to tell me how much more reliable a VAG would be (but please don't, I've had several, they haven't been). With £20k to spend a 3yr car would be easy to find with your spec list

YMMV, of course.

I have a 2020 (Mk. 5) Seat Leon ST Sport 1.5 TSi petrol - a good car ruined by a bloody awful touchscreen interface. I got this to replace a 2017 model without bothering to test drive. The older model with switches and buttons was so much better. Next new car I get will be after extensive test drives and research (although I suspect the touchscreen disease will be more ubiquitous unfortunately).

SEAT Leon: I got one after my Golf was written off, much prettier than the Golf and the estate is great for bike duties.

This hybrid:

https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202301163293230?quoteref=4fbc1307-2e30-4660-b363-52a52b864c25

This for fun: https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202302284714032?quoteref=085ba613-fb69-4170-83ba-c1cc5602a45f

Or these the for max Dog shifting at near supercar pace:

https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202302244604016?quoteref=fafc82fb-ece7-4032-aedf-63498e6c8aa4
and
https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202301032905849?quoteref=da5a8970-fe75-4985-bf2d-265533dd2406

Yes I know the last two are diesel. But you can shift the dog about in a 4.8s.....

Berlingo - practical, reliable, no ****er would ever want to steal it!

Spec list and those toys suggests Hyundai: Kona, i20, Tucson

Just bought a 3-yr old Tucson for that budget myself...More for the practicality and need to chauffeur elderly parents about than the driving thrills

If it's £20k ish, then I'd go for a Toyto Corolla Touring 1.8 auto hybrid. Nice cars.

EDIT - or a Suzuki Swace, which is the same thing with a different badge and a worse name.

I'm the kind of person who wears Crocs and socks in public, and even I think a car called the "Suzuki Swace" is uncool.

Would a Mazda 6 be too big?

My mate has an estate and its gorgeous, interior a step up from my last 3 series but without the price tag.

A 3yr old Corolla Estate would still have a couple of years manufacturers warranty on it. 60 mpg, good load space, not quick but not slow either and don't let the cvt gearbox put you off, its actually really good to drive and about the most reliable car on the road at the moment.

And as a bonus you can moonlight as an Uber driver in your spare time... 🙂

Another vote for the Leon estate here.
We spent a while looking for a second hand Golf estate in Sportline trim but the prices were quite a bit silly.
We then started looking at Leon ST FR, realising it was pretty much the same car but better looking and quite a bit cheaper and just as nice to drive.
Ended up picking a late model Mk 3 5f far cheaper than the same year golf.

At risk of the obvious, Focus?

We just got a Mk4, for that money you could be walking away with a Vignale or Titanium and all the toys. I'd be going with the 1.5l though and the auto doesn't have the best rep. Best bang for buck though.

I'm in a similar situation, and getting fed up. Lower budget, 15k, but nothing decent about. Looking for an auto, Golf size or smaller, even down to A1 size. Looking at MOT histories etc, what muppet would present a vehicle for test with knackered tyres? That sets alarm bells off for me, but so many cars show this as test failure.