The B-Class sits between its two main rivals – those being the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and Volkswagen Golf SV – on purchase price, and given its resale values better the Golf’s and are almost identical to the BMW’s, that makes it look like the most tempting of the three.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the B-Class is less efficient than the Golf, and while it beats the BMW in terms of fuel consumption, it falls behind both cars on CO2 emissions, so you might need to tighten your belt a bit if you want to run one as a company car.

Also worth bearing in mind is the fact that the Mercedes has the highest service, maintenance and repair costs of the three – so while it doesn’t look bad value to buy and sell on, you’ll have to use some of the pennies you’ve saved to maintain it well in the meantime.