Best new cars for under £400 per month
Got some cash to splash? These are the best new cars for under £400 per month
If you’ve got a decent amount of money available to put towards a deposit and £400 a month to chip in thereafter, the new car possibilities are almost endless. Depending on your needs, you could end up with a plush yet practical SUV or even a tech-filled executive car.
Personal Contract Hire (PCH) leasing plans are the best option for some of the lowest monthly prices in the current market. A PCH plan is a contract where you will lease the car over a set period of time rather than own it. You just hand it back at the end of the contract.
Car deals tend to change rather quickly, so these offers are examples of the best ones that can be found at the time of writing. We've also linked to the latest deals via our Find a Car service, so that you can easily check the very best prices from a range of providers.
Citroen C5 Aircross - £303 per month
- Model: C5 Aircross 1.6 Plug-in Hybrid E-Series
- List price: £39,135
- Powertrain: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol PHEV, FWD
- Power: 223bhp
- 0-62mph 8.7 seconds
It’s a shame the leasing firms couldn’t bring this deal on the Citroen C5 Aircross down just slightly so it sneaks into a lower budget band, but even at £302.96 per month, it’s too good to ignore. That sums gets you the top-of-the-range E-Series car that has a smarter look, thanks to a panoramic roof, two-tone paint and larger 19-inch alloys.
It also uses a PHEV powertrain. These are usually most attractive to company car drivers, but at these lease rates private buyers can benefit from the extra performance and fuel economy. Plug it in and the C5 Aircross will cover up to 36 miles on pure electric power. The list price sneaks in under the £40,000 limit, too,
so won’t be subject to the luxury car tax.
See our Citroen C5 Aircross deals
Ford Explorer - £339 per month
- Model: Explorer 210kW Select 52kWh
- List price: £39,875
- Powertrain: 52kWh battery, 1x e-motor, RWD
- Power: 168bhp
- 0-62mph: 8.7 seconds
It might be fresh out of the factory, but Ford is already keen to do deals on the new all-electric Explorer. The cheapest example we could find on the mid-range family SUV was £338.72 per month for the entry-level Select model with the smaller 52kWh battery.
The Explorer is based on the same MEB platform as the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5, but we think the Ford has the edge in terms of driving dynamics. It also has a more interesting cabin, with better infotainment and innovations such as a sliding screen that turns into a locker.
The 52kWh battery gives a reasonable range of 233 miles, which should be plenty for most motorists. There is a 77kWh-battery model available within our price range, but at £395.96 per month, it doesn't look quite as appealing when compared with direct rivals.
Mazda CX-60 - £359 per month
- Model: CX-60 2.5 PHEV Exclusive-Line
- List price: £45,420
- Powertrain: 2.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol PHEV, AWD
- Power: 327bhp
- 0-62mph: 5.8 seconds
Mazda might not be the default choice when looking for an upmarket SUV, but at this price it's difficult to ignore the Mazda CX-60. The 4.7-metre-long SUV is considered a rival to cars such as the Audi Q5 and Lexus NX, but getting one of those with the same spec would cost around double per month with the leasing companies we checked.
The CX-60 is Mazda’s first plug-in hybrid and uses a 2.5-litre petrol engine with the firm’s E-Skyactiv technology, plus a 17.8kWh battery that powers an electric motor. It can drive up to 39 miles on battery power alone.
Besides offering lower costs and impressive economy, this also gives the benefits of four-wheel drive, which is especially handy because the CX-60 can produce a total of 327bhp and sprint to 62mph in less than six seconds.
Nissan X-Trail - £306 per month
- Model: X-Trail 1.5 E-Power E-4orce Acenta Premium
- List price: 39,790
- Powertrain: 1.5-litre 3-cylinder petrol hybrid, AWD
- Power: 211bhp
- 0-62mph: 7.0 seconds
In the leasing market you'll often find a car with a higher list price is cheaper per month than a lesser model. That’s the case with the Nissan X-Trail, where the version with the E-Power system and e-4ORCE all-wheel drive is £306.22 a month. E-Power differs from most hybrids because the petrol engine is not linked to the wheels, and acts as a generator to provide electric power to the motors. This makes it more fuel efficient, while giving the same instant torque as an EV.
In this 211bhp e-4ORCE car you get front and rear motors, too, giving the X-Trail decent off-road ability. This five-seat version has an impressive 575-litre boot capacity, but if you want to swap luggage space for extra seats, a mild-hybrid front-wheel-drive seven-seat X-Trail will cost you £315.12 per month.
Tesla Model 3 - £391 per month
- Model: Model 3 Long Range RWD
- List price: £44,990
- Powertrain: 75kWh battery, 1x e-motor, RWD
- Power: 315bhp
- 0-62mph: 5.0 seconds
The cheapest lease on a Tesla is £336 per month for the entry-level Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive, but the Long Range version comes in below our budget with a cost of £391. This offers a 436-mile range, compared with the cheaper car’s 318 miles.
If that means you can make it all the way home to plug in where energy rates are cheaper, rather than having to rely on public charging, you could find you quickly make up that difference.
The Model 3 is designed to make living with an electric car easy, although it can take some adjustment to get used to the tech, especially on the latest model. Some people might find the saloon-only format restrictive, too, especially if they are used to the practicality of a hatch or SUV. But most drivers will accept this compromise for the combination of performance and efficiency.
Volkswagen ID.7 - £361 per month
- Model: ID.7 Tourer 210kW Match Pro 77kWh
- List price: £52,540
- Powertrain: 77kWh battery, 1x e-motor, RWD
- Power: 282bhp
- 0-62mph: 6.6 seconds
In terms of sheer size of car per pound, we can’t think of any better deal than this ID.7 Tourer. The huge electric estate is even around a tenner cheaper every month than the hatchback version, costing just £360.71 despite having a list price of £52,540.
That buys you the Match Pro with the 77kWh battery. That’s not the biggest pack available in the ID.7, but it still has an official range of 384 miles and the car feels perfectly at home on long motorway journeys. There is a huge amount of room for passengers – the Tourer has more rear headroom than the hatchback – and luggage, with up to 605 litres available.
More of the best new car deals
- Best cars for under £200 a month
- Best cars for under £300 a month
- Best cars for under £400 a month
- Best cars for under £500 a month
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