Kia Xceed

The XCeed isn’t a cheap option in the compact SUV class by any means, but it is very competitive. It costs roughly the same to buy as the Skoda Karoq, and even a shade less than the Toyota C-HR. And it’s always worth weighing this price against the vast amount of standard equipment – not to mention the generous warranty – when judging value for money. The XCeed’s efficiency figures also look competitive in relation to those of rivals. Resale values will be the big factor in how much the XCeed will cost you to run, then, and although these are still slightly unclear, Kia usually does pretty well on this score and we can’t see any reason why things should be different with this car.

For those with a real eye on running costs – or those company drivers for whom new Benefit In Kind rules favour them – the new plug-in hybrid version of the XCeed will be an attractive option. As with all hybrids it’ll help if your regular journeys are within the electric-only range to reap the efficiency gains but, either way, the tax savings could be huge.