► CAR guides you through leasing options
► A surprising number of motors on offer
► You can spend £100 per month…but you’ll want to cough up more
The world is going the way of monthly subscriptions rather than outright purchases, and the same can be said of the automotive sector. Netflix costs around £13 a month for unlimited films, broadband sits at around £30 depending on your tariff – and cars start at a reasonable £100 a month.
Leasing, also referred to as PCH (Personal Contract Hire) is like a long-term rental. You complete an initial payment, direct debit your monthly contract cost, then when the term is concluded you return the car. In this case, there’s no option to buy, making it the simplest way to drive a brand new car.
Leasing deals are available directly from carmakers, but better deals often tend to be found using leasing-specific companies.
Below is a list of six cars that cost broadly between £100 and £150 per month. Note that leasing prices tend to fluctuate a fair bit, so it’s worth doing your own research too.
Best new cars to lease for £100 a month in 2022
Fiat 500
Retro looks and a reasonable price – two massive reasons people keep flocking to Fiat’s three-door city car.
Fiat will tell you personalisation options make up a great deal of the car’s appeal – so if you’re leasing you need to remember you won’t be able to choose any of this as the best leasing deals are reserved for in-stock cars.
The 1.2-litre boggo engine is readily available at this price range, while the 1.0-litre mild hybrid will cost a bit more for now. Pop is the cheapest trim, but we’d recommend going for Lounge spec cars as they come with the all-important Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connections.
Smart EQ Fortwo
Pros: one of the cheapest ways into driving an electric car. Cons: a 70-mile range.
Still, Smart reckons that’s more than enough for town/city types who rarely go on motorways. We have to agree with this logic – especially in a post-covid world where office working seems as antiquated as smoking indoors.
Size-wise, it’s a bit smaller than a Skoda Citigo-e – making it super easy to park. It’s a strict two-seater too. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on your outlook on life.
Kia Picanto
While not as charming as a Fiat 500, the Picanto is a more practical and pragmatic choice as it only comes with five-doors.
If you see an advert for Kia, it will feature its headline-grabbing seven-year warranty. It’s almost impossible to lease for this long, but it does at least show Kia’s confidence in its engineering ability. With that in mind, the Picanto most likely won’t go wrong while you’re looking after it.
Basic spec ‘1’ is the cheapest, but we recommend upping the budget to go for a ‘2’ – as they receive air con and electric rear windows as standard. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine is slow, but what were you expecting?
Toyota Aygo
Like most of the cars on this list, the Toyota Aygo is a little city car. That means it’s not as practical as a supermini, but it is usefully cheaper and more svelte.
And the Aygo suits the city – especially the 1.0-litre engine. You’ll struggle to do less than 50mpg, but it does feel strained at motorway speeds.
For £100 a super basic x is the variant on your radar. We recommend moving up to an x-trend, as they come with a reversing camera, infotainment screen, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto as standard.
Interestingly, it’s mechanically identical to the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1. So if you find a cheaper deal on one of those, go for it.
Dacia Sandero
The cheapest new car for sale in the UK brings new meaning to the word basic – but the selling point here is that you’re getting a Ford Fiesta size car for Hyundai i10 monthly costs.
Dacia has at least seen fit to bin its most rudimentary trim, which means Essential is now the new base-spec. In terms of features, the clue is very much in the name, but these cars do come with decadent accessories like a radio and air con.
The 70bhp engine feels a bit lethargic, but when ‘pushing on’ it’ll reach 60mph before you get to the end of a slip road.
Fiat Panda
More popular on the continent but less so in the UK, Pandas are ubiquitous across the channel. And it’s probably down to the good value and quirky styling.
The car is less popular in the UK, though, especially since its catastrophic Euro NCAP award – where it won the lowest possible safety mark.
To be fair to the Panda, there’s nothing wrong with it per se, it’s just beginning to feel and look its age – it has been on sale since 2011.
Like with the 500 above, we’d swerve the basic Pop model in favour of Easy spec. The 1.2-litre is frugal if not at all fast – while there’s a turbo mild-hybrid 1.0-litre on offer for not a lot more cash too.
** These deals are indicative examples of some packages available, but are subject to change without prior notice. Everyone’s financial circumstances are different and the availability of credit is subject to status. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. CAR Magazine cannot recommend a deal for you specifically.