How low can you go?

18 August 2008
  • Motoring costs rise by 25% in a year
  • Need for a car with low running costs greater than ever
  • We've uncovered the top 10 money-saving models to own

We’ve divided the cost-cutting cars into categories to give you the cheapest small cars, family cars, off-roaders, people carriers, executive models and convertibles currently on sale.

Small cars

Smart Fortwo Coupe Pure Auto £5586
Toyota Aygo 1.0 VVT-I £6161
Kia Picanto 1.0 £6391
Hyundai i10 1.1 Classic £6536
Fiat 500 1.2 Pop £6543
Peugeot 107 1.0 Urbanlite £6621
Citroen C1 1.0i Vibe £6648
Mazda 2 1.3 TS £6996
Chevrolet Matiz 0.8 S £7019
Citroen C3 1.4 HDi Cool £7138

The economical, two-seater Smart Fortwo Coupe tops the small car category. It costs £5586 to run over three years, meaning it's currently the cheapest car to run in the UK.

Small family cars

Kia Ceed 1.4 SR £9476
Audi A3 1.9 TDIe £9713
VW Beetle 1.4 Luna £9775
Hyundai i30 1.4 Comfort £9886
Proton GEN-2 1.3 GLS £9935
VW Golf 2.0 S SDI £9998
Mazda 3 1.4 S £10,002
Citroen C4 Coupe 1.6 HDo 16v £10,280
Volvo C30 1.6 D R-Design Sport £10,337
Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi (90bhp) Urban £10,342

The cheapest small family car is the Kia Ceed and there's only a £866 difference between this and the Peugeot 308 at 10th place.

Large family cars

Mazda 6 2.0d S £11,429
Skoda Superb 1.9 TDI PD Classic (115) £12,026
Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D Colour Collection £12,042
Chevrolet Epica 2.0 VCDi LS £12,158
Renault Laguna 1.5 dci Expression £12,601
VW Passat 1.9 S TDI £13,020
Citroen C5 1.6 HDi 16v SX £13,329
Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 CDTi Exclusiv (120) £13,415
Ford Mondeo 1.6 Edge (110) £13,844
Kia Magentis 2.0 CRDi GS £14,304

Most of these large family cars have big engines and are therefore not cheap to run. Some are even on par with the cheapest executives.

 Coupe/convertible

Smart Fortwo Cabriolet Pure Auto £7416
Daihatsu Copen 1.3 £9011
Mitsubishi Colt CZC 1.5 CZC1 £9954
Mini Convertible 1.6 One £10,313
Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet 1.4 Luna £10,893
Citroen C3 Pluriel 1.4 HDi Cote d'Azur £11,225
Peugeot 207 CC 1.6 HDi Sport £11,492
Vauxhall Tigra 1.3 CDTi 16v Air £11,555
Mazda MX-5 1.8i £12,573
Volkswagen Eos 1.4 TSi £12,948

The Smart Fortwo Cabriolet makes up for what it lacks in traditional convertible looks with its penny-pinching qualities.

4x4s

Suzuki Jimny 1.3 VVT JLX £9963
Fiat Panda 4x4 1.2 £10,280
Kia Sportage 2.0 XR £12,228
Fiat Sedici 1.6 16v Dynamic £12,459
Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.6 VVT £12,664
Daihatsu Terios 1.5 S £11,225
Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Zetec £13,114
Jeep Patriot 2.0 CRD Sport £13,674
Honda CR-V 2.2 I-CDTi SE £13,791
Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI S £13,959

Not surprisingly, the 4x4 top 10 is dominated by smaller models with the Suzuki Jimny costing less than the 6th cheapest small family car - the VW Golf.

People Carriers

Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6 HDi VTX  £8442
Renault Modus 1.2 Expression (AC) £9297
Vauxhall Meriva 1.3 CDTi 16v Expression £9432
Fiat Fiorino 1.3 Multijet £9512
Ford Fusion 1.4 TDCi Style £9624
Citroen Berlingo Multispace 1.6 HDi VT £9687
Hyundai Matrix 1.5 CRTD Classic £9842
Fiat Doblo 1.3 Multijet Active £9866
Peugeot Partner Tepee 1.6 HDi S £10,511
Renault Kangoo 1.2 Authentique (Euro 4) £10,777

The ageing Citroen Xsara Picasso outdoes its modern people carrier rivals by topping this group, but the brand new Fiat Fiorino is not far behind.

Executive

Audi A4 2.0 TDI £13,363
Cadillac BLS 1.9d Elegance £13,348
Saab 9-3 1.9 TiD Airflow £14,375
BMW 3-Series 318i ES £14,653
Volkswagen Passat CC 2.0 TDI CR £14,745
Jaguar X-Type 2.0d S £15,297
Volvo V70 2.0D SE £15,357
BMW 5-Series 520d SE £16,182
Chrysler Sebring 2.0 CRD Limited £16,324
Audi A6 2.0 TDI TDV Limited Ed £16,362

Finally, the premium badge cars that dress to impress are headed by the Audi A4 – which is actually cheaper to run than a Ford Mondeo