Australia's best value premium hatch 2019 winner

Best value car award

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Wheels' Gold Star car award uses data such as depreciation and running costs to calculate what the best value new cars in eight different segments are. To understand how we calculate the numbers and what considerations were put into the algorithm, read the 2019 Gold Star Car Award 101 here.

The top 3 premium hatch contenders

• Mini Cooper 3D hatch

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• BMW 118i Sportline

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• Mercedes-Benz A180

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What the numbers said

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Mini’s ace is that it offers a lower-cost premium light car than BMW and Mercedes, which are at least $10,000 more expensive to buy into. While the Cooper is pricey for a baby hatch, at $29,900, it’s a cost-effective way into a classy little car.

Despite having the poorest retained value of 46 percent, its relatively low purchase price equates to the least depreciation in dollars over three years. It splits the two Germans for fuel economy (although there’s hardly anything in it across all three), shares the same three-year warranty period, is the cheapest to insure and, along with the BMW, has the longest servicing interval at 25,000km/24 months.

Small and affordable but doesn’t feel cheap? This could be your car.

Wheels' pick

Mercedes-Benz A250 4Matic $49,500

With an extra two doors, punchy 2.0-litre turbo engine, sophisticated AWD and multi-link rear suspension, the A250 is from a class above the Mini, and priced accordingly. Is it worth it? If the pace and poise don’t convince you, perhaps the twin 10.25-inch screens stretching across the sculpted dash will.