Fiat's Panda does well and Skoda puts in a fine showing. Steer clear of SUVs and MPVs, though...
Cars are like pickpockets: take your eye off them for ten seconds and they mysteriously empty your wallet.
Is your runaround is a light-fingered crook, fleecing you every time you pass a petrol station or reach routine service time, or as cheap to keep as a lightweight Lambrini-swilling scally? The results are, well, eclectic.
Our survey showed the Fiat Panda as the car with the best running costs. A welcome boon to Fiat - a manufacturer too often found skulking around the bottom of customer satisfaction charts - owners of the Panda loved its economy, low insurance and cheap service costs.
Predictably, many of the cars with the best running costs are on the small side. The Suzuki Alto (8th), Honda Jazz (9th) and Toyota Yaris (10th) demonstrate there's nowt cheaper than a Japanese city car, but fifth place for the all-conquering Honda S2000 proves that daft performance can come at a sensible price.
Indeed, with the Toyota MR2, Vauxhall VX220 and Mazda MX5 in the top twenty, you might be able to justify buying yourself something sporty on financial as well as emotional grounds.
'The cheap-as-chips award - in a good way, honest - goes to Skoda, with three cars in the top six...'
But the cheap-as-chips award (in a good way, honest) goes to Skoda, with three cars - the Fabia, Octavia and Superb - in the top six.
At the grand larceny end of the table, it's painful reading for owners of people-carriers and SUVs. The Renault Espace, Citroen C8 and (yes, you guessed it) Peugeot 807 all languish in the bottom ten, with the Volvo XC90, Land Rover Disco and Merc A-Class keeping them company.
It's the Jeep Cherokee that gives the worst wallet-battering, though, with penniless owners complaining of dreadful economy and pricey servicing.
And if you want something that'll damage your bank account and your driving licence at the same time, opt for the Mitsubishi Evo, with sky-high insurance costs condemning the ASBO-seeker's weapon of choice to second-bottom.
February 14, 2007
Honda's S2000 wins for the third year on the trot, but the big story belongs to Skoda and Fiat
February 14, 2007
Tough luck if you own a French car - Peugeot, Citroen and Renault all lurk in the bottom ten
February 14, 2007
Big scores for Lotus, Subaru and Mitsubishi, while Peugeot and Mercedes lurk at the bottom
February 14, 2007
Want you car to start in the morning? Buy Japanese. Otherwise - you guessed it - choose French
February 14, 2007
Good news for Jaguar as the XJ takes second place, otherwise it's Japan trouncing France again
February 14, 2007
Fiat's Panda does well and Skoda puts in a fine showing. Steer clear of SUVs and MPVs, though...
February 14, 2007
Can you spot the theme here? Japanese cars do well, European cars prop up the bottom of the table
February 14, 2007
All 35 manufacturers rated and listed from good to bad. Or Skoda to Peugeot, if you prefer
February 14, 2007
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