The best cars for £100 per month

You could buy a Ford Model Y for just £100 pounds in 1935. The best part of a century later brand new models for even £100 a month are rare but it’s still possible to own a relatively new small car for a monthly budget of £100, thanks to the benefits of used car Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) schemes.

Used car prices have generally stayed strong in recent months, partly because low sales of new cars have meant the supply of used ones is restricted too. Demand for used models remains strong and that has pushed used prices up.

Unfortunately that means the choice of PCP offers for buyers looking for a decent £100 a month motor is less bountiful than it was pre-lockdown. At the start of 2020, while you could expect a good few £100 per month PCP promotions on one-to-two year old cars, at this point the same sort of money will tend to net you something a little older. In fact, a browse on our sister website BuyaCar suggests buyers on a budget may have to lower their sights significantly.

Our round-up of the best sub-£100 deals on offer today reveals you can still grab a two-year-old Skoda Citigo or Peugeot 108 for under the magic ton each month, but if you want to expand your horizons with other models then you might have to extend your search back further.

Even a 2015 car – as long as it’s well presented by a dealer with all the recommended service history in place – should provide drivers with everything they need on a small PCP budget. The reliability, build quality and equipment levels of a five year-old car should be such that, provided it’s been well looked after, you’ll get many more years of happy motoring.

All of the cars in this list are either city cars or superminis. They do come with the compromises associated with a small body and engine, but many are surprisingly spacious and you won't feel too short-changed downsizing from something larger.

Most city cars are refined, comfortable and good to drive, too - and may even save you money in the long run with superior fuel economy and insurance costs. It’s hard to predict how the situation may change in the coming months. There are early signs that used car prices are beginning to soften again, but it’s early days.

So read on for our round-up of some of the best used cars for less than £100 per month based on current prices over at BuyaCar. All the cars listed here are offered on finance deals known as Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) schemes – so you pay a deposit at the start, followed by monthly payments. Deposits are normally flexible and can be as little as a single monthly payment. At the end of the payment term, there are normally three options - you can trade the car in for a deposit against a new model, or pay a final payment to buy the car outright. You can also simply hand the keys back and part ways.

Best cars for under £100 a month 2018

• Skoda Citigo
• Vauxhall Corsa
• Hyundai i10
• Ford Ka
• Peugeot 108
• Dacia Sandero

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Skoda Citigo

The Citigo is Skoda’s version of the VW Group’s city car family, so a sister-model to the VW up! and SEAT Mii.

The VW version tends to be a little more expensive, although there’s very little real-world difference between the versions, and all major on efficient use of space and fuel, while being solidly built and pleasant to drive. They’re also noted for a ‘bigger car feel’ thanks to impressive handling and refinement, which is especially valuable if you do long motorway journeys.

You should be able to pick up a 2018 Citigo with 1.0-litre three-cylinder power for under £100 per month. That said, don’t be put off by an older car – especially if you’re attracted to paying a lower deposit under the PCP terms. These little cars are well made and built to last.

Take a look at the latest Skoda Citigo deals on BuyaCar...

Vauxhall Corsa

This long-time favourite of the supermini set is also available for our target price of £100 a month, which should enable you to get behind the wheel of a three-year-old 2017 model with lowish-spec and average miles.

It’s not the latest model Corsa which arrived ‘all-new’ in 2019, but the earlier generation was smooth, well-equipped and comfortable and should be very dependable and cheap to run as befits a low-budget finance option.

Although later cars all came with 1.4-litre engines of varying outputs, older models could have 1.0, 1.2 or 1.4 engines all offering different levels of efficiency and driveability, so make sure you find an engine that suits.

Take a look at the latest Vauxhall Corsa deals on BuyaCar...

Hyundai i10

Another terrific city car option for buyers on a budget is the previous generation Hyundai i10, available new from 2014 to 2019.

The little Korean runabout is notably spacious, fun to drive and very comfortable, and when new regularly contested class honours in its segment. In fact we made it our City Car of the Year in 2015, and we’ve learned nothing in the last few years to temper our enthusiasm for the model.

They’re not available in great numbers, but there is a handful of options around. Prices starting at around £4,500 for a four- to five-year-old car mean they are attainable with a £100 per month PCP budget too.

Take a look at the latest Hyundai i10 deals on BuyaCar...

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Ford Ka

The Ka badge was once synonymous with the city car class, but Ford changed tack when the model was replaced with the larger Ka+ in 2016.

Available with only three doors so less practical than some rivals, an older Ka still makes sense for PCP buyers on a tight budget. Sure, it’s not particularly high-tech with a dated 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine, but it will be cheap to service and offer close to 60mpg for careful drivers. It’s also quite entertaining to drive, although don’t expect fireworks on the performance front with just 68bhp.

In spite of having no rear doors and a cramped rear seat best saved for kids, it’s roomy and comfortable up front with generous headroom.

With 2015 cars costing from around £4,500 you can scoop up a Ka for less than £80 per month on a PCP, depending on what’s available at any given time.

Take a look at the latest Ford Ka deals on BuyaCar...

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Peugeot 108

The Peugeot 108 shares its engineering with the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo, as they’re all built on the same production line at a joint venture factory. All are available for less than our £100 per month budget cap on a used car PCP, but the Peugeot is seemingly around in greater numbers than its stablemates/rivals.

The dinky and desirable city car can be picked up from as little as £80 per month or £4,200 for a 2014 model, and the 108 should be very cheap to run thanks to zero road tax and a fuel-sipping 1.0 engine.

The Peugeot is less at home out of town where the Skoda Citigo runs rings around it, but it has plenty of appeal as an urban runabout. If you want to max out your £100 monthly budget, you should be able to stretch to a relatively low-mileage 2018 car - otherwise retailing at just under £6,000.

Take a look at the latest Peugeot 108 deals on BuyaCar...

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Dacia Sandero

For drivers craving ‘bang for bucks’, it’s hard to argue with the Dacia Sandero. The back-to-basics hatchback built in Romania by what is now a Renault subsidiary is a bargain new, and arguably more so on the used market.

The Sandero USP is based on the fact you get supermini space for a city car price, but Dacia/Renault didn’t stint on the basics, and the cars come with efficient modern engines. The 0.9-litre TCe petrol is the most desirable, thanks to a great combination of efficiency and refinement, although there’s a more frugal but less smooth 1.5 diesel option for really high mileages.

Sandero prices start around £4,500-£4,750 for a 2016 or 2015 model with average mileage, which means you could  be in the driving seat from around £90 per month.

Take a look at the latest Dacia Sandero deals on BuyaCar and tell us about the best deal you've ever got on a car in the comments section below...