Cheapest car to run in UK revealed – and it's not a Vauxhall, Kia, or Toyota
As the war in Iran continues, there are growing fears about the impact on monthly budgets, with the crisis pushing up the cost of living. With that in mind, having a car that is cheap to run isn’t a bad idea—fuel-efficient, low-maintenance, and inexpensive to insure vehicles could become essential, depending on how long the crisis lasts.
In the meantime, a group of motoring experts has put together a list of the cheapest cars to run in the UK. Some are electric and some are petrol, but only one came out on top—and all three in the top ranking are electric.
The winner, decided by Auto Express, was determined by calculating a car’s total cost of ownership. The experts from the renowned motoring publication teamed up with car data firm CAP HPI and used a series of algorithms to work out their winner.
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The top spot went to the small, electric CitroenAmi. Released earlier in the 2020s, it was calculated to cost 22.17p per mile to run, translating to a monthly cost of £184.72 and a total cost of £6,649.88 after 36 months or 30,000 miles.
Despite the Ami’s victory, Auto Express noted a few caveats: “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… [with] a range of just over 46 miles and a top speed of 28mph.”
As a result, the car that came second in the overall ranking—the electric version of the Dacia Spring—is also a winner in practical terms, because it is officially a car. The Spring costs 37.56p per mile to run, a monthly cost of £313, and a total of £11,267.88 after three years or around 30,000 miles.
On the Dacia, Auto Express experts added: “The Spring is one of the cheapest cars to run, and 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.”
Coming in third behind the Dacia was the ChineseLeapmotor T03, a small and quirky electric car that costs 40.16p per mile to run, with a monthly cost of £334.66 and a total of £12,047.75 after three years or 30,000 miles.
This analysis of the cheapest cars to run comes as the UK government reportedly plans to review a planned rise in fuel duty to protect consumers. There were proposals to remove the 5p fuel duty freeze, but with the situation in the Middle East deteriorating, there are growing calls to maintain it.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed a review of the planned freeze removal, which was introduced in 2022 by then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak in response to the war in Ukraine.
Sir Keir said: “Fuel duty is frozen. It's going to remain frozen until September, and we will keep the situation under review in light of what's happening in Iran.
“We're working across all departments and with allies to deal with the impact of the conflict in Iran.”