The 10 essential questions to ask before changing your car
A different vehicle could help to reduce your motoring costs – but which way should you turn? New or used? EV or not EV? James Foxall addresses the most pressing concerns of 2022
Buying a car is complicated at the best of times. Buying one when the price of fuel is rising daily and some car makers no longer print brochures because prices are altered so often is doubly difficult. But all is not doom and gloom. We’re here to help, answering all the questions you are asking about changing your car that you probably wouldn’t have considered only a year ago.
There’s no escaping the seemingly inexorable rise in household costs. Fuel prices are the most obvious sign of a difficult road ahead so, not surprisingly, many drivers are considering changing their car to take advantage of greater efficiency and reduced insurance costs.
One solution might be an electric car (EV), but they’re still not suitable for all needs. They are also expensive to buy and although there are savings to be made, they might not be evident for a number of years.
A new car will undoubtedly be more efficient than an older one, yet supply problems caused by a global lack of semiconductors mean that you may have to wait up to a year to get the precise specification you want.
Buying a used car is the obvious alternative. However, a knock-on effect of the shortage of new cars is that used prices have gone through the roof, with many low-mileage models currently worth more than the list price of a brand new example. Even prices at the bargain basement end of the market have risen in sympathy with those of in-demand three- to five-year-old cars.
Sticking with diesel will give you more miles per gallon, yet there remain question marks over the fuel’s particulate and NOx emissions. The sophisticated exhaust-cleaning systems of modern diesels mean they’re no longer a disaster in this regard, but on the other hand, there’s more to go wrong – a particular concern for buyers of used examples.
Worries over diesel have led to a resurgence in the popularity of petrol power, yet that is also not without issue. The adoption of “green” E10 unleaded fuel has prompted concerns among drivers and motorists’ groups that because it is not as efficient as 100 per cent oil-based petrol, due to its content of up to 10 per cent bioethanol, we’re having to use more of the stuff to travel an equivalent distance – at a time when fuel prices are at an all-time high.
There’s a lot to grapple with. Over the page, our expert answers the most commonly asked questions.
For many, the SUV is the car of choice. The raised driving position is reassuring, the styling is rugged and they are highly practical in terms of passenger and luggage space.
If there’s a problem, it’s that they’re perceived by some as symbolic of capitalist excess and overconsumption. But rather than derogatory nods about “Chelsea tractors”, a group called the Tyre Extinguishers have gone five steps further and let down the tyres of SUVs in London, Bristol and Brighton.
This vandalism will doubtless pass when they find another target and a catchier name. But it raises the question about whether buyers should reconsider SUVs. After all, they are heavier and less economical than conventional hatchbacks, saloons and estates, while some are simply too large for urban streets designed for horses and carts.
If you are worried about having your tyres let down, why not try a traditional estate car? Consider the Audi A4 Avant compared with the brand’s SUV equivalent, the Q5. The estate is cheaper and more fuel efficient, and although its boot is marginally smaller, the luggage space is conveniently longer.
Big-selling brands such as Volkswagen, Vauxhall and Ford all have estate versions of their most popular cars, as do Kia and Peugeot. And when buying used, estates don’t command the same price premium that SUVs attract.