Ask Honest John

Most recently answered economical questions
I'm thinking of buying a new 1.6 diesel hatchback which I will keep for five or more years. Firstly, with annual mileage at 12,000 miles, is this the right choice? Secondly, is the Octavia likely to be...
I placed a deposit for £1,000 in December 2009 for purchase of a new Toyota Prius from a UK main Toyota dealer. The anticipated delivery date was 1st March 2010. Naturally I was somewhat apprehensive when...
I have a friend who has ordered a new Prius for delivery at the beginning of March. They are concerned over the braking issue and are considering cancelling their order. Do you consider the braking issue...
My wife, Carol, wants to buy an all-electric car, a four/five-seater hatchback, with a decent range. What can you recommend please? Do you think all-electric cars are all that green? What about all...
I am thinking of buying a 2nd hand Toyota Prius but almost all the driving I do is on the motoway - usually between London and Wales. I have been driving an old SAAB 900 automatic, which I need to get...
I am really interested in the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera. The benefits seem inescapable. However, given a scenario where the car is used on the daily commute of a round trip of, say, 30 miles and the odd shopping...
I have just been on the BMW website. There they have a new BMW 3 series 320d ED. From the news article it seems to be a very good car at BMW prices. Do you have any pre-launch details of this car?
In the near future, electric cars seem ideal for me (1,200 miles per year, almost entirely city travel). However I am concerned that the performance (distance) may be reduced by its inability to defrost...
I have an excellent Volvo 480 but it is 15 years old, and I am thinking of buying under the "scrappage" scheme a new "Volvo C30 DRIVe". However, advertising from Volvo proclaims: “It also uses our brand...
Having read with interest the various recent articles on the recent crop of electric cars. One common thing strikes you about all of them, their huge purchase cost. The Citroen C1 Evie is a prime example...