• Hybrid Assist diesel is the cheapest to run
• Ignore petrol versions if you cover high mileages
• Service and maintenance costs aren’t scary

Families are expensive but the running costs for a family car needn’t be – if lowering your outgoings is one of your primary purchase factors then look the way of the Renault Grand Scenic Hybrid Assist.

While it’s unlikely to meet its official 80.7mpg claim in the real world, it will prove to be the least expensive model in the range to fun. Car tax is also low thanks to its 92g/km CO2 rating – the only version in the line-up to dip below 100g/km.

It’s a smart choice for company car drivers too as it falls into the 18 percent Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) band.

If you mainly undertake shorter, more urban journeys, the petrol-engined Grand Scenics are probably best avoided, although the official claim of 48.7mpg sounds better than many rivals’ figures.

Given Renault’s reputation for safety we expect insurance costs to be low, while ongoing service and maintenance costs are usually reasonable on the firm’s cars.

• Sub-100g/km CO2 for Hybrid Assist diesel

At 92g/km of CO2 the only Renault Grand Scenic to nudge under the 100g/km threshold is the diesel-electric Hybrid Assist version.

None of the conventionally engined versions are especially high, with the TCe turbocharged petrols rated at 136g/km.

• Improving reliability record
• Still question marks over electrical issues
• Most mechanical parts shared with other Renaults

Over the years, Renault Grand Scenic reliability has been patchy but is at least improving. Previous generations of the car have suffered with electrical glitches but the outgoing version has been far less recalcitrant, having been subjected to one VOSA recall.

This iteration of the Grand Scenic is the most advanced yet, with various new electronic systems that have yet to stand the test of time in the hands of the car-buying public. With so many of the car’s controls operated via the central touchscreen, that’s a piece of hardware you don’t want to fail.

At least the Grand Scenic’s engines and transmissions are found elsewhere in the Renault range, suggesting any niggles there have been ironed smooth.