New driver in need of a small car with good MPG

I have very recently passed my test and am due to start new job in two weeks time. I will be commuting 500 miles a week, so need something with great MPG which can handle motorways. It will also need to be cheap to insure, tax etc. I have a £5,000 budget so am looking at used cars at the moment, possibly a Hyundai i10 1.2. Grateful if you could advice the following:

- If the i10 is a good choice and what problems to look out for
- If there is a more suitable small used car (i.e. Citroen C1)
- What the best new car would be to buy on finance to meet the above requirements

Asked on 19 July 2016 by Cassie

Answered by Honest John
The old i10 1.2 is a sweet little car, decent to drive , okay on the motorway. See the car by car entry for potential problems with clutch and brakes. You might be better off with an older, pre-DPF Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D. New, everything depends on the deal. Very small cars like the Vauxhall Viva are great around town but low geared and not so great on the motorway. FIAT 500 1.2s are reasonably long geared and have excellent seats. C1s and 108s are best bought with the 1.2 PureTech engine rather than the 1.0 engine.
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