Top 10 cost-effective car models

The research comes from the team at Confused.com car insurance, who looked at the 50 most popular car models and ranked each against several different criteria to determine which are the most cost-effective. 

• The Honda Jazz is the most cost-effective car, scoring 8.69/10. The Honda Jazz strikes a balance between fuel economy and service costs and keeps its value over time. Its 9.2 miles per pound shows it has good fuel economy, and a low value loss of 35% over 3 years means it keeps its value well. 

• The Toyota Yaris came in second place, with a cost-effective score of 8.49/10. The Toyota Yaris is close behind the Honda Jazz, with better fuel efficiency at 9.3 miles per pound. It also has a 3-year depreciation rate of 29%, among the lowest for the most popular cars in the country. But it has higher service and fuel costs than the Honda Jazz. 

• Completing the top three is the Toyota Aygo and the Citroën C1, scoring 8.41/10. Among the top 3, they have the lowest yearly car tax and the cheapest cost to fill a tank, though their fuel efficiency is lower. Their 3-year depreciation rate is 40%, which is reasonable but higher than the 2 cars ranked above them. 

Further findings:  

• The Toyota Aygo was the cheapest to fill up at the pump with an estimated cost of £65.14 

• The Mercedes-Benz E-Class had the best fuel efficiency with 15.6 miles per pound however it also saw the largest drop in value after 3 years at a rate of 55%  

• The Honda Jazz also took the top spot for the cheapest full service at just £156 

• The Toyota Aygo, Nissan Micra and Citroën C1 and C3 share the lowest average annual car tax.