Chrysler PT Cruiser (00-08) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 11 November 2008
Chrysler's PT Cruiser combines hot-rod looks and retro style with a healthy dose of practicality. It's an off-beat alternative to the family hatchbacks like the Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra, although it lacks the engine choice, build quality and refinement of these popular models. The plasticky interior feels cheap and it's not especially comfortable with a rough ride on uneven surfaces. However, it's affordable, quite practical and worth considering if you're after something out of the ordinary. A 2006 facelift added fresher interiors and a more powerful 2.2-litre diesel engine.
2.5 out of 5

Other Chrysler reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

Parts, servicing and insurance are all quite reasonable, but fuel consumption on the petrol goes up quite rapidly when the car is driven hard.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,860 - £2,360 *

Diesel

£1,364 - £1,602 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

7500 miles.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£215.00 - £460.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
    177
  • J
  • K
  • L
    251
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The PT Cruiser is quite a polluting model - the best model is the 2.2 CRD model. This was upgraded in 2006 and fuel economy improved to 42mpg (from 41mpg) while emissions dropped to 177g/km. However this is poor when compared to similar powered hatchback from Volkswagen and Ford.

Find the exact engine and CO2