The real cost of running a car in the UK — fuel, tax, insurance, MOT, servicing, and the cheapest cars to run.
Check any UK car before you buy — free.
What the £1.99 Car Tax (VED) report shows, where the rate comes from, what it cannot tell you, and how to confirm a used car's VED on gov.uk.
What the £2.99 Future Value & Depreciation report shows, where the Brego forecast comes from, what it cannot tell you, and how to turn it into a yearly cost.
What the £1.99 Pence-per-mile and £1.99 Vehicle life reports show, where the figures come from, what they cannot tell you, and how to use them before you buy.
What the £2.99 SMR forecast and £1.99 service schedule show, where the figures come from, what they cannot tell you, and how to budget for a used car's upkeep.
The purchase price is the smallest decision you make about a car. Vehicle Excise Duty, insurance, fuel, tyres, servicing and the repairs that arrive uninvited all continue for as long as you own it, and two cars with the same sticker price can differ by hundreds of pounds a year once those are counted. The cheapest car on the forecourt is rarely the cheapest car on the drive.
Some of it you can know before you buy. VED depends on the car's CO2 figure, fuel type and the date it was first registered, and the official rate tables are published by the government — a car registered a few months either side of a threshold can sit in a very different band. Fuel cost per mile follows from the car's official consumption figure and how far you actually drive. Servicing follows the manufacturer's schedule, which is fixed for the model whatever the seller tells you.
The rest is judgement. A car with a full service history and a sensible mileage for its age tends to cost less to keep than a bargain with gaps in its record. Start with our free car check for DVLA data and the full MOT history — recurring advisories are the clearest warning of spending to come — and read the guides below before you commit to a car you will be paying for every month.
Check any UK car before you buy — free.