Best cars for £99 a month: May 2024
In the market for a cheap new car? Here's our round-up of the best new car bargains that keep monthly payments to a minimum
Wondering whether you'd be able to get yourself a brand new car for less than £100 per month? It might not seem likely, but we're pleased to say that there are a couple of options available to you. Stretch that figure for £200 and you might be surprised by which cars you could add to your shortlist.
Due to the gradual rise in car prices each year, there are very few new cars left on sale that can be considered 'cheap' - the Kia Picanto starts at £13,695, while the latest Dacia Sandero is available from £13,795. These two cars trade places as the cheapest new cars for sale in the UK.
Fortunately, you don't need to fork out over £13k to get behind the wheel of a new car. Buying a car on finance is now by far the most popular way drivers in the UK pay for their cars. Instead of having to save up the full cost of a new car, splitting this into a deposit and a series of monthly payments makes purchasing a car much more affordable in the short term.
If cost is your number one criteria in your car search, buying a used car is something well worth considering as you might be surprised by how much further your £100 per month will stretch. You only need to take a look at what's on offer for less than £10,000 with BuyaCar to see what an opportunity used car buying can be.
If it's a brand new car you're after, then you still have options. However, in order to get the monthly payments down, sometimes large deposits are required, so ensure you have both the savings and the required cash on hand each month when signing up.
Citroen
All of Citroen's range can be had on PCP or PCH, with affordable prices. The Citroen C3 starts from £249 per month, the Citroen C3 Aircross from £289, and the Citroen C4 from £339. Find out more on these deals
Dacia
The Dacia Sandero is one of the UK's cheapest cars, and currently comes with a £400 deposit contribution on PCP, making it £142 per month. Find out more on this deal
Fiat
The Fiat 500 soldiers on, and now you can get a £2,500 deposit contribution when you finance one on PCP. That makes payments £199 a month. Find out more on this deal
Hyundai
The Hyundai i10 is a great choice for budget motoring. Recently facelifted, you can get a Hyundai i10 for under £200 a month on PCP or lease. Find out more on this deal
Kia
The Kia Picanto is a small hatchback that feels like a much bigger car. The Picanto costs less than £180 a month on PCP. A recent facelift and £1,000 deposit contribution sweeten the deal, too. Find out more on this deal
MG
A new MG 3 Excite costs from £159 per month, and MG will even chip in £1,000 towards your deposit. The MG4 EV SE costs £99 per month on a 37-month deal with 0% APR. A £10,543 deposit is required. Find out more on these deals
Renault
The Renault Clio has just had its mid-life facelift. You can pick one up for £156 a month with 0% APR on a 24 month PCP agreement. Find out more on this deal
Suzuki
The latest Suzuki Swift hatchback has just been launched, and is available on PCP for £189 a month and 0% APR with a minimum 20% deposit on a 25-month deal. Find out more on this deal
MG4 EV SE - £99 per month
Our pick MG4 EV SE 125kW 51kWh Auto
List price £26,995
If you're looking to make the switch from a combustion-engined car to an electric vehicle the MG4 EV is a very affordable place to start. It has a a relatively affordable outright purchase price, but MG has sweetened the deal from your wallet's point of view a little more by offering the entry-level MG4 SE at £99 per month.
In addition, there's 0% APR on your finance deal, with the only major stumbling block being that you have to put down a 20% minimum deposit. In the case of this SE model, that means £9,346. You're also locked in to a 37-month contract, and 8,000 miles per year, too.
- MG4 EV SE 125kW 51kWh Auto
- Annual mileage limit: 8,000
- Monthly payment: £99 x 36 (£3,564)
- APR representative: 0%
- Deposit: £10,543
- Deposit contribution: £0
- Optional final payment: £12,888
- Total payable: £26,995
- See this deal
Toyota Aygo X Pure - £116 per month
Our pick Toyota Aygo X Pure
List price £16,140
The Toyota Aygo X has been designed with the urban jungle in mind. So while the plastic cladding might look a bit OTT, you'll be glad of it once that runaway trolley makes contact in a crowded carpark. This offer requires a high deposit to get the monthly payments down. Zero deposit takes monthly payments to £244.24.
- Toyota Aygo X Pure 72hp 5dr
- Annual mileage limit: 6,000
- Monthly payment: £116.09 x 41 (£4,759.69)
- APR representative: 2.9%
- Deposit: £5,000
- Deposit contribution: £300
- Optional final payment: £6,975
- Total payable: £17,034.69
- See this deal
Dacia Sandero Expression - £131 per month
Our pick Dacia Sandero Expression TCe 90
List price £14,795
The Dacia Sandero is one of the UK's cheapest new car buys. Our pick of the range is the Sandero Expression, as it costs very little more than the entry level Essential model, but includes significantly more useful equipment, like parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, and a bigger infotainment screen with proper smartphone replication, so you can use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Dacia gives you two options. Either the 4.9% APR deal below, over 24 months with a minimum of 25% deposit, or a 48-month deal at 6.9% APR. Both options benefit from a £400 deposit contribution.
- Dacia Sandero Essential TCe 90 5dr
- Annual mileage limit: 6,000
- Monthly payment: £131 x 24 (£3,144)
- APR representative: 4.9%
- Deposit: £3,699
- Deposit contribution: £400
- Optional final payment: £8,517
- Total payable: £15,754
- See this deal
Hyundai i10 Advance - £158 per month
Our pick Hyundai i10 Advance
List price £16,030
The Hyundai i10 used to be the go-to pick for buyers on a budget. Very few cars managed to pack as much equipment or such a convincing big-car driving experience into one small package so successfully. However, while the i10 remains great value and still comes packed with kit thanks to a recent facelift, it's not quite the bargain it once was.
That said, as long as you can afford to put down a decent deposit, and don't drive too many miles a year, the i10 is still pretty affordable, and won't cost much to run, either.
- Hyundai i10 Advance 1.0 63hp 5dr
- Annual mileage limit: 6,000
- Monthly payment: £157.52 x 48 (£7,560.96)
- APR representative: 8.8%
- Deposit: £4,500
- Deposit contribution: £0
- Optional final payment: £7,246.15
- Total payable: £19,307.10
- See this deal
Kia Picanto GT-Line - £185 per month
Our pick Kia Picanto GT-Line
List price £19,020
The Kia Picanto may look small from the outside, but it feels like a much bigger car to drive. We've picked a high-spec Picanto GT-Line because it features a host of large-car equipment that's nice to have in your small hatchback.
Right now, Kia is offering £1000 deposit contributions for buyers opting to finance their Picanto purchase with PCP. That's for the top-spec GT-Line car mentioned here, and we've added a £4,000 customer deposit to reduce the monthly payments to below £200. However, if you don't have cash available, but can afford a little more per month, you can pick up the very same Picanto GT-Line for £310.11 per month with zero deposit.
- Kia Picanto GT-Line 5dr
- Annual mileage limit: 6,000
- Monthly payment: £185.45 x 36 (£6,672.20)
- APR representative: 7.9%
- Deposit: £4,000
- Deposit contribution: £1,000
- Optional final payment: £10,201.50
- Total payable: £21,877.70
- See this deal
1. Fiat 500
Used deals from £4,995
Monthly finance from £123.76*
FIAT 500 review
The Fiat 500 remains a much more distinctive and characterful alternative to a used Dacia Sandero, despite the fact that it's been around since 2007. With retro styling that still holds up more than 16 years after it first launched, this is a delightfully chic Italian city car.
The cheapest used versions of the 500 we've found are in Lounge spec, giving you equipment levels similar to what's on offer from the most basic Sandero. The headlines are electric windows and a USB port, but it's the interior styling that helps the Fiat to outshine the Dacia.
- Used Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge 3dr
- Cash price: £6,948
- Mileage: 49,019
- Annual mileage limit: 8,000
- Monthly payment: 35 x £126.59 (£4,430.65)
- APR representative: 12.9%
- Deposit: £948
- Optional final payment: £3,197
- Total payable: £8,702.24
- See this deal
2. Hyundai i10
Used deals Limited stock
Hyundai i10 review
The Hyundai i10 is one of the very best small cars available at this kind of price. For around £150 per month on a PCP for a used i10, there's plenty of space and comfort on offer, while it's also very enjoyable to drive.
SE models are the most common within budget, these feature air-conditioning, a USB port, cruise control and a height-adjustable driver's seat, but you may also come across Premium trim, which features a smattering of leather, an upgraded sound system and Bluetooth connectivity. All i10 models also feature plenty of safety kit and two ISOFIX points in the rear seats, making this very usable as a small family car.
- Used Hyundai i10 1.0 SE 5dr
- Cash price: £7,995
- Mileage: 26,000
- Annual mileage limit: 8,000
- Monthly payment: 35 x £154.59 (£5,410.65)
- APR representative: 13.5%
- Deposit: £1,199
- Optional final payment: £3,362.50
- Total payable: £9,972.15
- See this deal
When is the best time to lease a car?
As with buying a car, it's often good to check in at the end of a month as dealerships often have incentives or bonuses on offer for their salespeople who meet their targets. Just as with other consumer goods, it’s worth looking for new car deals around the christmas holidays, as it’s quiet in dealerships and people are spending on gifts. It's also worth going deal hunting around Black Friday to snap up deals aimed at when people are in the mood to spend some money.
We’d avoid early March and September, when new registrations come in, as that’s when more new cars are sold, so there’s fewer incentives around, but it's worth asking at the end of each quarter - March, June, September and December - to see if there's a deal to be done.
Does car leasing cover maintenance?
This will depend on the specific deal on the table, but we'd recommend you're absolutely clued in to what any leasing deal does or does not include. Most often, car leasing deals cover more than PCPs, and will include things like road tax. However, maintenance tends to count like an optional extra, and can be added for an extra monthly fee.
It’s worth looking at, as lease deals can be quite strict about exactly when and where a leased car must be serviced. It’s rare you can pick any garage, and some carmakers will insist any work is done at their franchise only, so a discounted packaged, if available, could save you money and stress.
How hard is it to get approved for car finance?
With any form of car finance deal, your credit score will be checked to ensure that you can afford to pay back any loan. To get approved for car finance you need to have a good credit history and have chosen a car that fits your budget.
If you have lots of debt and no form of income, getting this approved will be tricky, and if you are successful, you may have higher interest to pay. However, there are specialist firms that offer car finance for those with poor credit, so all is not lost if you don’t get approved first time around.
How can I reduce monthly payments?
If you're looking for the cheapest leasing deal possible, it's always worth shopping around and being flexible. For example, if you like a particular car but aren't completely set on it, it's always worth looking up key rivals and seeing how prices compare, or considering downsizing a model, say from a Golf to a Polo, if you can manage with the reduced space.
Likewise, if you’re flexible on how much you’re planning to use your car, signing up to a lower annual mileage limit could trim some cash from the budget. However, if you then end up over the limit at the end of the agreement, the cost per mile charge could prove quite the sting in the tail.