The 10 cheapest new cars you can buy - reviewed and rated
Think buying a new car is expensive? Think again, because these 10 cars prove you can get something that's interesting, practical and fun at a still affordable price...
Think buying a new car is expensive? Think again. Because as our list of Britain’s cheapest cars shows, there’s a huge selection of great cars which won’t break the bank
A new car is often considered to be the second-biggest purchase many of us will ever make. But what if we said it’s possible to buy a new car, ordered to your specification and with a full warranty, for well under £20,000?
Indeed, the cheapest on our list — the Citroën Ami — costs less than half that, but we’d recommend spending £15,000 upwards for a better, usable car, such as the Dacia Sandero.
Our list of the cheapest new cars includes small cars and even a few electric cars, too. As you’ll have come to expect from What Car?, we’ll pull no punches, and after our extensive testing we’re in a position to tell you if cheap really is useful — or whether it’s a case of getting what you pay for.
Of course, it’s still possible to get discounts on even the cheapest cars, and we’ll show you the best prices you could pay using our new car deals service.
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Strengths
- Surprisingly spacious for two
- Low purchase and running costs
- Zippy city acceleration
Weaknesses
- Limited range
- 28mph top speed
- Safety concerns
Version Ami Coupe | List price £7695 | Best Price £7,705
Though technically not a car, but a ‘quadricycle’ (like the Fiat Topolino), the cutesy Citroen Ami is the cheapest way to get on the road with four wheels and an electric motor in the UK right now. If you live in a city, this could be an appealing prospect for you: its 46 miles of range and 28mph top speed will be fine for narrow streets and tight traffic. But it you venture out onto faster, busier roads, you'll be far better served by other cars on this list.
All is not lost, though, because its diminutive size will make finding and securing parking a breeze. And since it’s a quadricycle, you can drive one at just 16 years old in the UK. In most of Europe, it’s even lower.
However, behind the Instagram-friendly looks of the Ami, there’s clear evidence of cost-cutting to get it to such a low price. Most of the fittings are made from hard plastics, for example, and the metal frame and plastic structuring is fairly exposed.
As such, while cheap, the Ami represents a mobility solution for an extremely niche market. For most people, we’d suggest having a glance over at our best small electric cars list instead.
Read our full Citroën Ami review
Strengths
- Cheaper than other electric cars
- Range is enough for commuting
- Respectable performance around
Weaknesses
- Terrible safety rating
- Cramped interior
- Poor to drive
Version 45 26.8kWh Expression Auto 5dr | List price £12,240 (including manufacturer grant) | Best Price £10,945
The cheapest electric ‘car’ per se that you can buy right now is the Dacia Spring. And guess what? It’s also an electric car. Oh, how the tables have turned. You’ll get a choice of two power levels - 44bhp or 64bhp - mated to a 26.8kWh (total) battery that delivers up to 140 miles of range.
What’s more, our best price estimate means you can get one for almost £3000 less than the list price. It’s a solid option for those searching for an entry-level car, but do remember, it’s exactly that. So compared to slightly more upmarket small electric cars, like the Citroen e-C3, it’s pretty rudimentary.
The e-C3’s 111bhp e-motor gets it from 0-62mph in 10.4sec (as opposed to 13.7sec), delivers just under 200 miles of range, and has both more space and a far better safety rating. It’s very much a case of getting what you pay for with the Spring.
Read our full Dacia Spring review
Strengths
- Well priced
- Lots of standard kit
- Comfortable ride
Weaknesses
- Range suited to city drivers
- Not particularly fast
- Driving position could be better for taller drivers
Version 37.3kWh Auto 5dr | List price £14,495 (including manufacturer grant) | Best Price £12,995
The Leapmotor T03 actually shares some of its DNA with the Citroen e-C3 and the Fiat 500e, since the Chinese brand falls under the Stellantis group. And the sales pitch is clear: offer lots of standard equipment and a decent drive for not much money. It does just that.
You get a sole motor/battery option, which is a front-driven 95bhp e-motor paired-up with a 36kWh battery. Its 0-62mph is rated at 12.7sec, which is faster than the Dacia Spring, but off the pace of most other small electric cars. A 165-mile range isn’t bad either, but only betters the Spring in its category.
The boxy T03’s saving grace is the supple suspension and comfortable ride: it’s not a fast car, but it’ll be an adequate place to sit and ponder on long journeys (and traffic jams alike). It may cost almost £2000 more than the Spring, but it’s arguably worth the excess.
Read our full Leapmotor T03 review
Strengths
- Amazingly good value
- Lots of space for passengers and luggage
- Comfortable ride
Weaknesses
- Poor safety rating compared with rivals
- There are more entertaining small cars to drive
- Some other small cars are quieter
Version 1.0 TCe Bi-Fuel Essential Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr | List price £14,765 | Best Price £14,715
The first four-star rated car featured on our list is the humble Dacia Sandero. It’s been more than a decade since the first Sandero landed in the UK, and in that time, it has forged a reputation for being well-equipped, easy to maintain and cheap to run.
Just over £14,700 is enough to get you the Essential trim, which has cruise control, front electric windows and air conditioning as standard. Mechanically, this grade comes with a 99bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that can run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). If you live near a petrol pump that stocks this stuff, you’ll be saving a fair bit. Otherwise, regular unleaded will still work.
The one big drawback with the Sandero is its safety rating: Euro NCAP awarded it just two stars, despite it sharing the same underpinnings as the Renault Clio (since Renault owns Dacia). For all its qualities, this could be considered the achilles heel for the Sandero.
Read our full Dacia Sandero review
Strengths
- Comfortable ride
- Spacious interior
- Astonishing price
Weaknesses
- Poor safety rating
- Mainly cosmetic changes for the money over a regular Sandero
- Noisy TCe 90 engine
Version 1.0 TCe Essential Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr | List price £16,065 | Best Price £15,995
Think Dacia Sandero, but…more. The Stepway features a more sculpted bonnet, integrated skid plates, the all-important roof rails and sits higher up than the original. All these changes amount to a Sandero that, on face value at least, looks superb.
And since it is effectively the same as the standard Sandero inside, it retains most of the admirable qualities: spacious interior, big boot and a comfortable ride. Plus, the entry-level retains that Bi-Fuel 1.0-litre petrol engine, which means you can switch between LPG and unleaded at will.
Aside from its Spring-shaped sibling, the Stepway is also noticeably cheaper than similarly-themed small, high-riding hatchbacks like the Honda Jazz Crosstar. By over £6000 where that particular example is concerned, no less.
Read our in-depth Dacia Sandero Stepway review
Strengths
- Really tidy handling
- Decent real-world fuel economy
- Great infotainment and well-equipment as standard
Weaknesses
- Engine line-up is among the slowest of any new car
- Quite firm low-speed ride
- A Dacia Sandero is much roomier
Version 1.0 Pure Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr| List price £16,795 | Best Price £15,195
The Kia Picanto range was simplified in 2025, and despite a small price increase, saw the small car's interior and exterior completely uprated. You’ll now find even more standard-fit bits, including an 8.0in touchscreen, rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.
Although it's pretty underpowered, since its 1.0-litre three-cylinder produces just 62bhp, it's surprisingly fun to drive around the corners. Despite the unconventionally tall but wedge shape, it's super agile. Though if your budget would allow, we’d suggest opting for the 1.2-litre engine — it’s both quicker and more flexible at low revs.
Read our full Kia Picanto review
MG3
Strengths
- Attractively priced
- Interior looks fairly smart
- Well equipped
Weaknesses
- Disappointing to drive
- Not very practical, even by small car standards
- MG has a poor reliability record
Version 1.5 SE Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr | List price £17,245 | Best Price £14,799
Small cars are slowly being frozen out by manufacturers, because it's hard to sell cheap ones profitably. And that makes MG’s decision to renew the MG3 for a third-generation all the more commendable. And it hasn’t shied away with equipment for even the more modest trim levels either.
You’ll find an entry-level with a 1.5-litre petrol engine for a little over £17,000, which produces 113bhp and allows for a 0-62mph time of 8.0sec flat. Not bad at all. But while it’s good in a straight line, the MG3 is less so elsewhere: the ride is firm, the steering feels a little slow and the engine can get noisy once you’re up to speed.
The MG3 does claw some points back in the cabin, where the fit and finish is tidy. Featuring a 10.25in touchscreen, you’ll even get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, bluetooth and sat-nav all as standard. Interested?
Read our full MG3 review
Strengths
- Smart interior is packed with equipment
- Good ride and handling balance
- Practical boot
Weaknesses
- Tight for taller adults in the rear seats
- Slightly firm low-speed ride
- High boot loading lip
Version TCe 90 Generation | List price £17,995 | Best Price £16,545
The Renault Clio is by some distance the most familiar name on this list, and if you're in the market for a cheap small car, it's very hard to overlook.
That's because it's comfortable, and even with the least powerful engine that comes with the cheapest model, it's good to drive. The entry-level Generation trim is the most comfortable, too, because it has small 16in wheels with tall tyres that soak up bumps well. The 100bhp engine here isn't as quiet as smooth as what you'll find in the Skoda Fabia or Volkswagen Polo, but you'll pay far more for the privilege.
The Clio's interior is smart and the controls are simply laid out. There's lots of space up front and in the boot, but the rear seats are a little cramped: the pricier Honda Jazz is far better in this regard.
Read our full Renault Clio review
Strengths
- Comfy and quiet for a small car
- Remarkably roomy in the rear
- Well equipped as standard
Weaknesses
- Disappointing safety rating
- Entry-level engine is a bit lacklustre
- Slow-witted automatic gearbox
Version 1.0 Advance Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr | List price £18,350 | Best Price £14,995
The first car to break past the £17,000 threshold is the little Hyundai i10, which has a wonderful reliability record, practical interior and plenty of space for the sort of car it is. It’s also one of the most comfortable cars in its class.
As a thing to sit in and operate, it’s rather good. But the i10 isn’t all that great actually drive, however. At this price you’d be eyeing up the 1.0-litre petrol, which takes 15.6secs to get to 62mph. And that’s with the manual gearbox; opt for the automatic and it’s even slower. We’d suggest one of the bigger engines if finances allow.
But if you’re really not bothered about straight-line pace, and prefer brisk travel in a car that’s well-built and frugal, the entry-level i10 could be your calling.
Read our full Hyundai i10 review
Strengths
- Keenly priced
- Bigger-battery versions have a respectable range
- Well equipped
Weaknesses
- Heavy predicted depreciation
- Feeble range of entry-level Active version
- No Euro NCAP safety rating at time of writing
Version 30kWh Active 5dr | List price £18,675 | Best Price £14,990
The BYD Dolphin Surf is a small electric car which competes with the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03. And while it's more expensive than either, its also larger and makes for the better car.
There are some caveats to that, though. That's because the cheapest Dolphin Surf has a 30kWh battery which is good for 137 miles under official figures — less than the Spring and T03. If you can stretch a little further, the larger batteries in the Boost and Comfort trims bring a little more usability.
Still, the Dolphin Surf has a decent interior, its infotainment system is better than what you'll find in the Dacia and Leapmotor, and unlike those cars, the steering wheel adjusts for reach and height. It only has two seats in the rear, thought, although there is a lot of legroom back there.
Read our full BYD Dolphin Surf review
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FAQs
Generally speaking, buying your new car outright with cash is still the cheapest way to buy a new car overall. However, since most of us don't have the budget to buy a new car this way, the vast majority rely on PCP finance deals, which allow you to finance a small portion of car's overall value in the form of a set monthly fee.
PCP finance deals are popular in the UK because they get you into a new car without needing to spend a lot of money – because you're only covering the loss in value your car will suffer while it's with you. You also get the option to own the car outright by paying the final 'balloon' payment at the end of your contract. Look for o% APR deals for rock-bottom monthly repayments.
Leasing is another popular form of car financing, but differs from a PCP deal in that you don't get the option to own your car at the end of the contract – you simply hand it back and, most likely, take out a new contract.
Value means lots of things to lots of people, but in the context of the cheapest new cars, we're taking it to mean the car which offers the most for the least – and that's the Dacia Sandero.
The Sandero is already one of the UK's cheapest new cars, but offers the best value because of how much space it gives you for your money. There's more interior space than in most small car rivals, for example, plus all of its engines offer decent fuel economy – and some can even run on ultra-cheap LPG fuel as well as petrol.
While the Renault Clio is a better all-rounder, and most rivals offer more safety kit, the Sandero is our top choice for value.
The cheapest new car you can buy in the UK is the Citroën Ami. It's significantly cheaper than the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 for outright cost, technically because it's a quadricycle rather than a full-size car. This means it's compromised in areas such as performance and range, with its limited top speed of 28mph and official range of 46 miles. The Spring and T03 are far more capable if you're looking for a cheap electric car.
New car prices in the UK vary wildly depending on what sort of car you're thinking of buying, how you're buying it and how you want to use it, and while some cars are very expensive, others are increasingly available with big discounts.
For example, with manufacturers being encouraged to sell more electric cars because of the ZEV Mandate, discounts on such cars are on the rise. Indeed, What Car? research has found that electric car discounts were up 201.4% at the start of 2024. That’s significantly higher than the average discount across all fuels (+36.2%) and petrol cars (+9.8%).
