Expert answer

Hello Breda,

I have driven both of these cars and they are both good value and will be cheap to run too. The offers on the Renault Mégane at the moment under the scrappage scheme are pretty hard to resist.

An 86hp diesel version will cost you from €14,800 and that is seriously good value. You can get better equipped variants for a little more and the higher powered version is €18,400. I enjoyed my week in the TOMTOM edition and it came with a very clever multimedia centre.

You can find the prices and details here:

http://renault.ie/cars/grandmegane/prices.html

The Mégane never really stood out against its rivals until the scrappage scheme, but now it is the second-biggest selling model under the scheme. Price is the key here. It is a decent sized estate car for the price of a supermini. Renaults are way better built than they were before, so you can probably expect few problems if any.
To drive it is comfortable, very easy to live with and the fuel economy is super.

The other French car you have in mind is the Peugeot 308 SW. This starts at €25,475 (for the diesel) and comes with a more powerful 110hp diesel engine. Obviously this is quite a major price difference. Under the scrappage scheme however you get €4,000 off this so it will end up at €21,475. This is good value for what is a high quality car and it is much better than the 307 SW that is replaces.

Here are the details of the Peugeot scrappage offers:

http://www.peugeot.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&pageID=18547&parentID=18457

There is a €6,675 difference between the two cars as it stands under the scrappage scheme and equipment levels are likely to be very similar. Under normal circumstances, if the prices were similar, I would say go for the Peugeot, but I'd say out of these two you are getting so much for your money with the Renault, then perhaps go for that.

Expert answer

Hi Angela,

Let's start with looking at the prices of the cars you listed when bought new:

Kia cee'd: 1.6-litre diesel starts at €18,550. There are four versions to chose from, including an automatic and a version that sneaks into band A for tax.

Kia Venga: only available with Kia's new 1.4-litre turbodiesel engine. There are just two trim options, LX and EX and the price is either €18,320 or €19,615. Both have emissions of 117g/km, which means cheap band A road tax.

Hyundai i30: five versions of the same 1.6-litre diesel engine (CRDi) available. Ranging from €18,495 to €25,495. There's an automatic option and two different power outputs, the lower of which is in band A.

Peugeot 308: five versions of the same 1.6-litre diesel engine (HDi). Ranging from €19,795 to €24,335. Four of these are in band A, including the 'Ecomatique' automatic version.

SEAT Leon: a massive eight-model diesel (TDI) range in both 1.9- and 2.0-litre sizes. Two of them drop into band A, while the fastest 2.0-litre model is in band C. Prices range from €20,105 to €26,290.

As your question was purely about value, then it comes down to the Hyundai and Kias. We found the Venga to be quite impressive, though it's a pity there is so little choice in the range.

This appears to boil down to the Hyundai i30 and Kia cee'd. The latter was facelifted earlier this year and it's an even better car than before, but what tips the balance in the Kia's favour is its untouchable warranty. All models get a seven-year warranty, which is huge peace of mind.

Depending on your budget limits you should also take a look at the Skoda Octavia.

I assume you don't have a car to trade in on the scrappage scheme, as that would change things a little. Renault for instance has fantastic offers on its Mégane.

Obviously all of these cars can be had second-hand too, where you'll get a higher spec car for the same money, albeit with kilometres on the clock.

Let us know what you decide or if you have any other questions just pop them in the comment box below.

Thank you

Expert answer

Hi Karl, I have stuck my neck out already this year and said that I thought the new Peugeot 5008 was the best car in its class and for now I am sticking to that.

The 5008 feels well built and crucially is incredibly well priced and well equipped too. The 5008 starts at €26,870 for the SE version and, when you compare this to some of its key rivals, it's excellent value. There is only one engine choice though, which is the 110hp 1.6-litre diesel (HDi). 

For €28,995 you get the SX, which gets cruise control, front fog lights, 16-inch alloys, sun blinds in row two, electric windows all round and a leather gear knob. 

The new Ford S-MAX starts at €31,495 (not sure why Ford's site says it starts from €29,995 - it is confusing), which is a lot less than it used to cost and the updated model is pretty impressive too. You can have this with three different outputs of 115hp, 140hp and 160hp. The S-MAX is a better driver's car with better handling, but 5008 ticks all the boxes in terms of size and space and crucially is better value.

If you are sticking to a budget then I would say go for the Peugeot 5008 SE. However, since you seem to have narrowed it down to two cars, you should probably test drive both and decide for yourself.

Expert answer

Hi Jimmy,

As we've just launched the site it doesn't yet have the full range of road tests. It will in time.

Paddy drove the new Peugeot RCZ last month.

Do you have a particular model in mind? It's highly likely that we've driven it. Post a comment in the box below to let us know and we'll reply with our views.

Thank you.

Expert answer

It is very true that obtaining finance is a major problem at the moment. A survey by the Peugeot dealer network in late 2009 showed that 71 percent of car finance proposals were being rejected compared to 30 percent in September 2008. In the last 12 months GE Money, Friends First and Lombard Ireland all left the market, which is now dominated by the likes of Permanent TSB, Bank of Scotland Ireland and the two main banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland. Evidence also suggests that the credit union has become a prominent lender for private individuals in the car market. It isn't a free for-all from the credit unions, but if you do have a decent savings record with a credit union they are a very good option.

In most dealerships, if you go through the likes of Permanent TSB, then you will usually need a pretty hefty deposit. Volkswagen Group now have their own bank and are said to be getting very high pass rates. As with most cases, it does depend on the state of your own finances and your ability to pay back the loan.

What seems to be clear is that motor finance is available, but like so many of the radio advertisements will say, ‘terms and conditions apply’. Large deposits and tough credit checks have replaced the sort of one-click, one-signature availability of the recent past