Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - Sam M

Which make and model do you recommend for urban driving and daily school runs?

Economy isi a priority but also a roomy space for kids car seats- we currently have a 1.0 litre Jazz 2003 model, unhappy with the gears, and find engine cuts out regularly, but this is probably irrelevant as I didn't know how to do proper checks when buying it a few months ago.

So apart from the car technicalities,w need more space at the back-currently it's awful trying to get seat belts around the car seats for the 7yrold. I would really like to understand if a Jazz is better than a Yaris for my economy and space priority, or whether I should go for a Kia. I read the below excerpt from Honest John:

It's best to go for the ES spec Hondas rather than the SE or EX. Avoid the Jazz i-Shift. Otherwise, yes, the Yaris 1.3

Thank you very much.

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - Happy Blue!

Lets have some more information...

How many miles a year? Economy probably irrelevant if you are only doing say 4-5,000 miles each year.

Again, spec is also probably irrelevant if your mileage is low - how often will you spend in the car? 30 minutes each day? None of the extra features are going to be relevant apart from possibly air-con (even in winter).

How many kids and how old? Older kids may only need boosters, whereas younger have these increasingly large car seats so you can only fit two side by side.

The Jazz generally has the largest interior of any supermini, But width between internal door pulls is probably you main issue rather than overall space. Go and measure!

Also, higher cars are better for your back than lower ones.

The Kia Picanto is a much smaller car as is the Hyundai i10. You may be better off with the i20 or Kia Rio.

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - Sam M

I have a 7 and 5 yr old and prefer the seats from a safety perspective. I used to have a Renault Clio 1.5 diesel which yes was quite wide and so we are used to this.

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - badbusdriver

Well the most important question here is budget, without knowing what you can afford to spend, it is impossible to recommend something.

Couple of other points though, first of those being, there is no such a car as a 1.0 Honda Jazz. It is either a 1.2 or a 1.4, and that was the case from the very first of the 'modern' Jazz models ('01-'08), through next version ('08-'15), with the current shape changing to a 1.3, then adding a 1.5.

As for space, you have pretty much, through your own observations, ruled out a Jazz, a Yaris, or indeed, any other supermini sized car. The reason?, the Jazz is the most spacious car in its class, and while the version that came after yours, has a little more space, it wouldn't be a noticeable difference. So if it is currently "awful trying to get seat belts round the car seats for the 7 yr old", it is going to be the same with a newer Jazz or any other car in that class.

As i said, without a budget, i'm not sure how applicable any suggestions i made would bem, but reading between the lines, i'd guess your budget would be small?. So saying £1-2k, here are a couple of suggestions.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190613897...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190610885...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190519812...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190613898...2

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190612894...2

Edited by badbusdriver on 16/06/2019 at 10:55

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - Sam M

  1. Sorry I have Yaris 1.0 NOT Jazz , budget £3k as per title! Mileage wise approx 7k mileage a year

Edited by Sam M on 16/06/2019 at 11:27

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - SLO76
Where roughly do you live? I’ll take a look locally at what I’d recommend.
Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - Sam M

Epsom, but not being car savvy and already burnt with the Yaris, I would really like to figure out the right car this time.

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - badbusdriver

Epsom, but not being car savvy and already burnt with the Yaris, I would really like to figure out the right car this time.

When you are looking at low budget cars, there are no certainties. The Jazz is one of the most reliable cars out there!. All you can do is minimise the risks and make use of things like checking the MOT history, which while not definitive, will give an idea on how well, or otherwise, the car has been looked after. Keep it simple.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190531850...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190416703...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190213490...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190510780...1

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - SLO76
You do really need to take a knowledgeable person with you when viewing, even if this means bribing a mechanic. But you were on the right track with the Yaris, in fact I’m surprised it’s been any bother.

I spotted a few worthy of a look.

Auto Trader:

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20181117252...1


Auto Trader:

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190525834...3


This Jazz particularly caught my eye. I prefer a private sale at this end of the market. You get to meet the last owner face to face at their home, this tells you plenty about how the car was looked after. A dealer will tell you anything to get a sale and most stock at small garages at this money will be auction bought, mostly needing repairs which are more often than not done on the cheap. Care needs to be exercised obviously but more money can usually be negotiated off. I’d be very keen on this as a cheap family car if it checks out and can be had for a cheeky £3,000 offer.


Auto Trader:

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190423725...0

Edited by SLO76 on 17/06/2019 at 00:29

Yaris, Jazz, Kia, Hyundai - Best economical hatchback, urban driving, £3k - Sam M

Thank you all, I really appreciate your help and tips - I really need it!!