Cheapest little car

Londonsaver_3 · 12 July 2007 at 6:44PM

We currently run a 5 year old Micra which is used for driving around outer London. If possible, we would like to run something even cheaper. Small engines would be fine as we usually only drive locally where there are 20-30mph limits. We wondered about the running costs of electric cars or whether a Smart car would cost less to run than the Micra.
We would be grateful for any advice.

Londonsaver.

dnc1781 · 12 July 2007 at 7:42PM

This guide should be helpful to you:
http://www.whatcar.com/green-car-buying.aspx

balsingh · 12 July 2007 at 9:52PM

depends on your budget but the 107/c1/Aygo are excellent. I had a 107 as a rental car recently. Expecting something slow and boring, I was amazed at how quick they went and also the amazing economy.

nullogik · 13 July 2007 at 10:17AM

A small diesel car might suit you better. A lot of the superminis (like Fiestas, Peugoets, Citroens) now come with tiny diesel engines which can do upto 60mpg.

Electric cars don't really work IMO. I would imagine you're thinking about the tiny two door car made in India. The problem is you're constantly worrying about running out of power and where to charge them. Its OK in London where some local councils have charging points, but out of London its a bit of a hassle.

Besides, they're not very comfortable. Switch on the wipers, heater and headlights on a cold, wet winters day and you'll see the battery level plunge :eek: - worth considering as we have many wet, dark winter days in this country.

A recent crash test has yielded appalling results (much worse than your Micra for example) so thats worth considering.

Fruity1 · 13 July 2007 at 8:08PM

My OH has a Vauxhall Agilla. I don't usually boast about it as I wanted a VW, however we would have had to use finance for that and managed to pay cash for this. It is a 1litre, yes it takes an age to get up to 60mph, his is red and we say it looks like a postman pat van with windows. But it is great about town, nobody will nick it, if you fold the split seats down you can get a bike and loads more in. The insurance, tax and servicing are seriously cheap. Now he is the one laughing at me!

iluvmylexus · 13 July 2007 at 8:40PM

before you think of buying a smart car , check out the insurance costs

blue_haddock · 15 July 2007 at 7:41AM

The problem you may find is that anything you save in running cost by buying a new car will be taken up in depreciation on the new car. The micra is a small economical reliable car that any back street garage can service and work on, chop it in for a newish smart car and you will probably have to get it main delaer serviced so you lose all the benefits.