Car Articles

I’ve made no bones about my passion - and that tends to be fast cars.  You may have even gotten a little sick of hearing Lamborghini this or Aston Martin that.  You’ll no doubt be shouting at the screen - much as many do with Top Gear - and saying ‘where are the normal car reviews?’

Well, I’m not about to review the new Kia Picanto for you (even if it is a good car).  Well, I will if I get an invite to test-drive it.  In the meantime though, what I’d like to do is recommend five cars that you’ll love.  You’ll love them because not only are they on the whole very decent at what they do, but also they’ll save you a fortune in insurance.

Whether you’re a new driver or an older person looking to save money, any of these cars will be suitable for you.  Even if you’re the motorist looking to save a few bob, then you won’t go wrong with these.  This is not least because not only are these cars cheap to insure, but they all have relatively small (and economical) engines.  So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the five.

Skoda Fabia
Don’t listen to those who are still telling the same old badge jokes.  In fact, poke them in the eye and tell them they are about ten years behind the times.  Since VW took over Skoda way back in 1991, things have got better and better.  The Fabia is based on the V Polo and is extremely reliable, hardwearing and very safe.  The 1.2 litre Classic is insurance group one - that fact will certainly make your wallet fatter.

Renault Clio
The third generation of the supermini is a modern classic in many ways and the quality certainly goes some way to explaining why you see them just about everywhere.  The way in which the internal space is handled is very clever, meaning that there’s actually quite a bit of room inside.  Going for the 1.2 litre will see you getting almost 50mpg, something that you won’t see from many other engines.

Nissan Micra
Granted, this car will probably be the least popular in this review.  Why is that?  Well, the perky little car is what a huge number of people learn to drive in every year.  Given this fact, I know that I for sure was desperate to distance myself from the Micra - even if my ideal car is a Nissan (a 350Z for the record).  However, the modern Micra is actually a damn good car.  You’ll get keyless entry, parking sensors, air con and many other perks you wouldn’t necessarily expect.  Overall, it’s a really good car and it won’t cost the Earth to run.

Fiat Punto
There is a large number of this particular Italian supermini on the road and for good reason.  It enjoys being revved.  It really is that simple.  Much like James May said in his review of the Fiat 500, these Italian cars are made to be lit up by pushing the revometer until the valves have “jumped up and are dancing on the bonnet”.  I couldn’t agree more - and it is one of the more involving cars here.  Not only that, but even the 1.3 litre sporting will see you managing to get very reasonable insurance quotes.

Ford Fiesta
This is a car that has been around for about 30 years now - which must tell you something.  Granted, there are so many superminis out there now that the Fiesta can look a bit of an oldie (not least because the design has never really been altered that much) but it is a testament to the quality that so many are still going.  The newer and younger models however are really geared for the modern generation and feature such additions as Bluetooth and new-design alloys.  Why get it?  Well the 1.25 litre version is a group two and will give you about 45mpg.  You can chuck it in corners and it’ll give you a smile.  With that in mind, what’s not to love?

Conclusion
You’ll have seen that there’s a trend in these ‘cheap to insure’ cars - and that is the fact that they are pretty much exclusively superminis with small engines.  There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact they can offer a great drive along with frugal performance.  So, for a change, let’s all hail these little metal marvels of money saving.  Make mine a Fabia (VRS edition diesel mind you).

In today’s climate, where petrol can cost almost 110p per litre (of which about 70p would go to the government), it is important to consider fuel economy.  I’m not talking about the environment; I really see that as a separate issue.  I’m purely considering your wallet here, and how to be less of a cash cow both for the government and to aid your own finances.

I may have said this before, but I’m a fan of driving.  I like to drive my car - obviously not in rush hour along major routes - but I certainly enjoy having a ‘bit of fun’ on B-roads.  The sportier your car though, the more fuel it will consume.  Some cars are just made that way.  Nonetheless, every car can be helped to increase the amount of miles you get per gallon on fuel.  Here are a few things to consider when trying to get the best MPG out of your vehicle:

Speed
It’s no secret that at the top end, the Bugatti Veyron needs all of that power to combat the forces of nature that work upon it.  The quicker you go, the greater drag coefficient operating on your car.  Following this simple logic, slow down.  The faster you go, the harder your car has to work.  If you’re driving a 1.2 litre Renault Clio (nothing wrong with one of these mind), it won’t be too happy at 80mph - and the fuel returns will show it.  Similarly, ragging it hard from the lights will do nothing to help you save money.

Planning
Smooth driving saves fuel.  Look far ahead to try and read the road conditions.  Are the lights going to change soon?  If so, bear that in mind and try to coast up.  Modern engines won’t use fuel as they do so.

Controls
Similar to the point above, the more you can tell; the better you can control the car.  Don’t push hard on the gas - or the brake.  Engine braking is a magical thing people, whilst your car will use fuel to idle in neutral; it won’t if you coast up to the lights in gear.  As an added point to this section, the fastest racing drivers aren’t those who are always screeching the tires - the smoothest drivers are.  Just look at Giovanardi’s performance in the BTCC.

Weight and aerodynamics
Don’t carry tonnes of extra stuff - this will make the engine work harder and you’ll use more fuel for the same distance.  Similarly, having roof boxes, the windows open, odd vehicle adornments - these will all increase the drag and worsen the flow of air around/over your car.

Maintenance
These days, there’s no excuse for being able to take some simple car of your car.  This can be just checking the oil, windscreen wiper fluid, tyre pressure and so forth.  All of these are important for smooth and save running.

Electrics
There’s still some discussion out there on this one.  Will modern cars really burn more fuel when operating things like the windscreen demister or the air-con?  I’m not sure I’m 100% convinced about this.  I am, however, convinced that it has an impact on older cars.  So bear that in mind when you’ve got the blowers on full.

Idling and other
Running the engine in a traffic jam is a sure fire way to increase your fuel consumption.  Carrying tonnes of people will too - unless you’re running a bigger engined vehicle that’ll be less stressed from this load bearing.

The last word
There’s no doubt that some cars will feel completely rubbish if you try to drive them economically - my potential next car (I’ll write about it soon) the Mazda RX-8 is like that.  It can rev up to 9,000RPM - so you’ll want to put your foot down in it.  The RenaultSport Clio will be another vehicle that won’t be happy.  However, the overall point is, whatever your vehicle, it can be made more fuel-efficient.  In today’s climate of 105p per litre, this can never be a bad idea now can it?  Why not save the speeding for the track day.  In the meantime, if you can afford a DBS (pictured), then the chances are you don’t have to worry about fuel economy anyway…

As you’re on this site, you probably have an interest in cars, are a driver or are hoping to become one very soon. As such, there’s no doubt at all that the budget affects you, whether you’re a millionaire or on minimum wage. Let me just say this first - the budget hits you where it hurts. Once again, us cash-cow drivers are going to suffer in a number of ways…

Fuel
Petrol and diesel prices had a planned rise of 2p per litre - however thanks to much industry (and some joe bloggs) lobbying, we’ve now seen this put back to October. To me though, this just stinks of ‘stealth tax‘. What I mean by this is that if the government can make everyone calm down or forget about it for long enough, they won’t complain half so much and the coffers will still be filled. Fuel duty also has a guaranteed rise of 0.5p per litre in 2010 - no doubt with more raises in-between.

Alternative fuel
Cars that aren’t powered by petrol or diesel are on ‘alternative fuel’. Those cars could well come in for a discount of up to £20 per year on their road tax. Not great, but better than nothing. Duty differential will disappear from alternative fuel and a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation will force suppliers (such as Shell) to ensure that 5% of their fuel comes from renewable sources.

Vehicle excise duty/road tax
The number of bands for excise duty will go all the way up to 13 from next year, with band M (255g of cO2 per km) being charged an annual fee of £425 per annum. Cars with a lower than 150g output per km will pay a lower rate from 2010 (why not from next year like the higher paying cars is anyone’s guess). Cars with a lower rate than 130g will not pay road tax in their first year. If this were every year I’d see the point… but just in the single year? Regardless, the most shocking fact is that band M cars will receive a massive bill of £950 in the first year.

Funding for more tax
The government has freed up funding for local councils and private companies to investigate the idea of further congestion charges and national road pricing. It’s a great way to essentially fund further taxation I must say, and I’m not quite sure how making people pay more will stop them using the roads that they physically must use.

My overall thoughts on the budget
Frankly, as per usual, those who drive have been hit where it hurts - their wallets. I’m not surprised, given the fact that more than £45 million is generated for HMRC every year. However, as long as the government has the ideal of ‘being green’ to hide behind, people won’t rally behind the injustice of how much we pay for cars. The budget is once again unfair and a great way to eke more money out of an unwitting public.

As a side note, due to the fact that we’re close to recession, this is one good year to buy a used vehicle. Depreciation is going to be 8% more than expected, so look for a car in a couple of months to pay a price that’ll keep some change in your pocket.