Best cars for £99 a month: March 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

By Tom Phillips Mar 5, 2024

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.

Best cars for £99 a month deals A-Z

Citroen

  • Citroen's range can be had on PCP or PCH with affordable prices. The Citroen C3 starts from £249 per month, the Citroen C4 from £339, and the Citroen C5 Aircross from £389 

Dacia

  • The Dacia Sandero is one of the UK's cheapest cars, and currently comes with a £500 deposit contribution on PCP. If you can up your deposit and don't drive far it will cost less than £150 a month

Fiat

  • The Fiat 500 soldiers on, and now you can get a £2,525 deposit contribution when you finance one on PCP. That makes payments £199 a month

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

Kia

  • The Hyundai Picanto is a small hatchback that feels like a much bigger car, especially in GT-Line spec. There's £1,000 deposit contributions available, taking monthly payments down to £170

MG

  • A new MG 3 Excite costs from £159 per month, while the MG4 EV SE costs £99 per month on a 37-month deal with 0% APR. A £9,346 deposit is required

Renault

  • The Renault Arkana is available from £30 per month, the Renault Clio from £31 a month and the Renault Austral from £36 per month, all with 0% APR on 24 month PCP agreements. Big deposits required

Suzuki

  • Suzuki S-Cross SUVs are available for an affordable £179 a month and 0% APR with a minimum 20% deposit on a 25-month deal

Best new cars for under £100 per month

Renault Clio Evolution hybrid - £32 per month

Renault Clio

Our pick Renault Clio Evolution E-Tech hybrid
List price £21,295

The Renault Clio is a solid small family hatchback that's just been treated to a mid-life update. To get your hands on one with PCP, Renault gives you two options. The first is a 25-month agreement where you pay a large 35% deposit followed by 24 very low monthly payments, and 0% APR on the finance. 

If you can't afford the larger deposit, Renault also offers a 49-month PCP alternative, which means you pay half the amount of deposit (£3579), but the monthly payments do climb to £229, and you pay 7.9% APR on your finance.

  • Renault Clio Evolution E-Tech hybrid 5dr
  • Annual mileage limit: 6,000
  • Monthly payment: £32 x 24 (£768)
  • APR representative: 0%
  • Deposit: £7,453
  • Deposit contribution: £0
  • Optional final payment: £13,085
  • Total payable: £21,295
  • See 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: £9,346
  • Deposit contribution: £0
  • Optional final payment: £14,085
  • Total payable: £26,995
  • See this deal

Best new cars for under £200 per month

MG 3 Excite - £159 per month

MG 3

Our pick MG 3 Excite 1.5
List price £13,820

The MG 3 has been around for years and as a result isn't blessed with the most modern of engines. However, it still looks fresh and remains decent to drive, even when compared with far newer competition. To ensure peace of mind, MG also includes a seven-year warranty that's bested only by Kia because of its 100,000-mile limit to the MG's 80,000.

  • MG 3 Excite 1.5 5dr
  • Annual mileage limit: 8,000
  • Monthly payment: £159 x 48
  • APR representative: 9.9%
  • Deposit: £3,320.88
  • Deposit contribution: £250
  • Optional final payment: £5,760
  • Total payable: £16,962.88
  • See this deal

Dacia Sandero Essential - £167 per month

Dacia Sandero

Our pick Dacia Sandero Expression TCe 90
List price £13,975

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 Sandero Expression TCe 90 5dr
  • Annual mileage limit: 6,000
  • Monthly payment: £167 x 48
  • APR representative: 6.9%
  • Deposit: £1,923
  • Deposit contribution: £500
  • Optional final payment: £6,377
  • Total payable: £16,316
  • See this deal

Kia Picanto GT-Line - £187 per month

Our pick Kia Picanto GT-Line
List price £15,570

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 £2500 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 £264.60 per month with zero deposit.

  • Kia Picanto GT-Line 5dr
  • Annual mileage limit: 6,000
  • Monthly payment: £187 x 48
  • APR representative: 7.9%
  • Deposit: £2,500
  • Deposit contribution: £1,000
  • Optional final payment: £7,686
  • Total payable: £17,906.84
  • See this deal

Best used cars for around £100 per month

1. Fiat 500

Used deals from £5,695
Monthly finance from £108.38*
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 S 3dr
  • Cash price: £7,699
  • Mileage: 38,026
  • Annual mileage limit: 10,000
  • Monthly payment: 35 x £151.79
  • APR representative: 13.5%
  • Deposit: £1,154
  • Optional final payment: £3,115
  • Total payable: £9,581.65
  • 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 Premium 5dr
  • Cash price: £7,695
  • Mileage: 34,957
  • Annual mileage limit: 8,000
  • Monthly payment: 35 x £159.05
  • APR representative: 13.5%
  • Deposit: £1,154
  • Optional final payment: £2,800.00
  • Total payable: £9,520.75
  • 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.