Best cars for £99 a month

So, you've come to find some new cars for £100/month. Sadly, there's some bad news: It has become increasingly difficult to buy a brand new car for less than £100 per month in recent years. Due to the gradual rise in car prices each year, there are very few new cars left on sale that can be considered 'cheap' - the latest Dacia Sandero is and revised Kia Picanto are about as cheap as you get - and both will cost upwards of £15,000.

That means that any hope of picking up a PCP on a new car for less than £100/month without a hefty deposit is unlikely. Even Dacias don't come in under the magic figure (though they do come close).

The good news is there is much better choice around that monthly figure if you're buying used and opt for a PCP.

Plus, If cost is your number one criteria in your car search, buying a used car is something well worth considering as you might be surprised by how much further your £100 per month will stretch. You only need to take a look at what's on offer for less than £10,000 with BuyaCar to see what an opportunity used car buying can be.

To give a more rounded view, our round-up of PCP deals on new cars below highlights those that are the cheapest. Some get close to the magic £100/month figure (but not quite), while others represent great value for their size and class and can be reduced by contributing a larger deposit. But if you're looking for a new £45,000 car for £100/month you may find yourself disappointed.

See also

• 0% APR car deals
• Best nearly new car deals
• Best PCP car deals
• Best car leasing deals
• Zero deposit finance deals
• Best car subscriptions
• Best electric car finance deals
• Best van finance deals
• New cars with free insurance
• All car finance deals

Best new car PCP deals A-Z

Best new cars for £249 per month or less

Suzuki Swift from £109 per month

Our pick Suzuki Swift Motion
£4,666 deposit £109 per month

Although the Suzuki Swift may not be quite as well-known a name as a Ford Fiesta or Volkswagen Polo, this little hatchback has been a feature of UK roads for forty years. Now in its fourth generation, the latest Swift has grown a little, but features a decent and economical all-new petrol engine, a stylish interior and a comprehensive list of standard equipment.

The Swift is also something of a bargain, with two PCP options to consider. We're featuring a 25-month 0% APR deal here, which requires a customer deposit, or you can opt for a longer agreement at 5.9% APR that includes a £500 deposit contribution and the option of not having to pay a deposit.

Suzuki Swift Mild Hybrid Motion CVT
Price: £20,949 or £109 a month
Annual mileage limit: 8,000
Deposit: £4,666
Monthly payments: 24 x £109 (£2,616)
Optional final payment: £13,667
Total payable: £20,949
APR representative: 0%
PCP agreement length: 25 months
See this deal

Mazda2 Hybrid from £199 a month

Our pick Mazda2 Hybrid Centre-Line
£5,394 deposit £199 per month

The Mazda2 Hybrid is not to be confused with the Mazda2 hatchback, which is no longer offered for sale in the UK. The latter car was a Mazda product, but the Mazda2 Hybrid might be more familiar if you know the latest Toyota Yaris, as it's essentially the same car with slightly different bumpers and badges. It retains the same impressively economical hybrid powertrain and solid equipment levels, including a reversing camera and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as the Toyota, too.

Mazda is currently offering the 2 Hybrid with 0% APR over 48 months. It requires a deposit of over £5,000, but that makes the monthly payments affordable.

Mazda2 Hybrid Centre-Line
Price: £24,580 or £199 a month
Annual mileage limit: 6,000
Deposit: £5,394.27
Monthly payments: 47 x £199 (£9,353)
Optional final payment: £9,833
Total payable: £24,580
APR representative: 0%
PCP agreement length: 48 months
See this deal

Kia Picanto 2 from £214 per month

Our pick Kia Picanto 2
£3,213 deposit £214 per month
Kia Picanto review

The Kia Picanto is proof that good things come in small packages. Despite its tiny size, the Picanto can cope with long journeys in reasonable comfort, while it shines around town. The Picanto is also very well equipped as standard, featuring kit that you'd usually expect to find in larger cars.

As a brand new car, the Picanto is affordable, with Kia currently offering a £500 deposit contribution and zero deposit on PCP, which makes monthly payments £314. However, if you can chip in at least some money to the deposit, this helps make the monthly payments much more manageable. In the example below we've factored in a 20% deposit and a reasonable 8,000-mile per year mileage limit over a 37-month PCP term.

Kia Picanto 2
Price: £16,065 or £213.99 a month
Annual mileage limit: 8,000
Deposit: £3,213
Monthly payments: 37 x £213.99 (£7,917.63)
Optional final payment: £6,934.98
Total payable: £18,351.62
APR representative: 7.9%
PCP agreement length: 37 months
See this deal

Hyundai i10 from £237 per month

Our pick Hyundai i10 Advance
£2,700 deposit £237 per month
Hyundai i10 review

The Hyundai i10 is one of the very best small cars available, managing to feel like a larger car in terms of the space available for front-seat passengers and in the way it drives smoothly and comfortably on the motorway. The i10 isn't quite the bargain it once used to be, but you do still get what you pay for in terms of the economical petrol engine and the decent list of standard equipment even on the entry-level Advance trim.

On a new PCP deal, the freshly facelifted i10 is available at 8.4% APR, giving monthly payments of under £240 on a 49-month deal with 10,000 miles per year when you put down a £2,700 deposit.

Hyundai i10 Advance
Price: £17,100 or £236.69 a month
Annual mileage limit: 10,000
Deposit: £2,700
Monthly payments: 48 x £236.69 (£11,124.43)
Optional final payment: £6,563.70
Total payable: £20,624.82
APR representative: 8.4%
PCP agreement length: 49 months
See this deal

MG ZS from £249 per month

Our pick MG ZS SE
£3,236 deposit £249 per month

The MG ZS has been winning over UK buyers with its value-packed pricing and high levels of standard equipment. It's a very convincing small family SUV, while the all-new model features a significantly improved interior that's packed with a luxury kit as standard. The ride can be a little firm and there's a fair bit of road noise, but they may be compromises you're willing to make as the rest of the offer is so strong.

This deal is for an MG ZS with a petrol engine, while a hybrid version is also available, with PCP prices starting at £269 a month.

MG ZS SE
Price: £19,995 or £249 a month
Annual mileage limit: 8,000
Deposit: £3,235.75
Monthly payments: 48 x £249 (£11,952)
Optional final payment: £8,271
Total payable: £23,458.75
APR representative: 6.9%
PCP agreement length: 49 months
See this deal

When is the best time to lease a car?

As with buying a car, it's often good to check in at the end of a month as dealerships often have incentives or bonuses on offer for their salespeople who meet their targets. Just as with other consumer goods, it’s worth looking for new car deals around the christmas holidays, as it’s quiet in dealerships and people are spending on gifts. It's also worth going deal hunting around Black Friday to snap up deals aimed at when people are in the mood to spend some money.

We’d avoid early March and September, when new registrations come in, as that’s when more new cars are sold, so there’s fewer incentives around, but it's worth asking at the end of each quarter - March, June, September and December - to see if there's a deal to be done.

Does car leasing cover maintenance?

This will depend on the specific deal on the table, but we'd recommend you're absolutely clued in to what any leasing deal does or does not include. Most often, car leasing deals cover more than PCPs, and will include things like road tax. However, maintenance tends to count like an optional extra, and can be added for an extra monthly fee.

It’s worth looking at, as lease deals can be quite strict about exactly when and where a leased car must be serviced. It’s rare you can pick any garage, and some carmakers will insist any work is done at their franchise only, so a discounted packaged, if available, could save you money and stress.

How hard is it to get approved for car finance?

With any form of car finance deal, your credit score will be checked to ensure that you can afford to pay back any loan. To get approved for car finance you need to have a good credit history and have chosen a car that fits your budget.

If you have lots of debt and no form of income, getting this approved will be tricky, and if you are successful, you may have higher interest to pay. However, there are specialist firms that offer car finance for those with poor credit, so all is not lost if you don’t get approved first time around.

How can I reduce monthly payments?

If you're looking for the cheapest leasing deal possible, it's always worth shopping around and being flexible. For example, if you like a particular car but aren't completely set on it, it's always worth looking up key rivals and seeing how prices compare, or considering downsizing a model, say from a Golf to a Polo, if you can manage with the reduced space.

Likewise, if you’re flexible on how much you’re planning to use your car, signing up to a lower annual mileage limit could trim some cash from the budget. However, if you then end up over the limit at the end of the agreement, the cost per mile charge could prove quite the sting in the tail.