Cheapest Cars To Run in the UK by Annual Mileage
Cheapest Vans
The cheapest car to run is not the same for every driver. Annual mileage has a major impact on fuel costs, maintenance costs, depreciation and overall cost per mile.
This guide compares cheap-to-run cars across common UK mileage intervals, including 5,000, 10,000, 12,000, 15,000, 20,000, 25,000 and 30,000 miles per year.
Why Mileage Changes the Cheapest Car
At lower mileages, depreciation can dominate the total running cost. At higher mileages, fuel economy and maintenance costs become more important. This means the cheapest car at 5,000 miles per year may not be the cheapest at 20,000 or 30,000 miles per year.
DriveSmart running cost calculations are based on depreciation, maintenance and fuel cost data, including CAP-HPI-related cost assumptions.
Cheapest Cars by Annual Mileage
The table below uses DriveSmart running cost data to show the lowest total running cost car at each annual mileage.
Cheapest cars at 5,000 miles per year
The cheapest car at 5,000 miles per year is CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr (£9,060, 60.4p per mile).
At 5,000 miles per year, depreciation can have a bigger impact than fuel costs, so the cheapest cars are often those with low purchase prices and strong residual values.
| Rank | Car | Estimated Total Cost | Estimated Cost Per Mile |
|---|
| 1 | CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £9,060 | 60.4p per mile |
| 2 | CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £10,505 | 70.0p per mile |
| 3 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC HATCHBACK 83kW Collection 44kWh 5dr Auto | £11,106 | 74.0p per mile |
| 4 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 83kW Extended Range Collection 54kWh 5dr Auto | £11,577 | 77.2p per mile |
| 5 | DACIA SANDERO HATCHBACK 1.0 Tce Essential 5dr | £11,715 | 78.1p per mile |
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Cheapest cars at 10,000 miles per year
The cheapest car at 10,000 miles per year is CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr (£9,885, 33.0p per mile).
At 10,000 miles per year, running costs become more balanced, with depreciation, fuel or electricity, maintenance and servicing all affecting the final cost.
| Rank | Car | Estimated Total Cost | Estimated Cost Per Mile |
|---|
| 1 | CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £9,885 | 33.0p per mile |
| 2 | CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £11,430 | 38.1p per mile |
| 3 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC HATCHBACK 83kW Collection 44kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £12,712 | 42.4p per mile |
| 4 | DACIA SPRING HATCHBACK 27kWh Expression 45 33kW 5dr Auto | £12,918 | 43.1p per mile |
| 5 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 83kW Extended Range Collection 54kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £13,430 | 44.8p per mile |
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Cheapest cars at 12,000 miles per year
The cheapest car at 12,000 miles per year is CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr [NI] (£10,210, 28.4p per mile).
At 12,000 miles per year, fuel economy and maintenance start to become more important, while depreciation still remains a major part of the overall cost.
| Rank | Car | Estimated Total Cost | Estimated Cost Per Mile |
|---|
| 1 | CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr [NI] | £10,210 | 28.4p per mile |
| 2 | CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £11,780 | 32.7p per mile |
| 3 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC HATCHBACK 83kW Urban Range Plus 30kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £13,304 | 37.0p per mile |
| 4 | DACIA SPRING HATCHBACK 27kWh Expression 45 33kW 5dr Auto | £13,582 | 37.7p per mile |
| 5 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 83kW Extended Range Collection 54kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £14,151 | 39.3p per mile |
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Cheapest cars at 15,000 miles per year
The cheapest car at 15,000 miles per year is CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr (£10,685, 23.7p per mile).
At 15,000 miles per year, commuters and regular drivers should pay close attention to cost per mile, as small differences can add up over the year.
| Rank | Car | Estimated Total Cost | Estimated Cost Per Mile |
|---|
| 1 | CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £10,685 | 23.7p per mile |
| 2 | CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £12,305 | 27.3p per mile |
| 3 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC HATCHBACK 83kW Urban Range Plus 30kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £14,166 | 31.5p per mile |
| 4 | DACIA SPRING HATCHBACK 27kWh Expression 45 33kW 5dr Auto | £14,789 | 32.9p per mile |
| 5 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 83kW Extended Range Collection 54kWh 5dr Auto | £15,207 | 33.8p per mile |
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Cheapest cars at 20,000 miles per year
The cheapest car at 20,000 miles per year is CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr [NI] (£11,460, 19.1p per mile).
At 20,000 miles per year, fuel or electricity costs and maintenance become increasingly important, especially for drivers covering regular long-distance journeys.
| Rank | Car | Estimated Total Cost | Estimated Cost Per Mile |
|---|
| 1 | CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr [NI] | £11,460 | 19.1p per mile |
| 2 | CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £13,130 | 21.9p per mile |
| 3 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC HATCHBACK 83kW Urban Range Plus 30kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £15,595 | 26.0p per mile |
| 4 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 83kW Extended Range Collection 54kWh 5dr Auto | £16,960 | 28.3p per mile |
| 5 | VAUXHALL FRONTERA ELECTRIC ESTATE 83kW Design 44kWh 5dr Auto [17"Alloy] [NI] | £17,107 | 28.5p per mile |
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Cheapest cars at 25,000 miles per year
The cheapest car at 25,000 miles per year is CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr (£12,110, 16.1p per mile).
At 25,000 miles per year, high-mileage drivers can make significant savings by choosing cars with low propulsion costs and predictable maintenance.
| Rank | Car | Estimated Total Cost | Estimated Cost Per Mile |
|---|
| 1 | CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £12,110 | 16.1p per mile |
| 2 | CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £13,930 | 18.6p per mile |
| 3 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC HATCHBACK 83kW Urban Range Plus 30kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £16,949 | 22.6p per mile |
| 4 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 83kW Extended Range Collection 54kWh 5dr Auto | £18,637 | 24.8p per mile |
| 5 | VAUXHALL FRONTERA ELECTRIC ESTATE 83kW Design 44kWh 5dr Auto [17"Alloy] [NI] | £18,714 | 25.0p per mile |
Calculate your own car running costs
Cheapest cars at 30,000 miles per year
The cheapest car at 30,000 miles per year is CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr [NI] (£12,735, 14.2p per mile).
At 30,000 miles per year, cost per mile is especially important because even small differences in running costs can create large annual savings.
| Rank | Car | Estimated Total Cost | Estimated Cost Per Mile |
|---|
| 1 | CITROEN C3 HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr [NI] | £12,735 | 14.2p per mile |
| 2 | CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 1.2 Turbo Collection 5dr | £14,655 | 16.3p per mile |
| 3 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC HATCHBACK 83kW Urban Range Plus 30kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £18,253 | 20.3p per mile |
| 4 | CITROEN E-C3 ELECTRIC AIRCROSS HATCHBACK 83kW Extended Range Collection 54kWh 5dr Auto [NI] | £20,265 | 22.5p per mile |
| 5 | VAUXHALL FRONTERA ELECTRIC ESTATE 83kW Design 44kWh 5dr Auto [17"Alloy] [NI] | £20,271 | 22.5p per mile |
Calculate your own car running costs
Cheapest Cars at 5,000 Miles Per Year
At 5,000 miles per year, fuel costs are less dominant. Purchase price and depreciation can have a bigger effect on total cost per mile.
Cheapest Cars at 10,000 to 12,000 Miles Per Year
This is a useful range for many UK drivers. At this mileage, depreciation, fuel and maintenance all become important parts of the running cost calculation.
See how car cost per mile is calculated.
Cheapest Cars at 15,000 to 20,000 Miles Per Year
At higher mileage, fuel economy becomes increasingly important. Cars with strong fuel efficiency and controlled maintenance costs often perform better in this range.
Cheapest Cars at 25,000 to 30,000 Miles Per Year
For very high-mileage drivers, cost per mile is especially important. Small differences in fuel cost, servicing and depreciation can add up to a large annual saving.
Compare Cars Before You Choose
The cheapest car to run is not always the best car overall. Equipment, specification, comfort, tax, insurance and practicality can also affect the right choice.
You can also compare car prices, equipment, options and specifications.
Related Car Running Cost Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest car to run in the UK?
The cheapest car to run depends on annual mileage, ownership period, depreciation, fuel costs and maintenance costs.
Why does annual mileage affect car running costs?
Annual mileage affects fuel use, maintenance requirements and cost per mile. Depreciation is also spread differently depending on how many miles are driven each year.
What mileage intervals does DriveSmart use?
DriveSmart compares running costs at 5,000, 10,000, 12,000, 15,000, 20,000, 25,000 and 30,000 miles per year.
Can I calculate running costs for my own car?
Yes. The DriveSmart calculator can estimate car running costs from 1,000 to 30,000 miles per year and from 12 to 60 months.