What Car? Q&A - Who makes diesel automatic superminis?

Q: We wish to purchase a new diesel automatic supermini. The only car we can find that's suitable is the Toyota Yaris. Do you know of any other models that we have overlooked?
Ben Pickering

A: There aren't many diesel superminis that can be specified with an automatic gearbox, but there are a few worth considering.

The Renault Clio 1.5 dCi Expression Quickshift5 comes with a semi-automatic gearbox and costs from £11,940, but you should be able to haggle a good amount off that price at your local dealer.

It can be used as either a clutchless manual or a full automatic, and doesn't suffer the drop in fuel economy often associated with many automatic cars.

Another option is the Mitsubishi Colt 1.5 DI-D Colt AMT Allshift. It's another semi-automatic like the Yaris and Clio, and costs from £10,999.

Once again, you should be able to negotiate a healthy discount from your dealer.

If you cover a lot of miles, a diesel would probably make the most sense, but we generally recommend that drivers covering fewer than 15,000 miles a year stick to a petrol-engined car.

This is because they often work out the cheaper option in the long run for drivers not taking full advantage of the fuel savings.