It may not look much different, but BMW’s slick 5 Series has been upgraded for 2013
Cheapest cars to run in the UK by sector
Cars that offer the lowest pence-per-mile running costs
SkodaShow Thumbnails
1 of 28
Whether you can afford to buy a supermini or a sports car, actual day-to-day running costs remain an important and oft-overlooked aspect of the ownership experience. So MSN Cars has turned to the Motoring Research database to generate bespoke “pence per mile” (PPM) figures for every important sector of the market.
Using an algorithm – fancy! – that incorporates sample contract hire, depreciation and fuel costs (manufacturer economy figures calculated over 10,000 miles at £6.31 per gallon of petrol, and £6.51 per gallon of diesel), we’ve come up with the top three cheapest cars to run in every segment.
The figures do not include insurance costs – as the variables are too great – nor servicing, since buyers increasingly opt for inclusive packages. But in terms of purchasing and putting fuel in this is an extremely pragmatic way of comparing new cars. Read on.
related stories on msn
69Comments
02/12/2012 15:23
02/12/2012 22:55
DONT FALL FOR IT! THE WHOLE NEW CAR THING IS A SCAM. IVE GOT A 1998 FIESTA DIESEL AND IT RETURNS 55MPG.NO ALLOYS, NO BLING! £200 A YEAR INSURANCE FULLY COMP.
BUYING A NEW CAR IN THE UK IS LIKE CHUCKING MONEY THAT YOUVE WORKED HARD FOR, OUT INTO THE STREET BY THE BIN BAG FULL!
BUY A BANGER AND MAINTAIN IT WELL...YOULL SAVE A FORTUNE!
02/12/2012 17:00
02/12/2012 11:21
Not really sure about this list. Cheap to run must include cheap to buy & some of these really aren't despite being economical. Add to the list servicing & insurance costs plus depreciation & I think it could look very different. For example where is the Toyota Aygo + Citroen & Peugeot variants? Should be there with the VW/Seat/Skoda. Both represent 1 car each, not 3 but available from 3 brands.
02/12/2012 15:56
02/12/2012 21:15
Years ago I needed a car to tide me over as my mini had been stolen and had to wait for my insurance to pay out. I went to a garage and bought one of their old trade ins that was waiting to go to auction (an escort MK2 1.3 in british racing green) it cost me £150 included was the garages purchasing report , 3 months road tax and 12 months mot I changed the oil, oil filter, air filter and spark plugs,I ran around in it for 6 months and sold it with tax and mot on for £280 It never let me down and returned 40+/ gallon
01/12/2012 11:13
The first four are basically the same car. Personally I'd go for the Mii. Now that Seat dealerships seem to be sticking with the brand you can drive one with confidence. I didn't even look at some of the bigger models. If you're spending your own money, small cheap to run cars are what you're looking for.
03/12/2012 09:11
No such thing as a good price in the UK,the government steal our money in tax,everything here is taxed to the maximum..Take petrol 80% goes straight into the government pockets,yes you also have other inflated bills to pay when runing these cheap dangerous cars.The revolution is coming,eventually the people of the UK will wake up and say enough is enough,we are simply not going to keep paying massive and continual tax rises.So these cars are still ripping you off!
02/12/2012 20:40
02/12/2012 16:30
02/12/2012 18:31
I like the fact the price to buy these cars is not mentioned, which is what makes them not worth buying due to depreciation and over all cost.
Most of these cars probably have a cheap nasty turbo or supercharger which will also die in a few years.
I have a Honda S2000 (and a Toyota Mr2) which does 28mpg Max but i could still spend £13,000 on fuel before i even reach the price of a new eco Fiesta etc.
Decision:
1. Honda S2000 - A FUN REAR WHEEL DRIVE 260Bhp 8500rpm REAL SPORTS CAR.
or
2. Mini - A rubbish (Crystler engined) tin can with an awful cheap front wheel drive system and a naff supercharger strapped to it which will blow up in a couple of years!
I will never understand the people who buy these slow awful Minis/TDI Audi TT's/Eco cars and think they look cool.
It's a shame the car industry has totally lost it's PASSION.
03/12/2012 10:20
Reading these comments has restored my faith in the common sense of the British public. Why buy brand new, sure its lovely to come home with a nice shiney economical car, but in costs per mile, surely you have to incorporate the purchase costs. Why not include the cost of purchase and to run the car to 100,000 miles for a more accurate picture. Usually the second hand bargain will produce the best results, and saves some **** smashing your door down in the middle of the night to steal your keys!!
02/12/2012 21:53
02/12/2012 16:48
I bought a small cheap to run car this year a renault twingo its good on fuel and only needs servicing every 2 years it regularly returns over 50 mpg and will improve as the engine loosens up
(i will have the oil changed every year though as i intend to keep it a while)
It has to be better than my wedge shaped fiat punto as the power steering motor is a problem on them But fiat will not admit to it or recall them so you pay out £700 to get a new one fitted and they can go again at ANY time. Will never buy FIAT again.
03/12/2012 11:08
03/12/2012 10:54
Crazy I had new cars in 1990 keeping in fashion with the Astra GTE 16v and then GTE Cabriolet and a Nova 1.5td one for economy. I had gone from old cars to new but loosing value was drastic. Since then I run oldies and quite often actually get more when parting than I did buying. MPG of such as a Ford Galaxy TDi can be 40 to 50 which is great for a 7 seater. Just got one for £420 with Tax and test then went to Spain in it next day doing over 3000 miles in 10 days. can sell for what i paid and more and its not a one off as I got another with TnT £252 from ebay , needs a clutch which I already have, Oldies rule for sure
02/12/2012 14:56
... WHAT CHOICE ! ... that`s 16 different types of cars shown in 6 varieties of styles.
Really good to see the global car market of December 2012 is in magnificent shape ~
( if economy is so important there are trains,buses,motorbikes or other cars not shown ... with insurance,road tax,purchase price and eventually MOT and repairs costs,closely watching mpg is insignificant ... just buy a small 2nd-hand run-around ... it`s obvious! )
02/12/2012 19:13
02/12/2012 20:10
thats all very well saying about the cheapest cars to run BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE BLOODY MONEY IN THE FIRST PLACE its always the same those with the money to buy new get all the perks those of us that have to make do with older cars when the rick have had enough of them get ripped of with the highest road tax and the highest fuel bills
02/12/2012 22:19
This is just a thinly-disguised promo for the motor trade.
Four years ago I bought an '05 Berlingo fitted with the 1.6 16v 109hp petrol engine from a dealer for £3,600. The price was good because it was, and still is, a bit scruffy inside. It will carry an insane amount of stuff while still averaging 35mpg even when I use the aircon in summer. On long runs I've had over 40mpg and that's with a load up.
In 2009 I fitted it with a set of new factory alloy wheels (bought on ebay for just over £200!) with one size larger (195 rather than 185) tyres, I also fitted Bilstein gas shocks, the engine has a K&N filter and the brakes have been rebuilt. It's like a big sports car to drive - plenty of power and great handling but my fully comp insurance (with the mods declared but I am over 60) is just the wrong side of £200 a year. The engine is a bit dead under 3000rpm but from there up to the rev limiter at 6500rpm it just hauls.
It's now got 80K miles on the clock but In those four years (apart from normal things like servicing parts, bulbs, wiper blades and tyres) it's only needed a new exhaust, starter motor and battery plus the cambelt came up for renewal. The clutch release bearing failed just after I bought it but the whole clutch was replaced under warranty.
I can do all the mechanical servicing myself, it costs £25 to get a diagnostic check done and if I need them parts are cheap to buy online.
You think for a minute I'm going to trade that in for one of those over-priced shoeboxes? Think again!
Report
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Latest Cars videos
Image Search for Cars that offer the lowest pence-per-mile running costs on Bing
Image
1
of
1
See more results
results by
More on msn Cars
The rants and raves of Top Gear's most famous son...
The world’s most fuel efficient cars gathered in Amsterdam recently for a battle of the eco warriors…
Skoda’s facelifted Superb is the thinking man’s Mercedes S-Class
Aston Martin celebrates its 100th anniversary with a radical one-off concept car
Replica 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee replica for sale in eBay. But it's not in Georgia, it's in the good old UK
The classic cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s you want to save from extinction the most
The latest on life with our Toyota Verso long-termer
Here are the best cars and tracks from Gran Turismo 6
We drive the new VW Touareg rival from the US of A. Now a credible rival to the Range Rover Sport
Dubai has a cunning plan to catch speeding motorists: if you can't beat them, join 'em.
Beckham is known for his love of cars - these are the fantastic motors he has owned
