New reg '66' deals on Driving's favourite new cars
Deals on wheels
IT’S SEPTEMBER, which means the registration plates for new cars switch to ‘66’, and hundreds of thousands of drivers will upgrade their wheels.
More people than ever may be buying a new car, but the market is being kept buoyant by special financial incentives. Increasingly, drivers are comfortable borrowing money to fund the purchase of their next car, rather than saving up for it. And more often than not, most will hand it back at the end of a typical three year period and replace it with a shiny new car again.
The most popular of the financial products on the market is the Personal Contract Plans (PCP). According to the Finance Leasing Association, PCPs account for nearly 80% of cars that are bought using finance products.
To fast-track drivers to the best deals on new cars this September, Driving has highlighted the finance deals available on some of the winners of its Top 100 Cars 2016, with a selection of city cars, superminis, family cars and SUVs and crossovers.
We’ve also looked around for the best deals on a selection of other cars that may not be our first choice of wheels, but the price could be too good to resist.
One of the reasons car dealers and manufacturers are so eager to make finance affordable is that it’s another way of making money out of customers. It’s important to remember that these deals should be viewed as a starting point before you haggle for a better package – never feel grateful just because you’ve been “accepted for finance”.
If it’s just a simple discount you’re after, rather than a finance deal, then nothing beats shopping around to find out how much money dealers will knock off the price of a new car.
Browse NEW or USED cars for sale on driving.co.uk
66 REG DEALS: CITY CARS
Fiat 500
It may be getting on and pushing at the door of being 10 years old, but Fiat’s 500 is charming enough to remain one of the bestselling cars in Britain. It’s a lively little bundle of fun to drive, but the seats and driving position may not be to every driver’s taste, so take meaningfully lengthy test drive before signing on the dotted line.
Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Fiat 500
- Model: Fiat 500 Pop 1.2 69hp
- Monthly payments: £129
- List price: £11,050
- Deposit: £1,500
- Deposit contribution: £1,000
- APR: 4.91%%
- No. of payments: 48
- Final payment: £3,685
- Total paid by customer: £11,248
Also consider: Renault Twingo
The Twingo shares many of its parts with the Smart Forfour, including its engines, and of the two it’s the one we would pick because its looks are less, er, challenging.
You can have an automatic if you want it, but we recommend the manual: there’s something strangely satisfying about swapping cogs yourself as the tiny powerplant fizzes away behind you — even when you’re stuck in a 30mph zone in town. It also comes with a four-year warranty, which is better than many city cars.
Giles Smith reviews the Renault Twingo
- Model: Renault Twingo SCe 70 Stop & Start
- Manufacturer discount: £1,500
- List price: £9,495
- Deal price: £7,995
66 REG DEALS: SUPERMINIS
Mini hatch
You know the story by now. Small British car becomes big global success story. But what makes the Mini so popular? Easy: it’s packed with character. In a world where cars are increasingly becoming carbon copies of one another, the Mini dares to be different and feels all the better for it. It’s fashionable on the outside, funky on the inside and fun to drive – especially the Cooper S model.
Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Mini Cooper
- Model: Mini Cooper 3-dr hatch
- Monthly payments: £169
- List price: £15,625
- Deposit: £2,590.93
- Deposit contribution: £1150
- APR: 5.9%
- No. of payments: 48
- Final payment: £6,003.25
- Total paid by customer: £17,688.18
Also consider: Ford Fiesta
The Fiesta is Britain’s bestselling car for good reason. It does everything extremely well, and is affordable to buy and run. You should be able to haggle more than £1,500 off the price of one, however.
Jeremy Clarkson gives the Fiesta Zetec-S Red Edition five stars
- Model: Ford Fiesta Studio 3-dr 1.25-litre 60PS
- Manufacturer discount: £1,500
- List price: £10,345
- Deal price: £7,995
66 REG DEALS: MID-SIZE FAMILY CARS
Volkswagen Golf
Jeremy Clarkson says the Volkswagen Golf is the answer to everything. Little wonder. The German hatchback doesn’t put a foot wrong, partly because it only lets its best engineers work on the development of each new generation, and partly because VW has been perfecting the formula for a family hatchback since 1974. Today, there’s a Golf for everyone: a cheap Golf, a fast Golf, a dog-carrying estate Golf, a topless cabriolet Golf. They’re all good.
Flat out in the hot new Golf GTI Clubsport
- Model: VW Golf Match Edition 1.4-litre TSI 125ps 3-dr
- Monthly payments: £199
- List price: £20,690
- Deposit: £4,265
- Deposit contribution: £2,000
- APR: 5.4%
- No. of payments: 48
- Final payment: £7,702.51
- Total paid by customer: £23,220.51
Also consider: Jaguar XE
Whisper it: the best family saloon money can buy isn’t built in Germany, it’s produced on our doorstep, in Solihull. The XE is good enough for Jaguar to leapfrog the stiff competition from Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Yet that doesn’t mean Jaguar isn’t hungry to do a deal.
Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Jaguar XE
- Model: Jaguar XE 2.0d (180) Presitge 4dr manual
- Manufacturer deposit contribution: £2,374 (as part of PCP finance)
- List price: £30,775
- Deal price: £33,502
66 REG DEALS: LARGE 4x4s & SUVs
Audi Q7
Driving’s favourite large SUV is the Volvo XC90, but with strong demand the Swedish company isn’t offering any deals to drivers – at least, not above the table. Runner up to the XC90 in Driving’s Top 100 Cars 2016 was the Audi Q7. It’s very nearly as accomplished as the Volvo, if not quite as covetable. But we’re here to talk deals, and Audi is throwing in a £2000 deposit contribution to customers who take out a finance plan.
The battle of the super SUVs: Audi Q7 vs Volvo XC90 vs BMW X5
- Model: Audi Q7 S line 3.0 TDI quattro (272PS) tiptronic
- Monthly payments: £569
- List price: £55,215 (inc. metallic paint)
- Deposit: £9016.30
- Deposit contribution: £2000
- APR: 6.7%
- No. of payments: 36
- Final payment: £31,646
- Total paid by customer: £60,587.70
Also consider: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
If you are buying an SUV as a company car, then a plug-in hybrid, which combines a petrol or diesel engine together with an electric motor that runs on batteries that can be recharged from the mains, can be an extremely tax efficient solution. The original and still the best of the mid- to large-size plug-in hybrid SUVs is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
Dom Joly reviews the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
- Model: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GX3H 4WD auto
- Manufacturer deposit contribution: £2,500 (as part of 0% HP finance)
- List price: £34,304
- Total paid by customer: £29,304
66 REG DEALS: CROSSOVERS
Kia Sorento
When Kia’s Sorento looks smart, seats seven people, boasts four-wheel drive and a powerful diesel engine, plus prices start on the right side of £30,000, you know it’s time to tell the Land Rover dealer you’ve changed your mind and are heading to the local Kia showroom. It’s comfortable, refined and covers all the basics, from carrying a family to towing a caravan.
- Model: Kia Sorento KX-1
- Monthly payments: £332.46
- List price: £28,795
- Deposit: £6650
- Deposit contribution: £1000
- APR: 4.9%
- No. of payments: 36
- Final payment: £11,610
- Total paid by customer: £31,228.56
Also consider: Honda CR-V
It looks striking, comes with one of the best diesel engines in the business and – families, dog owners and antiques hunters alike take note – has a humungous boot. Honda will also chip in a very healthy £3,000 to customers who buy one through the Japanese firm’s PCP finance deal.
- Model: Honda CR-V 1.6i DTEC SE 2WD
- Manufacturer deposit contribution: £3,000 (as part of PCP finance)
- List price: £26,610
- Total paid by customer: £29,314
