► Get two for the price of one with these PCP deals
► Avoid unpopular models for the lowest bills
► Return slow depreciators for maximum value
‘Buy one get one free’ might be more familiar to those buying chocolate chip cookies or double glazing than car buyers, but do your homework and you can effectively get two cars for the price of one – whether you’ve got your eyes on BMW’s most expensive M-car or something more humble.
Have a look at some of our top finance deals, including those where you can get two cars for less per month than one rival deal on a fast-depreciating car. Don’t forget that with manufacturers throwing in up to £20,000 as a ‘deposit contribution’ sweetener, choosing finance for high-end models can be wise, whether you’ve got the cash to hand or not.
Looking to work out how much you can afford to borrow? Try out our sister site Parkers’ car finance calculator.
Drive a drop-top BMW M car, get a 1-series free
If you’ve got your heart set on a BMW M6 Convertible, you’re unlikely to be daunted by the £854 per month needed to finance one (over 48 months with a £10,000 deposit).
What might grab your attention, however, is the fact that buying the car at the end of BMW’s PCP finance scheme could save you £20,253 compared with paying the list price upfront. This is because the company is offering that amount as a deposit contribution plus interest-free credit – even if you spread costs over four years with no deposit.
Shop around and you should be able to get yourself a brand new BMW 116d Efficient Dynamics for less than that saving, leaving you with a twin-turbo V8 M6 for drop-top thrills and an 83.1mpg 1 Series for low-cost commuting.
BMW M6 Convertible*
List price: £98,115
Deposit: £10,000
Deposit contribution: £20,252.60
Monthly payments: £854.09 x 47
APR: 0 percent
Total paid to buy car: £77,862.40
Pay 43p less per month for an Alfa Giulietta and Skoda Citigo than a Citroen C4
The Citroen C4 doesn’t stand out in many ways, but depreciation is one of them. As a result, you’ll need to cough up £333.84 per month (with a £1549 deposit) for the 128bhp turbocharged 1.2-litre Flair version on a four-year PCP plan.
This might not sound expensive in isolation, but just £199 per month (with the same deposit as the Citroen) bags you the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 TB 120 – despite the Alfa costing just £350 less – thanks to zero percent APR and a hefty £2500 deposit contribution.
In fact, you’ll end up with enough left each month over to lease a Skoda Citigo (with no deposit) alongside it. Choose to buy the cars when the contracts finish, however, and you’ll need an additional £4267 – as the Alfa and Skoda are worth much more than the Citroen after four years.
Citroen C4 1.2 PureTech 130 Flair*
List price: £19,575
Deposit: £1549
Deposit contribution: £0
Monthly payments: £333.84 x 47
APR: 4.9 percent
Mileage allowance: 6,000 miles per year
Total paid to buy car: £21,919.48
Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 TB 120 and Skoda Citigo 1.0 60 SE 3dr*
List price total: £28,360 (£19,225 and £9,135)
Deposit total: £1549 (£1549 and £0)
Deposit contributions: £3000 (£2500 and £500)
Monthly payments: £333.41 (£199 and £134.41)
APR: 0 percent
Mileage allowance: 16,000 miles (6,000 and 10,000)
Total paid to buy both cars: £25,359.84
Drive an Audi A5 Sportback and Seat Mii for less than a single DS5
The Giulietta and Citigo combo isn’t a one-off phenomenon, either. Wannabe premium brand DS may be hoping to nab its fair share of premium German car drivers, but opting for the DS5 1.6 THP 210 Prestige would actually set you back £142 more each month than the real thing – the Audi A5 Sportback 1.8 TFSI S Line (both with a £2000 deposit).
A whopping £1800 deposit contribution means that even with no deposit you could secure a Seat Mii 1.0 S 3dr alongside the Audi and still have £5.36 per month spare – enough for one-and-a-half CAR subscriptions. All this despite a £1500 deposit contribution and competitive 2.9 percent APR on the DS…
DS 5 1.6 THP 210 Prestige*
List price: £30,790
Deposit: £2000
Deposit contribution: £1500
Monthly payments: £557.68 x 36
APR: 2.9 percent
Mileage allowance: 15,000 miles per year
Total paid to buy car: £31,023.48
Audi A5 Sportback 1.8 TFSI S Line and Seat Mii 1.0 S 3dr*
List price total: £40,115
Deposit total: £2000 (£2000 and £0)
Deposit contributions: £6550 (£4750 and £1800)
Monthly payments: £552.32 (£416.02 and £136.30)
APR: 5.9/6.9 percent
Mileage allowance: 20,000 miles (10,000 miles each)
Total paid to buy cars: £37,873.20
*Deals are correct at time of publication. Everyone’s financial circumstances are different and credit is not always available – we cannot recommend a deal for you specifically. These deals are indicative examples of some packages available this week.