Ford Fiesta now tops CAP motoring costs enquiries
If you’re looking for a new car to lease or buy, knowing what its running costs are is likely to be high up your list of important criteria. And, with the cost of fuel, insurance and car tax remaining high, it seems that Brits are turning to everyday, practical cars when deciding which model to drive on car leasing or contract hire agreements.
New research from a leading auto company has found that Britain’s most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, has toppled the luxurious BMW X5 from top place in their online ‘Total Cost of Motoring’ consumer research charts. The findings show that more motorists are searching for practical, everyday models to buy or lease rather than luxury or prestige vehicles. Keep reading to find out more…
Brits looking for practical, everyday cars to lease or buy
The latest figures released by CAP, the independent car cost experts, show that there is a clear preference among motorists for more practical ‘everyday’ vehicles when it comes to researching the long-term ownership costs of the next car they lease or buy.
CAP’s ‘Total Cost of Motoring’ service gives you an insight into the overall running costs of your car and helps you to work out your likely expense on a new vehicle.
The tool gives you a clear vision of your expected spending on every aspect of the car – including what it will lose in depreciation – over the entire period of ownership. It includes car leasing and contract hire costs, fuel economy and road tax charges.
The latest research from January 2014 shows that practical family cars dominated the queries from thousands of motorists who researched more than 300 different makes and models over the course of the month.
Fiesta moves to first place
Britain’s bestselling car, the Ford Fiesta, moved up one place to number 1 as the most popular vehicle investigated through CAP’s free web tool. The Seat Alhambra diesel estate was the second most searched car followed by the Fiesta’s sister model, the Ford Focus hatchback.
The Range Rover Evoque was a new entry at number four, followed by last month’s number one most searched model, the BMW X5.
Other notable chart entries include the petrol version of Volkswagen’s Golf – which debuts 2 places below its diesel counterpart – and Vauxhall makes its first entry with the diesel Astra.
CAP’s Retail and Consumer expert, Philip Nothard, said: “While our first chart revealed unexpectedly high consumer interest in prestige and luxury cars, motorists in January were clearly more concerned with economy and practicality.
“This is reflected by the new entries which, with the exception of the ever-popular Range Rover Evoque, can be described as lower cost cars to run, such as petrol Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf and diesel Audi A3 and Vauxhall Astra.
“The sheer variety of models investigated by consumers is also striking, with the number of different model variants researched rising to 369 – which even included one query in January for the cost over 3 years of owning a Bentley Continental GT Coupe.
“Although most users are genuinely looking for the best choice for their next car, I think it’s safe to say that particular query was out of curiosity because I’ve yet to meet a Bentley driver who worried about their fuel consumption or future trade-in value.”