Best cars for £99 a month: September 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 latest Dacia Sandero is available from £13,795, while prices for the revised Kia Picanto have crept up to £15,595. 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.
BYD
The BYD Dolphin is available on 49-month PCP starting at £289 per month with £289 deposit and £510 deposit contribution. Two years of free servicing is included, too. Find out more on this deal
Citroen
All of Citroen's range can be had on PCP or PCH, with affordable prices. The Citroen C3 starts from £279 per month, the Citroen C3 Aircross from £299, and the Citroen C4 from £349. Find out more on these deals
Dacia
The brand new Dacia Duster starts from £110 per month on PCP, the outgoing Dacia Duster from £116, the Dacia Sandero from £137, the Dacia Sandero Stepway from £144, the Dacia Spring EV from £169, and the Dacia Jogger from £193. Find out more on these deals
Fiat
The Fiat 500 has a £2,000 deposit contribution on PCP. That makes payments £199 a month with £999 down. Don't need to own the car? PCH costs the same. Find out more on this deal
GWM
The GWM Ora 03 Pure+ is available to lease from £154 a month. The longer-range GMW Ora O3 Pro+ starts from £254 per month. A 0% APR 36-month PCP is £216 a month for the Pure+ and £239 for the Pro+ Find out more on these deals
Hyundai
The Hyundai i10 is a great choice for budget motoring. Recently facelifted, you can get a Hyundai i10 for around £200 a month on PCP or £240 on a lease. Find out more on this deal
Kia
The Kia Picanto costs less than £250 a month on PCP. A recent facelift and £500 deposit contribution sweeten the deal, too, plus there's a zero deposit option. 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 £159 per month on a 37-month deal with 0% APR. A £10,079 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 £142 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 £119 a month and 0% APR with a minimum 20% deposit on a 25-month deal. Find out more on this deal
Used Fiat 500 from £111 per month
Our pick Fiat 500 Pop
£1,124 deposit £111 per month
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. It's still available new with a choice of either PCP or PCH for £999 down and then £199 per month over 48 months.
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.
Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge 3dr
Price: £7,499 or £110.99 a month
Mileage: 45,947
Annual mileage limit: 10,000
Deposit: £1,124
Monthly payments: 47 x £110.99 (£5,216.53)
Optional final payment: £3,340
Total payable: £9,931.38
APR representative: 13.4%
PCP agreement length: 48 months
See this deal
Used Dacia Duster from £119 per month
Our pick Dacia Duster TCe 90
£1,305 deposit £119 per month
Dacia Duster review
The Dacia Duster is one of the UK's cheapest new SUV buys. And, with an all-new model arriving in UK dealerships soon, Dacia is offering some enticing deals to help shift the last few of the current Dusters. If you opt for a new car, Dacia gives you two options: either 4.9% APR over 24 months with a minimum of 25% deposit, or a 48-month deal at 6.9% APR. Both options benefit from a £750 deposit contribution.
Used options start from around £120 per month on PCP, often for a car that's only two or three years old and with a low mileage, making the Duster an affordable and reliable option.
Dacia Duster 1.0 TCe 100 Essential 5dr
Price: £8,700 or £119.04 a month
Mileage: 29,604
Annual mileage limit: 10,000
Deposit: £1,305
Monthly payments: 47 x £119.04 (£5,594.88)
Optional final payment: £4,531.60
Total payable: £11,681.48
APR representative: 13.3%
PCP agreement length: 48 months
See this deal
Used MG3 from £136 per month
Our pick MG3 Exclusive Nav
£1,228 deposit £136 per month
MG3 review
Despite the fact that MG has launched an all-new hybrid MG3, the car it replaced, which has been on sale in the UK since 2013, is still available. And while it may not be the last word on latest technology, and its 1.5 petrol engine is a tad old hat these days, the MG3 makes for a great bargain buy.
If you're after a new car, the non-hybrid MG3 is available on PCP in entry-level Excite form for £159 a month with a £1,000 deposit contribution, while the Exclusive Nav costs £179 with a £1,750 contribution.
There are plenty of lightly used MG3 models to choose from, too, often with low miles, and requiring less than the £3,000+ customer deposit a new version commands:
MG3 1.5 VTi-TECH Exclusive Nav 5dr
Price: £8,190 or £136.13 a month
Mileage: 24,176
Annual mileage limit: 10,000
Deposit: £1,228
Monthly payments: 47 x £136.13 (£6,398.11)
Optional final payment: £3,160
Total payable: £10,786.61
APR representative: 13.2%
PCP agreement length: 48 months
See this deal
Used Kia Picanto from £138 per month
Our pick Kia Picanto 2
£1,265 deposit £138 per month
Kia Picanto review
The Kia Picanto is proof that good things come in small packages. Despite its tiny size, the Picanto can cope with long journeys in reasonable comfort, while it shines around town. The Picanto is also very well equipped as standard, featuring kit that you'd usually expect to find in larger cars. As a new option, the Picanto is affordable, with Kia currently offering a £500 deposit contribution and zero deposit on PCP.
As a used buy, the Picanto packs a punch, but mercifully not to your wallet, as it's cheap to run and insure, while used models with relatively few miles on the clock won't break the bank.
Kia Picanto 2 5dr
Price: £8,437 or £137.72 a month
Mileage: 23,689
Annual mileage limit: 10,000
Deposit: £1,265
Monthly payments: 47 x £137.72 (£6,472.84)
Optional final payment: £3,407.50
Total payable: £11,145.89
APR representative: 13.2%
PCP agreement length: 48 months
See this deal
Used Hyundai i10 from £140 per month
Our pick Hyundai i10 SE
£1,192 deposit £140 per month
Hyundai i10 review
The Hyundai i10 is one of the very best small cars available at this kind of price. On a new PCP deal, the freshly facelifted i10 includes a £500 deposit contribution, giving monthly payments of around £200 per month on a 48 month deal.
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.
Hyundai i10 1.0 Play 5dr
Price: £7,949 or £140.43 a month
Mileage: 37,723
Annual mileage limit: 10,000
Deposit: £1,192
Monthly payments: 48 x £140.43 (£6,740.64)
Optional final payment: £2,369
Total payable: £10,301.99
APR representative: 12.9%
PCP agreement length: 49 months
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Used Toyota Aygo X from £155 per month
Our pick Toyota Aygo X Pure
£1,680 deposit £155 per month
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. If you opt for a new model, you tend to require a high deposit to get the monthly payments down below £115 per month, plus a mileage limit of around 6,000 per year. Zero deposit takes monthly payments to around £220.
Opt for a used Aygo X and you benefit from higher mileage limits, affordable deposits and the benefit of Toyota's 10-year warranty, provided the car has been serviced by an approved dealer or workshop.
Toyota Aygo X 1.0 VVT-i Pure 5dr
Price: £11,200 or £154.72 a month
Mileage: 21,803
Annual mileage limit: 10,000
Deposit: £1,680
Monthly payments: 47 x £154.72 (£7,271.84)
Optional final payment: £5,860
Total payable: £15,061.84
APR representative: 13.3%
PCP agreement length: 48 months
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.