Expert answer

Hi Peter,

With a short commute like that, you’re definitely better off with petrol and the Hyundai i20 is a fine car – roomy and well made and quite good to drive. Here are some of our reviews to help you decide:

Hyundai i20 review

Ford Fiesta review

Opel Corsa review

Volkswagen Polo review

Expert answer

Hi John,

It probably depends what year you’re talking about, but if you mean the current models then I’d say there’s not an awful lot in it in reliability terms. I’d suggest that the Fiesta will just shade the Clio in overall reliability but there won’t be a huge difference. If we’re talking much older versions, then it’s the Fiesta by miles.

Expert answer

Hi Kenneth,

Yes, but it will depend on the condition of the engine. Basically, as long as all of the wiring and electrics are in good condition and are properly covered up with their original panels and cable armour etc, then it should be fine.

Expert answer

Hi Niall,

The Mazda3 is the better car, to be honest. It’s bigger inside, much more refined and a little sharper to drive. The CX-3 is nice, but it’s basically a Mazda2 with ambition, so you are essentially getting a smaller car with a smaller interior. Now, I know you say you’re going to be own your own a lot in the car, so perhaps that’s not so important, but even so, the 3 is the superior machine in this case.

Saying all that, we realise that the CX-3 looks fantastic so we'd understand if you were tempted.

Here are our reviews to give you more food for thought:

Mazda3 1.5 diesel hatchback review

Mazda3 2.2 diesel saloon review

Mazda3 1.5 petrol hatchback review

Mazda CX-3 1.5 diesel review

Expert answer

Hi Paul,

I’m assuming you’re looking at about a 2005 model year? If so, the official combined fuel economy figure was 42.2mpg, or 6.7 litres per 100km, but the actual fuel consumption will depend significantly on both the condition of the vehicle and your own driving style.

Expert answer

Hi there, 

Assuming that’s the 2.4-litre petrol engined version of the Honda RE4 (better known to us as the third-generation CR-V), you’re looking at around 32mpg overall. We can’t give you more accurate data than that as the model was never homologated for European sales, so that number is extrapolated from the figure given for Australian market cars.

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Hi Max,

Well, the official combined fuel economy figure is 51.4mpg, but that sounds a bit optimistic to us. Doing short journeys shouldn’t be a major issue as it’s a petrol engine, but a bit of gentle driving should get you at least past the 40mpg mark, unless you’re stuck in stop-start traffic all the time. I wouldn’t bother using premium petrol, as you’re just wasting your money. The engine is designed to work on standard 95RON pump fuel, so just use that, but make sure you buy from a reputable supplier.

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Hi Cyril,

Actually, the current 1.5 EcoBoost petrol model is rather a nice thing. It’s a very smooth, quiet engine and has just about enough poke to shift that big body around, and actually ends up feeling slightly sweeter than the diesel to drive. Economy works out at around 40mpg in most conditions, so it’s not too thirsty and if you’re not doing really big mileage every year, it’s definitely worth considering.

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi diesel review

Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCi diesel review

Expert answer

Hi Breda,

It depends which version you mean, but assuming it’s a 60hp 1.25-litre model then it has CO₂ emissions of 120g/km so will cost €200 a year to tax.

Expert answer

Hi Mairead,

It depends which model you mean. An automatic 2.0-litre VVT-i petrol RAV4 from 2008 has CO₂ emissions of 212g/km, so will cost €1,200 a year. The manual version has CO₂ emissions of 202g/km so costs the same. It gets a bit better with the diesels. The 180hp 2.2 diesel has emissions of 185g/km so costs €750 a year while the 150hp version has emissions of 173g/km so costs the same €750.