Cheapest new cars to buy in the UK 2025

The Dacia Sandero has, for a long time, been renowned for being the cheapest new car you can buy in the UK. When the second-generation Sandero first went on sale in 2021, it had a headline-grabbing starting price of just £7,995, but these days, the cheapest version will set you back upwards of £14,000. That's not just because the world has gone bananas and everything costs way more than it used to (which it admittedly has!). It's also because Dacia no longer offers the cheapest, most basic variants with breathless engines and hardly any equipment.

As a result, the Sandero lost its cheapest car mantle to the Kia Picanto for a short period not so long ago, but because that car has now been facelifted and the cheapest versions have been dropped from the range, the Sandero once again finds itself at the top (or rather, bottom) of the car-price pile.

The now-entry-level version of the Sandero, the Essential, can be had with either the TCe 90 turbocharged petrol engine - which is a good little unit - or the TCe 100 Bi-fuel, which is also pretty sweet and also runs on Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) as well as regular petrol (LPG is way cheaper). Again, good news.

Admittedly, you do pay for that low price in other areas. The interior is a little bland, the car only has a two-star Euro NCAP crash test rating, and although quite comfortable, the Sandero is far from being the most dynamically polished car you'll ever drive. Still, given the low price, you might still be surprised that the Sandero is as good as it is in each of these areas.

So, not only does Dacia make the UK's cheapest new car overall in the form of the Sandero, but the budget-focused Romanian brand also makes the UK's cheapest electric car in the form of the Spring. Car buyers across other parts of Europe have actually been able to order the Spring EV for yonks, as far back as 2021, but the car hasn't been available in the UK. That changed in 2024 when UK sales of the facelifted version began, and for a bargain pricetag.

And it's a smart-looking little thing, the Spring, but in truth, there are several other compromises you must make for such a low pricetag. The electric motor in the cheapest version has just 45PS, and as a result, this variant of the Spring takes upwards of 19 seconds to get from 0-62mph. Even if you're not exactly a speed-demon, that's extremely slow. The official range of 140 miles isn't very good, and in the real world, it'll likely be considerably less. The driving experience is generally quite poor and the interior feels predictably low-rent. Yes, all Dacias require a certain amount of compromise to achieve their low prices, but the Spring feels - by some distance - the most compromised of the lot.

We know, we know: it's a little bit of a stretch to have the Sandero Stepway on this list when it's all but identical to the Sandero that's already featured. It is, however, technically a different model range to the regular Sandero, and, as we'll find out, the prices of the two cars are very different indeed.

If we're honest, we find the rational arguments for the Stepway a little confounding. It offers no more space that the regular Sandero, no more quality, no more equipment, no more power, no more economy, no more, well, anything, really. Sure, it's a fraction more stylish thanks to its raised ride height and extra body cladding, but that's literally it. And yet, it costs a full grand-and-a-half more than its sister car. In our minds, that's an awful lot for some slightly longer-travel suspension springs and a few bits of plastic, especially at the end of the market where every penny counts. The thing is, there are plenty of people who'll pay the extra for the Stepway's chunkier looks, so we guess that kind of proves Dacia's case. Whatever your standpoint on the Stepway's value proposition, the car nevertheless completes Dacia's top-three lockout of this list.

We've always loved the Kia Picanto, and not just because it's so affordable. It has a cabin that's surprisingly spacious, meaning four reasonably tall adults can travel in comfort, and even bring a bit of luggage along for the ride. The interior is also smartly trimmed, and the Kia Picanto is a lively, agile, yet surprisingly civilised car to drive. 

Even better, Kia has recently given the teeny Picanto a thorough facelift, so it looks sharper than ever inside and out, and comes packed with even more tech and features. Starting prices have risen a bit as a result of the entry-level 1 model being dropped from the range, but that one was too sparsely kitted anyway, so most will happily spend a bit more on their Picanto in order to get a few more creature comforts.

Leapmotor is probably a new name on you, and that's not surprising, because the brand hasn't existed in the UK for all that long. Leapmotor is a Chinese carmaker that's part-owned by Stellantis (the same multinational manufacturing outfit that owns and operates Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot, Vauxhall, and a variety of other brands across the world), and not so long ago, the decision was taken by Stellantis to begin offering Leapmotor vehicles in Europe.

The T03 is the first of them, and it's a teeny electric city car that goes head-to-head with the Dacia Spring. There's a single powertrain and battery offered, that being a 95PS motor paired with a 37.3kWh battery that gives an official range of 165 miles. So, while the T03 is a bit more expensive than the entry-level Spring, it has more than twice the power and a smidge more range. There's also a single trim level offered that provides plenty of luxuries, including alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, a panoramic roof, digital instruments and a 10.1-inch infotainment screen with native sat-nav and Bluetooth. However, there's no DAB, Apple CarPlay, or Android Auto, which might put some buyers off.

The Hyundai i10 shares a great deal with the Kia Picanto we mentioned earlier, so it's no surprise to see it feature in this list as well. Hyundai doesn't offer a stripped-out bargain-basement version, so all versions come generously equipped. For instance, the entry-level Advance trim comes with niceties including alloy wheels, cruise control, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Hyundai i10's talents don't stop with plentiful creature comforts, either. It's impressively roomy for a city car so four adults travel comfortably, and five can squeeze in (and it will be a squeeze) at a push. The boot is very decent, too: not big enough for a pushchair, perhaps, but enough for a weekly shop. Best of all, the Hyundai i10 is a great little car to drive, with a comfortable ride, easy controls and agile handling.

When MG first released the second-generation MG 3 supermini, which took over from the original version after more than a decade on sale, it was offered with only a full hybrid powertrain. And it was impressive, with easy, smooth performance and very decent economy. However, it also meant that, while the MG 3 was still very affordable, it was packing too much tech to be quite as affordable as it might be.

Well, that’s no longer the case, because the Hybrid+ version has now been joined in the MG 3 range by a pure petrol version, which drops the starting price of the car low enough to make it into our list. It has a 115PS 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, and according to official figures, it’ll do 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds and return an average of 46.3mpg. It’s only offered in entry-level SE trim, but that keeps the price down, and even the SE comes with luxuries including cruise control, air-conditioning, a reversing camera, and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with navigation and smartphone mirroring. There’s plenty to like about the MG 3 besides, such as its smart, cohesive styling, pleasant interior, and decent practicality. And all for less than sixteen-and-a-half grand.

The original Toyota Aygo immediately became city car royalty when it was first released in 2005, thanks to its funky looks, cheery demeanour and affordable price. You can no longer buy a regular Aygo as a brand new car, but Toyota still offers something that's just as dinky and arguably even more cheerful, the Toyota Aygo X. This teeny little city runabout taps into the fashion for crossover-style looks with its jacked-up suspension and chunky body cladding. You can also get it with an opening canvas roof for some open-air fun.

Sure the cabin isn't the roomiest, and there are plenty of hard plastics on display, but the interior design is smart, and a decent amount of kit is supplied. The 72PS 1.0-litre petrol engine means the Aygo X is no ball of fire, but it moves along well enough if you're prepared to keep the revs on the boil. The handling feels composed and planted, while the ride is comfortable enough.

The Fiat 500 has been around for donkey's years now, and we're not even counting the 1950's original in that statement. Even the modern, reimagined version has been knocking around since 2008, meaning it's been plying its trade for nigh-on 20 years now. It's had various nips and tucks in that time to keep it both relevant and competitive, but it's still essentially the same car underneath.

By the very latest standards, then, the 500 is a little below-par in a variety of areas. The cabin is cramped and not the best for quality, while the boot is minuscule and the driving experience is generally rather unpolished, with a bouncy ride and sloppy handling.

The thing is, though, that there are plenty of buyers who won't care one iota about any of that. They'll simply clap eyes on the 500's cute retro looks, fall instantly in love, and immediately sign on the dotted line. The fact that all this style comes as standard on one of the UK's most affordable cars is merely a bonus.

Now, in the interests of transparency, we must confess that the Citroen C3 pictured above is, technically, the e-C3, the all-electric version of the latest Citroen C3 hatchback. That's because, so far, the electric version is the only version we've had the opportunity to drive. And it should be noted that the e-C3's prices start at around £22,000, and so that car doesn't qualify for our list.

However, there is a petrol-powered version of the C3 (it has a 100PS 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual gearbox) that starts at a shade under £18,000, which does qualify. And, although we haven't yet driven it (rest assured, we'll remedy that situation as soon as we can), we're convinced that much of what we liked about the electric version - that being its funky design, its cheerful character, its pleasant interior and its comfortable and refined driving manners - will be present and correct in the petrol version, too. We can't wait to find out if our suspicions are right.