Reliable and economical commuter vehicle

photome

I would change the engine parameters.  For example a 1.4 petrol could still get you 150hp with good mpg in a vAG group car 

Cuticuraser

Toyota Prius is both economical, reliable and within your budget. 

Betterthanlife

I had a Volvo V40 D4, so 190 bhp, I was nice drive and quite quick. I'd never though of a Volvo before but it was great and these days they dont come with a pipe and slippers, they are optional extras 

Cuticuraser

Betterthanlife said:

I had a Volvo V40 D4, so 190 bhp, I was nice drive and quite quick. I'd never though of a Volvo before but it was great and these days they dont come with a pipe and slippers, they are optional extras 

Volvo parts and servicing is more than average in terms of cost. I’d be worried about EGR, turbo issues and DPF with a diesel. Not to mention the additional cost for the AdBlue. The D4 190bhp will probably average 50mpg on the motorway and 35 around town.

WellKnownSid

Cuticuraser said:

Betterthanlife said:

I had a Volvo V40 D4, so 190 bhp, I was nice drive and quite quick. I'd never though of a Volvo before but it was great and these days they dont come with a pipe and slippers, they are optional extras 

Volvo parts and servicing is more than average in terms of cost. I’d be worried about EGR, turbo issues and DPF with a diesel. Not to mention the additional cost for the AdBlue. The D4 190bhp will probably average 50mpg on the motorway and 35 around town.

My 20 y/o son runs a 2L V60 - less than half the price of a 1 litre Polo to insure because boy racers apparently don't drive brown Volvo estates.

Bought at 100k miles now has 140k on it.  Services it himself every 10k miles using genuine parts where necessary - Volvo oil filter is under a tenner, uses a Bosch cabin filter, wipers, etc.  Did the rear disks and pads a few months ago using mid-spec parts for under £150.  Automatic Gearbox oil is cheap enough as it's a Japanese Aisin box.  Total sum of non-service parts fitted = one genuine ABS sensor (£70).

Unless it's a "manufacturer approved" vehicle which has to meet dealer standards, most second hand cars are just some old tat, tarted up for sale.  The biggest influence on reliability at this end of the market is the previous owner (assuming they've had the car for at least a couple of years) - so check out the tyres and wipers along with the MoT history as a first indication.

ThorOdinson

Leaf 30 or 40, based on availability. Very cheap to run, very few things to go wrong.

The only caveat is you need home charging.

shinytop

ThorOdinson said:

Leaf 30 or 40, based on availability. Very cheap to run, very few things to go wrong.

The only caveat is you need home charging.

Did you read the OP's question or do you just recommend an EV whatever?  A Leaf 30 is a really poor choice for a regular 80 mile commute and even a 40 would be marginal.