Awards

Hyundai i10

Years built: 2008 to date Prices: £3,750-£8,000 Our pick: 1.2 Comfort

By:Auto Express team

6 Oct 2011

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The Hyundai i10 is a familiar face at our Used Car Awards, as it’s taken class honours for three years on the trot. Good build quality, cheeky styling and great reliability make it an attractive prospect, and even the oldest i10s are still covered by the brand’s five-year warranty.

Early examples are ageing well. The interior can put up with daily abuse and is more spacious than in most rivals. High-mileage examples are pretty rare as the i10 is predominantly used as an urban runaround, but it’s not out of its depth on longer drives. The 74bhp 1.2-litre engine makes the most sense, with more power than the sluggish early 1.1-litre cars. The latest 1.2-litre models, introduced in 2010, deliver 85bhp and combined economy of 61.4mpg. They also benefited from a mild facelift, including a fresh grille and headlights, so they’re worth seeking out if you’re after a nearly new car.

Avoid the automatic unless you really need a self-shifter, as it’s around 10mpg less efficient than its manual alternatives and pushes the car out of the lower tax categories.

For the cheapest running costs, go for the latest i10 Blue – this emits a mere 99g/km of CO2 and returns 67.3mpg. It was only introduced this year, so supply is short and prices are still high.

Our pick is an early 1.2 Comfort model, which gets alloys, remote central locking, electric windows and air-conditioning as standard, and will prove cheap to own.

Driver Power 2011

What you said: “Cracking little car for the price, and vastly underrated. Very well equipped and five-year warranty is a bonus. Shows just how much other makers overprice their cars.”

Value choice

Fiat Panda

2004 to date

The Panda was crowned our Car of the Year when it arrived in 2004, and its appeal is undimmed as a second-hand prospect. There’s plenty of choice and prices are temptingly low, so you can afford to be picky. Watch out in particular for failed power-steering and jammed tailgates.

Nearly new

Toyota iQ

2008 to date

Prices for Toyota’s clever city car remain high, but it’s a brilliant package and a superb used buy. It takes up very little space on the road, yet drives like a bigger car, and its 2+1 seating layout will suit many buyers. Remember, it’s so good, it has even been turned into an Aston Martin. Cheap Cygnet anyone?