PREMIUM compact model the BMW 1 Series has emerged as arguably the best buy in the UK's £30 billion second-hand market.

That's according to new research by online used car channel Tesco Cars, which applied criteria like running costs, depreciation, reliability, customer satisfaction, desirability and emissions to find the Top 100 best buys on the market.

The importance of the used car scene can't be underestimated - last year some 5.7 million second hand vehicles were sold, at a value of £30bn, compared to 2.2 million new cars.

Since its launch in 2004, the 1 Series, which is BMW's entry level model and the only rear-wheel-drive car in its class, has proved a sales hit.

The maturity of the niche car market was also illustrated by the results, which see the British-built Nissan Qashquai crossover along with the MINI Cooper and Fiat 500 superminis keeping established bestsellers like the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra out of the top five positions.

In fact of all the big brand models, only the Ford Fiesta was able to hold its own against the rising tide of niche models through its driving appeal, practicality and low running costs.

Citroen's C4 Grand Picasso was the highest ranked MPV in 18th position, and the Volkswagen Eos the top choice for open-top motoring.

All the cars were judged on the same cost-effective criteria, and luxury 4x4s were low down the pecking order, the likes of the Volvo XC90 in 73rd place, BMW X5 (93rd) and Land Rover Discovery (100th), not fitting the priorities of many cost-conscious used car buyers.

Rebecca Ryan, Tesco Cars marketing manager, said: "Naturally, the one criteria we couldn't factor into our rankings was personal choice - one person's first choice model may be another's last.

"Having taken into account so many variables, including the things that really matter to buyers like how much cars will cost to run, their performance and how desirable they are, our analysis is informative and a unique way of assessing the very best used buys."

The top ten results were: 1. BMW 1 Series, 2. Ford Fiesta, 3. MINI Cooper, 4. Nissan Qashqai, 5. Fiat 500, 6. Ford Focus, 7. Volkswagen Golf, 8. Vauxhall Astra, 9. Citroen C3, 10. Volvo S40.