If you prefer to buy your company car outright and sell it after three years, working out the most efficient way to run a vehicle is no doubt high on your agenda. Dacia’s latest survey results from Cap HPI’s Pence Per Mile (PPM) ratings indicate that going for one of the most affordable brands on the market also offers the lowest total cost of ownership – not always the case with the cheapest vehicles.
A combination of reliability, solid build and brand identity – ensuring predictable residuals – contributes to a third year at the top for Dacia.
These figures are also for individual vehicles and don’t take into account any savings you may be able to get if purchasing a number of vehicles together, not that Dacia is known for heavy discounting.
What is the Cap HPI PPM list?
The Pence Per Mile list rates cars on a combination of purchase price and day-to-day motoring expenses such as insurance, road tax, servicing, fuel cost and depreciation over a typical three-year or 30,000-mile ownership period. It doesn’t take into account BIK, but Dacia’s range is generally competitive with low P11D and CO2 figures.
The cheapest Dacia to own is not the most basic
Unsurprisingly, the entry-level Access models do feature in the top three cars. First place, however, goes to the Dacia Duster 1.6 SCe 115 Air.
A new trim level, the Air starts at £10,995 and features air-conditioning, DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity, height-adjustable driver’s seat, 16-inch wheels, body-coloured front and rear bumpers, electric front windows, USB and AUX connection, plus front fog lights as standard.
A running cost of just 20.63p per mile adds up to a total cost of ownership of £6,189 over three years or 30,000 miles – or £172 per month.
SUV or supermini for the same cost
Those same figures apply to the Dacia Sandero 1.0 SCe Access. This five-door supermini reflects the bare-bones entry level that Dacia made a splash with, and although a cheap car to start with, it’s far from undesireable – as its popularity as a used vehicle at resale time shows.
Small estate cars have been waning in popularity compared to crossovers and SUVs, so third place for the very practical Dacia Logan MCV 1.2 Access behind the Duster and Sandero is expected. It’s still a very affordable option, with a cost per mile of just 24.03p. The total cost of ownership of £7,209 is comparable to £200 per month.
Top three for total cost of ownership – what about BIK?
Dacia puts cash buyers at an advantage – for company car drivers, it’s less clear but still competitive in terms of BIK payments. The £10,995 Duster 1.6 SCe Air has a 2018/19 BIK rate of 30%, thanks to emissions of 145g/km; if you want all-wheel drive that rises to 155g/km and 32%. Either model should cost under £60 per month for 20% taxpayers.
The Sandero and Logan MCV have better emissions and a lower list price and P11D. Both cars are recommended in 1.0 SCe 75hp Access trim, with the Sandero producing 117g/km emissions and attracting 24% BIK. Thanks to a £5,780 P11D, this equates to £24 per month for lower rate taxpayers. The Logan MCV’s higher emissions of 120g/km put it in the 25% bracket, and £29 per month for 20% taxpayers due to its £7,080 P11D.
