Swap a VW for Hyundai?

My wife and I have a 43-year-old single son who suffered a severe stroke two and a half years ago. This has left him with a weakness down his left side with restricted use of left leg and arm. He has been passed fit enough to drive an automatic and a year ago we purchased a 1.4 VW Polo automatic.

He is pleased with the car but the running costs, especially the road fund licence, are expensive. We are thinking of replacing the care with an automatic Hyundai i10. He only does around 4,000 miles per year and predominantly on short journeys. Do you think this sensible or would you recommend another alternative? Running costs and reliability are the most important factors.

Asked on 15 January 2010 by RS, via email

Answered by Honest John
Replacing a 1-year-old car with another new one is a very effective way to lose a large amount of money. A Polo 1.4 DSG emits 135g/km so the VED is now £115 a year. The latest Hyundai i10 1.2 automatic is a great little car, better than the Polo, but still emits 129g/km so will now cost £95 a year to tax. But whether you can do a beneficial swap or even a direct swap is another matter entirely.
Tags: advice
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