The name hot hatch derives from the fact that the vehicles in this category are hatchbacks that absolutely sizzle on the street! Although hot hatches have been around since the 1970s, the name was coined for the first time in the UK in 1985. Hot hatches have always been particularly popular with young male drivers in England – or boy racers as they are known locally.
The iconic Volkswagen Golf, called the Rabbit in the US, was certainly one of the first hot hatches, but experts agree that the very first hot hatch model was the 1973 Simca 1100TI. It may not look like much compared to 21st century hot hatches, but it was revolutionary in its quiet way.
9 Shelby GLH-S
First produced in 1986, the Shelby GLH-S was a modified Dodge Omni, with changes made inside and out by automotive icon Carroll Shel by and his team. Only 500 of these souped-up hot hatches were ever made, with the GLH-S in the vehicle’s name standing for Goes Like Hell S’more.
The Shelby GLH-S had a much more powerful engine than the standard Dodge model and was capable of accelerating from 0 to 60mph in just 6.5 seconds, as well as boasting a top speed of 135mph.
8 Ford Escort Cosworth
The three-door Ford Escort Cosworth hot hatch is a car which will be much more familiar to drivers in the UK and Europe than the States; just over 7,000 Cosworth models were made by Ford Europe between 1992 and 1996.
Designed for rally racing, the Ford Escort Cosworth was one of the most powerful hot hatches of the 1990s, and its turbo engine made the car capable of reaching speeds of around 150mph.
7 Peugeot 205 GTI
The most successful and impressive hot hatches have generally hailed from Europe, which is where the vehicle was born. US drivers were late converts to these punchy and stylish cars, and models like the Peugeot 205 GTI have never been available in any significant numbers on the American side of the Atlantic.
French company Peugeot launched the 205 GTI in 1984 but sales started to fall in the early 90s as a result of rising insurance premiums, not only because of the powerful engine but also because hot hatches were often a target for car thieves.
6 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R
Europe didn’t have a monopoly on the creation of hot hatches, however. Launched in 1990, the GTI-R was a turbocharged version of the Nissan Pulsar which was created to compete in the World Rally Championship, with a limited number of models also made available to the general public.
As well as a more powerful engine, the GTI-R version of the Pulsar also featured some stylish design features and all-wheel drive. Able to accelerate from 0 to 60mph in under 5.5 seconds, the Nissan Pulsar GT-I also had a top speed of 144mph.
5 Fiat 500 Abarth
The 1970s and 1980s might have been the heyday of the hot hatch, but some of those original models are still in production today, and car manufacturers are even creating new hot hatches for the 21stg century.
One of those new models is based on a much older vehicle, but there is no doubt that the Fiat 500 Abarth meets all the hot hatch criteria. The original Fiat 500 was first produced between 1957 and 1975 before the Italian company resurrected the car in 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of its creation.
4 Lancia Delta Integrale
Another stylish hot hatch from the world of rallying is the Lancia Delta Integrale, a souped-up version of the family hatchback. The original Lancia Delta was first launched in 1979 and the first Integrale model followed in 1986 when the Italian manufacturer decided to modify their family car for the rough and ready World Rally Championship.
Increasingly impressive Integrale models followed in the years to come, with the 1993 version able to accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 5.7 seconds and boasting a top speed of 137mph.
3 Renault Clio V6
The supermini Renault Clio is a three-door hatchback that has been in production since 1990 and sold throughout Europe and Asia, though not in the States. In 1993, the French company released the Clio Williams, a sporty version of the car built for the rally circuit, which was soon followed by the more commercially successful Renault Clio V6.
As the name suggests, these models were powered by a much more robust V6 engine with a top speed of 153mph and were in production between 2000 and 2005.
2 Honda Civic Type R
In the UK, young men who like to drive small but powerful cars, often with custom modifications, are known as boy racers, and the Honda Civic Type R is one of the ultimate boy racer cars.
This high-performance version of the standard Honda Civic first went on sale in 1997 and the current model, based on the tenth generation Civic, was launched in 2017. It looks much sportier than the original model and also packs more of a punch under the hood thanks to its turbocharged engine.
1 Volkswagen Golf GTI
When it comes to the hot hatch, however, there is one model that reigns supreme. The Volkswagen Golf GTI may have not been the first hot hatch, but it was the vehicle that made the idea of a compact and powerful car into a phenomenon.
The Golf was first manufactured back in 1974, and the more powerful GTI model was launched two years later. The Golf is still in production today and is still as popular with the boy racers of the 2020s as it was with their fathers – or even grandfathers – back in the 70s and 80s.