While the soundtrack of cash dropping into the till accompanying every visit to the fuel pumps being silenced by cash free existence, it doesn’t cut the crashing of affordability gears.
New study reveals the Honda Jazz is the most budget-friendly car. This is not just based on mpg ad pump prices, but also servicing and age related depreciation.
The research comes from the team at Confused.com car insurance. They looked at the 50 most popular car models and ranked each against several different criteria to determine which are the most cost-effective.
The Jazz costs just £62.04 to fill up and an average three-year depreciation rate of 35%.

Top 10 cost-effective car models

Rank

Car

Cost of a full tank

Average full service cost

Average annual road tax

Miles per pound

Average three-year depreciation rate

Cost-effective score /10

1

Honda Jazz

£62.04

£156

£170

9.2

35%

8.69

2

Toyota Yaris

£65.14

£177

£170

9.3

29%

8.49

3

Toyota Aygo

£54.28

£184

£90

8.3

40%

8.41

3

Citroën C1

£54.28

£182

£90

8.1

40%

8.41

5

Fiat 500

£54.28

£188

£100

7.6

27%

8.33

6

Hyundai i10

£55.83

£175

£180

7.8

40%

7.59

7

Citroën C3

£69.79

£191

£90

7.4

19%

7.43

8

Peugeot 208

£62.04

£210

£180

8.1

28%

7.35

9

Kia Picanto

£54.28

£185

£180

7.5

39%

7.30

10

Volkswagen Polo

£62.04

£193

£180

7.2

11%

7.26

Press play

The Honda Jazz is the most cost-effective car, scoring 8.69/10. Researchers say it strikes a balance between fuel economy and service costs and keeps its value over time.

Its 9.2 miles per pound shows it has good fuel economy, and a low value loss of 35% over 3 years means it keeps its value well.

Second comes the Toyota Yaris with a cost-effective score of 8.49/10. It follows close behind the Honda Jazz, with better fuel efficiency at 9.3 miles per pound. There’s also the 3-year depreciation rate of 29%, among the lowest for the most popular cars in the country. However, it has higher service and fuel costs than the Honda Jazz.

Completing the top three is the Toyota Aygo and the Citroën C1, scoring 8.41/10. Among the top 3, they have the lowest yearly car tax and the cheapest cost to fill a tank, though their fuel efficiency is lower. Their 3-year depreciation rate is 40%, which is reasonable but higher than the 2 cars ranked above them.

Interresting

The Toyota Aygo is the cheapest to fill up at the pump with an estimated cost of £65.14

Mercedes-Benz E-Class has the best fuel efficiency – 15.6 miles per pound. However, it also sees the largest drop in value after 3 years at a rate of 55%

Meanwhile, the Honda Jazz also takes the top spot for the cheapest full service – just £156

The Toyota Aygo, Nissan Micra and Citroën C1 and C3 all share the lowest average annual car tax.