Please can you recommend a decent small used car

[Starbrites]

Hi, I need to buy a decent small used car and I'm not entirely sure what I need to be looking for. I wondered if you'd be good enough to give me some suggestions? I need something fairly small but that will be good on motorways. I will be doing approx 13,000 per annum. I'd like something cheap on insurance, cheap on road tax, cheap on petrol but is a good, reliable car that will last me a good few years. Thank you.

I have a great little Hyundai i10.

Surprisingly speedy for such a small car, good on petrol and mechanically sound. Easy to park too! I love it

I love my Toyota Yaris. Very easy to park due to rear view camera. Road tax is free as it is a hybrid. Super-efficient on petrol. Toyota are very reliable on quality.

I've had a ford fiesta for the last few years and they're reliable. Cheap parts, easily accessible. It wouldn't be the most speedy on the motorway. FWIW we bought ours second hand when it was just out of warranty, and it came through several years of MOTs clean apart from needing wiper blades once and a tyre once.

I've also had a Renault Clio, which I drove a lot on motorways - it was probably a bit more nippy (they are nice and light and more streamlined), but it was more prone to part failures - and I've had the little Mazda, which was shit. The bigger Mazda 3 type are great, but the smaller version is just crap!

Vauxhall Corsa or a small Fiat.

My ancient Corsa lasted 20 years! I've since had two Fiat's...a Punto and currently a Panda which, touch wood, have been reliable and not too expensive on the MOT front.

Can't recommend a specific model, but check the insurance group. I currently have a Mini and it is fine on the motorway, doesn't feel too small or underpowered.

When you start looking, you can do this or even get quotes using the registration number off the advert - also use this to look through the MOT history on the DVLA website.

You don't mention a budget but if you're looking for ones a few years old, up to around April 2017, there were a lot of small cars where the road tax was £30 a year or less, so that's something to look out for.

After that, unless electric or maybe some hybrids, it is around £140.

Toyota Yaris. Skoda Citigo.

I had a Fiat Punto for years but both ended up with the same problem, an intermittent power steering failure that would cost more to fix than the car was worth. It’s a known fault.

I’ve recently bought a used Ford Fiesta and I’m really impressed. Cheap to run, cheap to fix (if needed), looks good and is comfortable . When I was looking I decided that I wanted something popular, working on the basis that the more there were on the road, the easier it would be to come by parts etc. On that basis I looked at Fiestas and Corsas.

Fiat 500 recommended by the motoring queries man in The Telegraph last weekend for a first car for new driver. He seems to know what he is talking about technically and aesthetically.

Anything Kia or Hyundai. I think they’re actually pretty much the same company (?) maybe I’m wrong but both have great long warranties on them and we’ve had 2 Kia’s now and they’re fantastic, reliable cars.

Failing that, I’d go for a Skoda (think they’re made with VW parts now) or even a Renault captur. People don’t tend to like Renaults for some reason but the captur is a lovely nippy and reliable little car.

Personally I would steer clear of anything Fiat for a lot of motorway driving - they’re lovely cars but they have hardly any crash protection in the front of the car and a very shallow front.

Honda jazz or Toyota Yaris would be my first thoughts.

Some here to look through-

www.carwow.co.uk/small-cars?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa_generic&utm_group=dsa_generic_site&utm_keyword=&utm_term=DYNAMIC+SEARCH+ADS&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjwrPCGBhALEiwAUl9X0xxNniN1jpsNEYOu4ShUGEAJUqficjIrUv_LbAFJtCb3-dGVXxwJIRoClMoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

www.whatcar.com/best/best-small-cars-2021/n16997

I’ve had a Skoda Fabia for the last ten years that has only needed stuff doing to it when other people crash into it. Ever so reliable.

I would recommend a Fiesta or a Mini. I've had both and they were great little run arounds. Only caveat is that in icy/snowy weather I found the Mini to be dreadful.

Kia picanto. Cheap and comfortable. I bought second hand but with some of kia 7 year warranty left
Friend has a fiat 500. He's is much less comfortable and feels more like a small car. Family members have the C1/Toyota aygo/Peugeot version all the same car. Quite fun cars but still feel more small car than my picanto

I have a 1 litre VW Up. Before Covid it was doing 20k miles a year on motorways. Absolutely superb little car, surprisingly spacious inside, handles 70mph easily, very economic on fuel. Its at almost 60k miles now with no issues other than needing new tyres, which is to be expected.

I’ve had a Ford Fiesta reliable for years now I drive a vw polo. Old so cost less than 1k but reliable. Cheap to tax and insure. Easy on petrol. My annual mileage sounds the same as yours petrol costs me 30 a week.

We had a Hyundai i20 a couple of years ago and it was fab. My friend had the i10 and it’s also great. Very economical cars that just go on and on.

Depends on the budget but I would look at Japanese cars for small engine cars or maybe a vw

We've had Citroen C3's for our small "runaround" for nearly 20 years. Great little cars. Never had anything major wrong with them, no breakdowns at all. Kept them serviced every year and all we've had to have replaced are the usual, i.e. tyres, brakes, spark plugs, etc. Biggest expense was a timing belt which didn't break but simply needed replacement during the annual service due to age/mileage.

Another Toyota Yaris vote here!

Mazda fan here, very reliable. But I would suggest seeing what your budget gets you, some makes are disproportionately expensive eg VW

@Bagelsandbrie

Personally I would steer clear of anything Fiat for a lot of motorway driving - they’re lovely cars but they have hardly any crash protection in the front of the car and a very shallow front.

Agree we were hit side on by a speeding van, one second faster and it would have been a different story, as it was it hit the back passenger side we spun round very fast to face the opposite direction.

Kias

Suzuki celeriac