Best saloon cars to buy in 2024

New-car buyers may be flocking to SUVs in ever-increasing numbers, but the traditional three-box saloon isn’t dead yet. Instead it’s evolving, adopting the latest technologies while better tailoring itself to each segment, filling gaps in the market for those customers who still want something more elegant and low-slung.

Old favourites like the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class are still going strong, majoring on driver appeal and trickle-down technology from the brands’ luxury models, while the likes of Alfa Romeo and Audi still understand how to draw in enthusiasts with models like the Giulia Quadrifoglio and RS 3.

Then there are the true luxury cars, for which a saloon body still feels more prestigious than taller, boxier models – so don’t expect Bentley or Rolls-Royce to abandon the format any time soon. And who can forget Tesla, which had absolutely no qualms about introducing its electric 3 Series rival, the Model 3, as a traditional saloon – albeit one that’s styled more like a hatchback.

Put simply, saloon-car buyers still have a wide choice across the modern car market, and in many cases these three-box wonders are better than ever. Read on to discover the 10 best saloon cars on sale in the UK today, and why they’re worthy of your attention before you sign on the dotted line for their SUV equivalents.

Best saloon cars

• BMW 3 Series
• Tesla Model 3
• Mercedes C-Class
• BMW 5 Series
• Bentley Flying Spur
• Mercedes E-Class
• Rolls-Royce Phantom
• Alfa Romeo Giulia
• Audi A3 Saloon
• BMW 7 Series

BMW 3 Series

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• Prices from £40,220

You could pick any point over the last half century and probably still find a BMW 3 Series among the best saloon cars on sale. It’s one of those cars that’s good at just about everything, with not only strong performance and agile handling, but also excellent refinement and comfort, modest fuel consumption, and of course, plenty of badge appeal.

The current 3 Series, now in its seventh generation, was launched in 2018, and while it’s starting to come under pressure from electric-powered rivals – not least the closely related BMW i4 – and is starting to look pricey, it remains great to drive. The 3 Series’ cabin is still among the best too, with one of the finest infotainment systems in its class, an excellent driving position, and class-leading quality.

Tesla Model 3

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• Prices from £39,990

The Tesla Model 3 is one of those cars giving the 3 Series a bit of a hard time – pretty impressive, given that it only arrived in the UK in 2019, and Tesla itself didn’t even exist until the 3 Series was in its fourth generation. Despite the hatchback-like styling, the Model 3 is indeed a proper four-door saloon, and a spacious one at that, because its electric architecture takes up less room in the cabin than combustion-powered rivals.

Tesla updated the Model 3 in 2023, sharpening the styling with slimmer headlights, improving ride quality and refinement, and boosting range; the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive models now top 436 miles for under £45,000. The updates have made the Model 3 better than ever, though it’s still an acquired taste for some – thanks to Tesla ditching indicator stalks and a physical gear selector.

Mercedes C-Class

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• Prices from £45,120

Here’s another stalwart of the saloon-car class, and like the BMW 3 Series, another car that has managed to largely move with the times, becoming larger, more spacious, higher-performing and more comfortable as the years have ticked by. But where BMW’s saloon prioritises sporty handling, the C-Class is more like a shrunken S-Class, with an emphasis on comfort and technology, backed up by one of the most desirable badges in the business.

Today’s range is mild-hybrid as a minimum, with petrol and diesel options, although there’s no full-electric version, or even BMW i4-style electric equivalent. However, the diesel and plug-in hybrids are incredibly economical, the chassis will deal with everything you throw at it (but won’t provide as much fun as a 3 Series or Alfa Romeo Giulia), and the interior is up there with the best for both eye candy and quality – it really is like a three-quarter-scale S-Class.

BMW 5 Series

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• Prices from £51,015

You could almost copy and paste our words for the 3 Series to cover the larger 5 Series, because it’s served much the same role in the executive-car class since its 1972 introduction as the smaller car has as a compact exec. That said, the new 5 Series has probably made one of the largest leaps in the model’s history, because for the first time it’s also available as a purely electric vehicle, the BMW i5.

The latest 5 Series looks more angular than its predecessor, and technologically it’s also quite similar to the 7 Series luxury car this time around, sitting on the same platform. It feels much like a 7 Series inside too, and that’s a good thing when it comes to luxury, comfort and technology. While the new 5 is larger and heavier than ever, it remains great to drive, too.

Bentley Flying Spur

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• Prices from £178,500

Despite admirable efforts from the SUV class, no car represents luxury quite like a big saloon – and the Bentley Flying Spur is both one of the biggest, and one of the most luxurious. In effect an extended version of the Continental GT, it shares the coupe’s rampant performance but allows an extra couple of people to tag along for the ride in more comfort and space than the Conti can offer.

Naturally, buyers pay handsomely for the privilege of driving one of the most imposing and beautifully trimmed saloons on the market, with prices beginning at nearly £180,000 and only going up from there. The W12 engine may now have disappeared, but the twin-turbo V8 and a new 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 plug-in hybrid give this 2.3-tonne four-door a truly effortless feel.

Mercedes E-Class

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• Prices from £55,710

While Mercedes offers the EQE as an electric option in the executive-car class, the long-running combustion-powered E-Class hasn’t gone away yet. Its more conventional three-box shape and understated lines court a more traditional audience – one that wants technology without wanting to be bombarded by it, and appreciates the availability of diesel engines that can go for many hundreds of miles without filling up.

Petrol and plug-in hybrid E-Class are available too, the latter going up to 70 miles on a charge in E 300 e form, and getting favourable Benefit-in-Kind rates as a result – making the E-Class a fine company car choice. Excellent motorway manners and a smart cabin are also E-Class strengths, although we’d steer clear of the overly flashy (and quite expensive) dashboard-spanning ‘Superscreen’ display.

Rolls-Royce Phantom

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• Prices from £420,600

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is probably the ultimate saloon car. At more than £400,000, it’s certainly the most expensive; and at more than 5.7 metres long, 2.0 metres wide and over 1.6 metres tall, it’s comfortably among the largest, with the kind of road presence that the most aggressive and ostentatious SUVs can only dream of.

There’s something truly magnificent about the Phantom though, and it’s not just limited to those residing in the back. Comfort and refinement are off the charts – it’s no exaggeration to say that even most electric cars aren’t as quiet as this V12-powered behemoth – and it’s as rewarding to drive smoothly as most supercars are to drive quickly. Almost endless personalisation also marks out the Phantom as something special.

Alfa Romeo Giulia

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• Prices from £40,595

If a BMW 3 Series is the first car you think of when someone mentions “sports saloon”, then the Alfa Romeo Giulia would like a word. The 3 Series is great of course, but Alfa really nailed the driving feel of the Giulia – it’s responsive, agile, well balanced, and simply great fun to drive in all its guises, something you can’t say of the BMW.

You do make a few compromises on perceived quality here and there, and the Giulia line-up now looks a little old-school – diesel has been dropped, but the other models are petrol-only. However, the car’s sporty feel doesn’t come at the expense of comfort, because Giulias ride rather nicely too, even the 513bhp Quadrifoglio flagship, which is still one of our favourite performance cars. It must be said, the Giulia is also a bit of a looker.

Audi A3 Saloon

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• Prices from £30,080

Audi seems to be dropping saloons from its line-up, as the old A4 makes way for the new, fastback-style A5. But the company still makes a relatively compact, three-box saloon that’s well worth a look: the A3 Saloon. It just so happens that it’s also quite handsome, and otherwise just as talented as the more familiar A3 Sportback hatch.

It’s not without competition at this end of the market, with Mercedes also offering a saloon version of its A-Class, but we prefer the look of the Audi, and the brand has really improved its driving characteristics over time too. Oh, and you can get it in both S3 form, and as an even hotter RS 3 – and if the idea of an all-wheel-drive, turbocharged five-cylinder motor in a wieldy saloon body doesn’t appeal, we’re not sure what will.

BMW 7 Series

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• Prices from £105,510

The BMW 7 Series has taken an enormous step forward in its latest generation, and we don’t just mean in size, given that it’s now at least 5.4 metres long. It’s also more luxurious and technologically advanced than ever, feeling, if anything, more like a Rolls-Royce than a scaled-up sports saloon – just for a fraction of the price of a car from the British brand, and perhaps with slightly more contentious exterior styling. Still, it’s hugely imposing.

The availability of a fully electric drivetrain for the first time, in the i7, is a big part of the car’s giant leap over its predecessor, with abundant power and incredible refinement. You may never sit in a more comfortable driver’s seat either, and those in the back also have things pretty good, especially with the optional (£4,500) ‘Theatre Screen’, which hangs a 31.3-inch 8K screen from the roof.

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