Cheap and cheerful

The Lada 1500 Estate

Kia is about to launch its new supermini, the Venga, in the UK. Having just driven it, I can confirm that while it isn’t class leading, it is thoroughly competent both dynamically and in terms of build quality.

This is the latest in a line of supposed budget brands producing a highly competent car – but without the bargain-basement  price tag that we used to take for granted. So where do you turn if you want a budget family car?

Cast your mind back a decade and the Koreans offered cheap cars that were adequate but nothing more.

Go back 20 years and you could choose from a variety of Skodas and Ladas, which were crudely engineered but they allowed car buyers to snap up a brand new car at used car prices. These have all disappeared, to be replaced by decent cars which are priced out of reach of many new car buyers.

It’s not all bad news though, because there are some cracking new cars available for under eight grand, even if they’re hardly ideal family transport – models such as the Hyundai i10 and Suzuki Alto.

Best of all though is the fact that for many years now, the average family car has been so well screwed together that a few years down the line, even with thousands of miles on the clock, it’s probably going to be as good as new. So there you have it – used cars are the new budget buy, and we’ve got one or two for you here on Auto Trader…

Search for a used car on Auto Trader.

The Skoda Estelle

Richard Dredge