Top ten scrappage trade-ins
The scrappage discount can be used against the cost of any new car. Andy Goodwin names the best buys in the most popular segments.
City cars
Fiat 500
Starting price - £8,300
The Fiat 500 is a European sales sensation, and you only have to look at it to see why. It’s impossible not to fall for its cheeky charms, and it’s not just the exterior which brings a smile to your face. The fun interior, with a dashboard matching the 500’s paint job, is shamelessly retro. We recommend sticking with the petrol 1.2-litre for the best all-round experience. It’s smooth, zesty and as the 500 doesn’t weight much an impressive 55.7mpg is possible.
Toyota iQ
Starting price - £9,495
Driving an iQ in the UK feels like being teleported onto the road straight from the neon-lit city streets of Tokyo. This cool-looking car is a design masterpiece, and as a result it can seat four even though it’s shorter than the original Mini. It’s smart inside and features an unbelievable level of equipment considering its price. The iQ is the world’s first car fitted with a rear window airbag and recently scored an impressive five-star score in the new and tougher EuroNCAP crash test.
Superminis
Ford Fiesta
Starting price – £9,995
The Ford Fiesta has the best ten point test score we’ve ever given, with 91 per cent. The new car is a leap forward in design compared to its predecessor and the magic doesn’t stop when you hit the road. If you like driving and want a supermini, buy a Fiesta; it’s as simple as that. The handling is pin sharp in all models and the Zetec-S has composure which puts many hot hatches to shame. The Fiesta also has a five-star EuroNCAP safety score and low running costs.
Mazda 2
Starting price – £8,899
We are big fans of the neatly-styled Mazda 2 and reckon it’s one of the best-looking hatches on sale. It’s smartly engineered too, being both smaller and lighter than the bulbous Mazda 2 which came before it. The interior is simple with some sporty touches, and a gear stick mounted really close to the steering wheel. Handling is tuned to give the driver lots of feedback, and it’s a very well-sorted little car. Our only criticism is slightly poor refinement at motorway speeds.
Hatchbacks
Volkswagen Golf
Starting price – £13,580
With an even better interior and more refined engines, the comfort and refinement of the latest Golf is class-leading. And despite riding so nicely over bumps, it’s not a soft and wallowing car in the bends. Grip levels are reassuringly high and the chassis is well balanced. The best all-rounder and expected big-seller is the 2-litre TDI with 109bhp and 57.6mpg fuel economy.
Hyundai i30
Starting price – £11,495
The Hyundai i30 is a real contender to Europe’s best hatchbacks, and beats them on price and the generous levels of kit which come as standard. The i30 has a five-year warranty and achieved a respectable four-star EuroNCAP crash rating. The 1.6-litre diesel has very low running costs thanks to its low tax band and 60.1mpg fuel consumption.
Saloons
Skoda Superb
Starting price – £15,905
The Skoda Superb is completely deserving of its name. It’s a seriously big car, with more interior space than the cavernous Ford Mondeo, and yet it has one of the most reasonable price tags you can find anywhere in the motoring world. Everything about the interior is classy in an I-don’t-need-to-try-hard kind of way. The 1.9-litre diesel is a low-cost entry point into Superb ownership, but we’d recommend saving for the punchier 2-litre 140bhp diesel if you can afford it. Both can achieve more than 47mpg on average.
Jaguar X-Type
Starting price – £21,558
With scrappage taken into account, the Jaguar XF is quite possibly the first Jag you can buy brand new for less than £20k – the price of a well-specced hatchback. It’s a prestige car with a grown-up image, which has just undergone a facelift comprising of a raft of improvements to all areas of the car. If class, comfort and effortless cruising appeal to you, then look no further.
Mini MPVs
Citroen C3 Picasso
Starting price – £11,495
Citroen places lots of emphasis on its careful consideration of owners’ needs during the design of a new model, and it really shows in the C3 Picasso. The seats can all be folded, slid and tilted with one hand, there is an amazingly roomy rear luggage space and it’s even fun to drive. The 1.6-litre diesel with 90 or 110bhp makes the most sense, thanks to fuel consumption close to 60mpg and low tax.
Nissan Note
Starting price – £9,990
The recently facelifted Nissan Note is now better value than before and fitment of the Nissan Connect navigation and multimedia system (standard on Tekna model, £400 option on Acenta) gives it a class-leading level of equipment with particularly intuitive iPod connectivity. The 1.5-litre dCi with 85bhp ticks most boxes thanks to its decent performance and 62.9mpg fuel economy.
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