Cheapest cars to run 2026
When it comes to total cost of ownership, cut-price entry-level models aren’t always the best. So what are the cheapest cars to run in the UK today?
When you’re looking for a new car on a tight budget, chances are you’ll be focusing on the windscreen sticker prices for an array of city cars, superminis or small SUVs. You’ll probably also be looking at the latest PCP finance deals in the hope of saving some more money, but are you also considering the long game? Which models really are the cheapest cars to run over the long term?
The cost of owning any car isn’t just about the amount of money you need to find up front, you’ll also need to consider how much you’re likely to spend on running costs like insurance, fuel, maintenance and road tax over your whole ownership period.
It’s also worth remembering that you’ll get a chunk of money back when it’s time to sell, the difference between this sum and what you originally paid being the car’s depreciation.
Taking all of these factors into consideration produces a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) figure for any car. The TCO is a number that’s easy enough to work out after you’ve owned a car, but predicting the total ownership costs before you buy is a bit of a dark art.
How we calculate a car’s Total Cost of Ownership
To get an accurate figure on the Total Cost of Ownership, we’ve teamed up with the experts at car data firm CAP HPI, and with the benefit of their expertise and algorithms, we’ve come up with predictions for the cheapest new cars to run that are on sale right now.
CAP is the industry leader for new and used car valuations, and its figures are widely used by manufacturers to calculate new car finance costs based on predicted depreciation.
Top 10 cheapest cars to run
The table below shows the top 10 cheapest cars to run based on their Total Cost of Ownership, breaking the cost down per mile, per month and the total cost over 36 months and 30,000 miles.
| Rank | Make/model | Pence per mile | Monthly | Total cost (36 months/ 30k miles) |
| 1. | Citroen Ami | 22.17p | £184.72 | £6,649.88 |
| 2. | Dacia Spring | 37.56p | £313.00 | £11,267.88 |
| 3. | Leapmotor T03 | 40.16p | £334.66 | £12,047.75 |
| 4. | Renault 5 | 41.70p | £347.51 | £12,510.24 |
| 5. | Dacia Sandero | 41.74p | £347.87 | £12,523.42 |
| 6. | Kia Picanto | 42.92p | £357.63 | £12,874.59 |
| 7. | Dacia Jogger | 43.69p | £364.97 | £13,107.97 |
| 8. | Citroen e-C3 | 43.80p | £364.97 | £13,139.09 |
| 9. | Hyundai i10 | 43.86p | £365.48 | £13,157.45 |
| 10 | Fiat Grande Panda | 44.19p | £368.28 | £13,257.93 |
Electric cars are starting to dominate our cheapest cars to run rankings. The top 4 are all EVs and the top 10 is an even split between electric and petrol cars. It’s not surprising that the Citroen Ami comes out on top but this tiny city car with a 28mph top speed will not suit everyone.
The other cars are city cars and superminis with far greater day-to-day flexibility than the Ami can offer. But there is one exception. Of the three cars from value-focused brand Dacia on the list, the Jogger stands out because it is a family-sized MPV with a big interior space and seven seats. You don’t have to buy a small car to get one that’s cheap to run.
Scroll on to learn more about the cheapest cars to run, or click on the links in the table above to jump to a specific model..
1. Citroen Ami
- Model: Ami 6.3kW
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £6,649.88
- Monthly: £184.72
- Per mile: 22.17p
When you look at the rest of the cars on this list, the Citroen Ami could be seen as something of an imposter as it’s technically not a car at all; it’s legally classed as a quadricycle. It still has four wheels, a steering wheel and an enclosed space with seating for two people, however. The Ami can also be run for as little as 22.17p per-mile. This adds up to a running cost of just under £2,500 per 10,000 miles driven.
There’s a slight caveat, however, as very few Ami owners will end up doing as many as 10,000 miles a year. This is because the French quadricycle is a vehicle that has been built specifically for those who clock up lower mileages in built-up urban environments.
The Ami saw a mid-life facelift at the end of 2025 but with a lack of creature comforts, a range of just over 46 miles and a top speed of 28mph, it wouldn’t really be suitable for longer trips and those cost savings demand real compromises
2. Dacia Spring
- Model: Spring 27kWh Expression 45
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £11,267.88
- Monthly: £313.00
- Per mile: 37.56p
For the second year in-a-row, the Dacia Spring has been named as the second cheapest car to run, and unlike the Citroen Ami above, the Spring is a ‘proper’ car that you really can use everyday.
Based on the petrol Renault Kwid sold in the Indian market, and built in China, not only is the Spring one of the cheapest cars to run, it’s also one of the cheapest electric cars you can buy right now, with a starting price of £15,995 before any additional savings.
The model with the lowest Total Cost of Ownership according to CAP HPI is the 45, though in reality, we’d want to move up to the ‘70’ model from the 45, as its 70bhp motor offers a large bump in performance over the 44bhp car making it easier to get up to speed and will keep up with traffic on faster roads.
Expression trim is back-to-basics but you still get air conditioning and a bunch of airbags, plus rear seats, so it’s an order of magnitude better than a Citroen Ami in that regard. The WLTP claimed maximum range of 140 miles is just about achievable too, and of course, it doesn’t use a great deal of energy to do that, as we found out when the Dacia Spring went head-to-head with the Leapmotor T03, achieving 5.0miles per kWh, compared to the Leapmotor’s 4.6mi/kWh
3. Leapmotor T03
- Model: T03 70kW 37kWh
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £12,047.75
- Monthly: £334.66
- Per mile: 40.16p
When we last did our rundown of the cheapest cars to run in early 2025, the Leapmotor T03 had barely landed on UK shores, but this frugal small electric Chinese car really is making an impact when it comes to low-cost motoring.
You might not have heard of Leapmotor as it’s a relatively new brand in the UK, however it has the backing of Stellantis, parent company of well-known brands like Citroen, Fiat and Peugeot; so it's safe to say you’ll be well looked after.
The T03 comes with a 37kWh battery which can return up to 165 miles on a single charge, a figure which we found to be both accurate and achievable during our testing. Performance is sprightly thanks to its low kerbweight and reasonable 94bhp electric motor, and out on the road it feels very grown up for a car of this size.
All in all, running costs come in at under 41 pence per mile over 30,000 miles, and despite lofty insurance rates (the T03 sits in group 25), low depreciation and a higher-than-average four-year warranty as standard make the T03 a tempting small car
4. Renault 5
- Model: 5 E-Tech Hatchback 90kW Evolution Urban Range 40kWh
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £12,510.24
- Monthly: £347.51
- Per mile: 41.70p
The Renault 5 is arguably one of the best electric cars currently on sale thanks to its distinctive retro charm, great levels of practicality and decent levels of kit across the range.
According to CAP’s figures, the cheapest Renault 5 to run is the Urban Range with its 120bhp, 40kWh battery pack, which will set you back under £4,200 in total over 10,000 miles. The Urban Range 40kWh car can officially return up to 193 miles on a single charge, although during our extensive EV range test we saw just under 160 miles and 3.9 mi/kWh in mixed driving conditions.
On the road, the Renault 5 is very sophisticated and comfortable for a car of its size and can be quite fun when you get to a twisty road. The car comes well-equipped as standard and even has a heat pump, something which can’t be said for some of its rivals. Insurance is also on the lower side, ranging from groups 20 to 26
5. Dacia Sandero
- Model: Sandero 1.0 TCe Bi-Fuel Essential
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £12,523.42
- Monthly: £347.87
- Per mile: 41.74p
The Dacia Sandero is officially one of the cheapest cars to buy in the UK outright, so it’s only fitting that it’s the cheapest non-electric car to run on this list.
When it launched, the original Sandero was Britain’s cheapest car to buy outright, and by some margin, but it was much more basic back then. It’s since grown up, thanks to a close relationship with the current Renault Clio. Also, the famously simple Access trim, with its lack of body-coloured bumpers, a radio or air-conditioning is no longer part of the Sandero range; today’s base model is Essential, and comes with a modest but still respectable list of kit.
Regardless, the Dacia is still an excellent-value car, especially considering its now more-refined nature, with improved ride comfort and a relaxed setup making it a decent car both in town and on the motorway. Interior quality is much improved in comparison to the previous generation of Sandero, with softer touch materials and a generous level of standard kit
6. Kia Picanto
- Model: Picanto 1.0 ‘Pure’ Auto
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £12,874.59
- Monthly: £357.63
- Per mile: 42.92p
The Kia Picanto might be one of the smallest cars offered by the South Korean brand, but it feels just as well made inside, with a spacious cabin featuring an abundance of premium-feeling materials as its much larger siblings. It’s also very comfortable and refined for such a small car, and fun to drive. As a final bonus, every model in the Kia range is sold with a brilliant seven-year warranty.
If you want the lowest running costs, though, you will have to compromise on performance – the derivative we’re looking at here uses the entry-level 1.0-litre engine, which produces just 66bhp. On the plus side, this engine only produces 109g/km of CO2 and can achieve up to 58.9mpg, which makes for low fuel bills and keeps the first year of vehicle excise duty pegged at £195
7. Dacia Jogger
- Model: Jogger 1.8 HEV Expression
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £13,107.97
- Monthly: £364.11
- Per mile: 43.69p
You expect to see city cars and superminis on a list of the cheapest cars to run, but a large MPV like the Dacia Jogger is a surprise. Though maybe it shouldn’t surprise you too much considering it is the third car from the Romanian brand here.
Despite being a large family car, under the skin the Jogger is basically a stretched version of the Sandero. While you can get it with a smaller 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, the cheapest Jogger to run is the 1.8-litre hybrid at just 43.69p per mile over 30,000 miles.
Around town, the Jogger can run on electricity alone for a short period of time, but there’s always the petrol engine waiting in the wings for when the battery gets low or more power is required. Refinement and comfort is more than adequate for family life, although road and wind noise does creep in at higher speeds.
Of course, it’s simply a low-cost car to begin with. Expression trim is actually one step above the basic ‘Essential’ model (and around £1,300 more expensive, starting at £20,295), but the slightly fancier model is likely to depreciate at a slower rate. The Essential version also lacks the Expression’s 10.1-inch touchscreen, reversing camera, and automatic air conditioning
8. Citroen e-C3
- Model: e-C3 83kW Urban Range Plus 30kWh
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £13,139.09
- Monthly: £364.97
- Per mile: 43.80p
If you’re looking for one of the cheapest cars to run but also want an award winner, then look no further than our 2024 Car of the Year, the Citroen e-C3.
Citroen’s funky-looking e-C3 is an intriguing addition to the small car class, with a stand-out starting price of just £18,495. For this you can get the 30kWh Urban Range Plus with a 130 mile range and overall costs of 43.80p per mile. This is the model CAP HPI says has the lowest TCO.
If you need a little more range, you can also spec the e-C3 with a larger 44kWh battery which has a WLTP range of 202 miles. When we tested the larger 44kWh version, we saw efficiency figures of 3.5 mi/kWh and 153 miles of real-world range. Ultimately, whichever version you choose, the e-C3 is probably best suited to predominantly urban driving and shorter journeys.
Citroen doesn’t skimp when it comes to equipment on the e-C3 though, with even the entry-level coming with parking sensors, LED headlights and cruise control
9. Hyundai i10
- Model: i10 1.0 Advance Auto
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £13,157.45
- Monthly: £365.48
- Per mile: 43.86p
The Hyundai i10 is based on the same platform as Kia’s Picanto, sharing the same 1.0-litre, 66bhp engine, but features slightly sportier and more aggressive exterior styling.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite as funky inside, with a pretty plain interior design and layout. Again, though, it’s very well made, and spacious. The latest i10 also has a longer wheelbase than the car it replaced, which helps to improve the ride and handling. There are better-driving or handling city cars in this dwindling class, but you’ll have to pay more to buy and run them.
The Hyundai has everything stacked in its favour when it comes to reducing its TCO figure and at 43.86p per-mile this is a very affordable car. Fuel economy stands at 54.3mpg and CO2 figures of 119g/km. If you choose Advance trim with the automatic gearbox, the i10 sits in insurance group 3, meaning it shouldn’t break the bank when it comes to getting insurance
10. Fiat Grande Panda
- Model: Grande Panda 1.2 Hybrid 110 Pop auto
- Total cost over three years/30,000 miles: £13,257.93
- Monthly: £368.28
- Per mile: 44.19p
If you thought the Renault 5 was the only car on this list to offer high levels of style, then the new Fiat Grande Panda would like to have a word. Not only does it have some very distinctive looks inside and out, it’s hugely practical for a small car and is packed full of character.
The car with the lowest Total Cost of Ownership is the 1.2-litre hybrid which has a fuel efficiency figure of 56.5mpg and comes in at well under 45p per mile to run.
While there’s nothing particularly grand about the Grande Panda’s size, it could easily take on the role of a larger family car as there is lots of space up front for passengers to get comfy, and there are plenty of storage cubbies peppered around the cabin. Yes, taller occupants in the rear might feel a little squeezed on long journeys, but the 412-litre boot is one of the biggest you’ll find in the supermini class.
Well-equipped across the range, the hybrid Grande Panda does unfortunately suffer from higher depreciation compared to its electric sibling, retaining around 43 per cent of its original value. Although this is on par with other Stellantis stablemates like the Citroen C3 or Vauxhall Frontera.
Latest Fiat Grande Panda deals
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