16 of the cheapest new cars on sale in the UK, and what we think of them

There’s a growing pool of electric city cars, but what if you’re not ready to make the leap? Toyota’s Aygo X could just fit the bill. As of 2026 your only flavour is a 1.5-litre ‘full hybrid’, which is to say it has an electric motor and tiny battery to supplement the petrol power for incredible (and achievable) fuel economy. 76.4mpg is the official claim. Blimey. It’s a cost of living hero.

The Top Gear verdict: “It rides and steers well enough, although the new hybrid engine is gruff when you put your foot down”

Read our review of it right here, right now

This is a car you desire rather than merely decide upon. Renault has tapped into a seam of happy memory. The original R5 was a brilliant piece of distinctive product design that gave millions of people sunny memories in the simpler times and roads of the 1970s to 1990s. This is its rebirth… and one of the best small EVs money can buy.

The Top Gear verdict: “As charming to drive as it is to look at and to sit in”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Surprise! The Clio remains the best car in its class. Not a surprise! The supermini class ain’t what it used to be. And this Clio ain’t as charismatic as it used to be, either. Still, there’s lots to like: it's well-built, frugal, and handles nicely.

The Top Gear verdict: “We like it, we admire it and find it easy to recommend, but we don’t love it.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

‘Budget’ motoring doesn’t have to be head-over-heart stuff, assuming ‘budget’ allows for you to spend up to £20k on a brand-new car (if not, get an old E38 for pennies and wow everyone with your brilliance!). This new one marks a return for Fiat doing Fiat things: making it cheap, making it fun, and packing it full of character. Yes, it could be better to drive, but everything feels roughly the same at 2mph, right?

The Top Gear verdict: “It has a cheery countenance and knowing sense of heritage. We approve.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Over 5.6 million of these things have found homes since 2002. That’s lightly incredible. The new one certainly looks confident about that fact, and it's generally a job well done. Smart. Comfy, as all Citroens are and should always be. Great in the city, not so beyond. But that’s fine.

The Top Gear verdict: “It looks smart, it’s more comfortable than ever, and above all it’s keenly priced.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Looks smart, is good to drive (it shares underbits with the Peugeot 208), and offers… a fairly dull interior. Shame, because it’s the most desirable Corsa in years.

The Top Gear verdict: “It’s a tale of two halves: the Corsa puts up a decent fight at last, but there are stronger alternatives out there still.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Look, another Chinese electric car. It comes from a name you're likely familiar with, and over a million have already been sold back in its home market and South America. Can that many people be wrong? It majors on standard kit, cabin space and comfort, but it’s limited on range, the ride isn’t brilliant and the driver assist systems are painful.

The Top Gear verdict: “Small cars should be cheeky fun. This is off-target.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Hyundai’s managed to wrap some ‘big car’ magic into its tiddliest one, and this one's the most sophisticated version of the humble i10 badge we’ve yet seen. Feels grown up to drive, offers impressive levels of tech and kit, and there’s a decent amount of room. Not as striking as the Kia Picanto, but a Good Small Car overall.

The Top Gear verdict: “Well done Hyundai for having come up with a fresh city car when lots of other carmakers have canned theirs.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

It’s the third generation of MG’s 3, believe it or not. No, it’s not that MG, but this MG. The Chinese one. And though it be small, it’s… actually not bad at all. Simple. Honest. Bit like Dacia. Frugal to own, not bad to drive, and while the ride could be better and the interior a bit more refined, it’s a fairly good all-rounder.

The Top Gear verdict: “If you can ignore the badge snobbery, you could do a lot worse.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Now we’re cooking. Kia still believes in The Small Car, and the latest Picanto is a good little ‘un. Looks great, it’s fun to motor it about in town, and offers enough practicality for your so-called ‘urban’ life. Venture onto the motorway and things start to unravel a bit, but stay within its comfort zone and you’ve got yourself a cracking small car.

The Top Gear verdict: “For a first car or something that’s just needed as a runabout, you can't go at all wrong with the Picanto.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

This isn’t really a ‘car’ in the traditional sense, more a permanent form of avoiding giving anyone a lift and swerving a ride home on the bus. And, fortuitously, becoming the cutest, most adorable thing on the road at any given point. Look at it! It's a life-sized, portable, electric Playmobil toy!

The Top Gear verdict: “As a car it’s flawed. Think of it more as a pet. Not brilliantly house-trained, but somehow kinda loveable.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Bad news! The Dacia Sandero once cost an incredible £8,000 when it first limped into the UK’s buying consciousness. Thanks to this thing called ‘inflation’, it now costs much, much more.

Good news! The Dacia Sandero is still the cheapest ‘proper’ petrol-powered car you can buy in the UK right now, and although that sub-£15k entry is a boggo spec car, it’s still An Car. And it’s ace: simple, spacious and absolutely nails the brief: it’ll get you from A to B.

The Top Gear verdict: “If you don’t in the least bit care about cars, this is probably what you should buy.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Though it looks like a Fiat Panda that’s had an unfortunate Botox incident, it isn’t. It’s actually a small Chinese electric car that’ll cost you under thirteen grand (including a £3,000 Leapmotor grant). Chinese EV eh? Ha, they’ll never catch on. This one’s not bad, either. Feels well built, the inside’s got some room even though the whole thing’s tiny, and it’s reasonably comfortable. But… you can do better.

The Top Gear verdict: “The Dacia Spring has already shown that cheap cars like this can have character, something the T03 severely lacks.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Small. Electric. And crucially, cheap. Not just in the realm of electric cars, but new cars overall. And it’s a cracker, too. Much like its bigger Sandero sibling, this one is simple, fun, and true to Dacia’s mantra of honest motoring.

The Top Gear verdict: “It proves to everyone else it is possible for a BEV to weigh largely the same as its petrol equivalent. Well done Dacia.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

Spoiler alert! The Topolino (or ‘little mouse’) is basically a Fiatine interpretation of the Citroen Ami L7 quadricycle (they both sit under the Stellantis umbrellacorp), but with a tad more flair. Hence the reason it's in second place on this list now that it's officially on sale in the UK.

The Top Gear verdict: “Slow, rides like it’s broken and doesn’t go very far. But it’s also impossibly chic and very cheap to lease.”

Read our review of it right here, right now

How can Citroen build something with four wheels, some seats, pedals, doors and a steering wheel and sell it to you for the price of a well-used BMW 3 Series? Witchcraft! Magic! Unicorn tears!

Or… the bones of a quadricycle and the fact it’s technically not even a car. Doesn’t matter. It looks like a car, so it can lead this list. For that bargain sum, you get a fine replacement for ‘walking’, replete with an 8bhp electric motor, a 5.5kWh battery pack and a top speed of 28mph.

The Top Gear verdict: “Fun to use and an entirely loveable object.”

Read our review of it right here, right now