A Complete Guide To UK Cars

Most of the popular cars in the UK are compact models that provide value for money. Here are some of the most popular options on UK roads, including some great used automatic cars:

• Vauxhall Corsa
• Ford Focus
• VW Golf
• Mini
• Vauxhall Astra
• BMW 3 Series
• VW Polo
• Nissan Qashqai
• Audi A3
• BMW 1 Series

Take a look at each car in more detail via our dedicated blog here.

There are plenty of lavish cars on our roads, and for some, the price might surprise you. The cars in this list range from out-and-out speedsters to luxury British manufacturing that commands respect.

The most expensive cars in the UK 👇:

• Lotus Eletre R - £120,000
• Radical RXC GT - £145,000
• BMW XM - £148,000
• BAC Mono - £165,000
• Audi R8 V10 Spyder Performance Edition - £168,000
• Porsche 911 Sport Classic - £214,000
• Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4Matic First Class – £217,000
• Maserati MC20 Cielo - £235,000
• Bentley Continental GTC - £233,000
• AC Cobra EV+ - £237,000
• Aston Martin DBS - £278,000
• McLaren 765LT Spider - £313,000
• Ferrari SF90 Spider - £418,000
• Lamborghini Aventador LP-780-4 Ultimate Roadster - £440,000
• Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Series II - £451,000
• David Brown Automotive Speedback GT - £620,000
• Gordon Murray Automotive T50 - £2.8 million

If you’re interested in learning more about each of these models, visit our blog here.

Some of the most popular vehicles in the UK are family cars. With that in mind, we’ve covered the best options in the UK. To look at each in more detail, we’ve written a separate piece on UK family cars, which you can find here.

• Skoda Octavia VRS - (£37,000 new, £5,000 - £30,000 used)
• Skoda Octavia Estate (£25,000 new, £10,000 used)
• Kia Sportage (£29,000 - £45,000 new, £5,000 - £40,000 used)
• Nissan Qashqai Visia (£2,000 - £16,000)
• Nissan Qashqai Acenta Premium (£30,000 new, £10,000 used)
• Nissan Qashqai N-Connecta (£32,000 new, £14,000 used)
• Skoda Superb Estate (£34,000 new, £10,000 used)
• Ford Kuga (£31,000 new, £5,000 used)

SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles) have become some of the most popular cars in the UK, but what tops the list within the SUV range? The best SUV in the UK comes down to a few options:

• Kia Sportage
• Audi Q Range
• Ford Kuga
• Range Rover Evoque
• BMW X3

In our blog, we also looked at the most reliable SUVs and the best value SUVs in the UK. Interested in what made the list? Visit our dedicated blog.

Small compact SUVs have burst onto the market, providing good levels of space in smaller vehicles. This gives drivers the best of both worlds, allowing them to drive their family around whilst parking easily!

But what makes our list of the best small SUVs in the UK?

• Dacia Duster
• Nissan Juke
• Ford Puma
• Lexus LBX
• VW T-Roc
• Skoda Karoq
• Range Rover Evoque
• Volvo EX30
• Toyota Yaris Cross
• BMW X1

In a separate piece, we’ve looked into each of these cars, what makes them great and how much they could set you back.

📖 The best small SUVs in the UK

Are you a tall driver struggling to find something that fits? Forget about back and leg pain and find something that makes cruising comfortable.

Some of the best cars for tall drivers:

• Ford Focus
• Audi Q7
• Suzuki Ignis
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Tesla Model S
• Volkswagen Polo
• Volvo XC60

🔎 You can find more information on the best cars for tall drivers in our specific piece.

Looking for a car that suits your height, here are some of the best cars for short drivers in the UK:

• Skoda Fabia
• Seat Mii
• Honda Fit
• Honda CR-V
• Hyundai Kona Electric
• Subaru Forester
• Fiat 500L
• BMW i3
• Smart ForTwo

👉 Click here for more information on each car, and see what suits you. You never know, one of the cars in this list might just be your next set of wheels.

Got a salary of £30,000 and not sure where to spend it? There are some fantastic used car options under £30,000, from fast cars to SUVs. Here are some of the best options for your budget.

• V6 Jaguar F Type
• Porsche 911 Carrera S
• Range Rover Evoque
• Volvo XC40
• Tesla Model S 85
• BMW 5 Series
• BMW M4
• VW Golf
• Mercedes-Benz A200 AMG Line

Take a look at each of these cars in more detail here.

On a small budget but still want to find something that stands the test of time? We’ve got the best cars under £7,000 for you:

• Ford Fiesta
• Skoda Octavia
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Golf
• Audi A3

Looking for more information on each? We’ve got you covered:  https://www.marshfinance.com/blog/blog-the-best-cars-under-7000

There’s been plenty of famous car films with iconic cars in, from the Aston Martins of James Bond to the Minis of the Italian Job. Here are some of the best cars to make our list:

• Austin Mini Cooper - Italian Job (1969)
• Aston Martin DB5 - Goldfinger (1964)
• DeLorean - Back To The Future (1985)
• Lotus Esprit S1 - The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California - Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

We’ve taken a deep dive into each car and its role in film in a separate piece 👇.

Read More

Knowing what cars get stolen the most is really important when it comes to choosing your new wheels. Believe it or not, some brands are targeted, based on their high quality finish or their popularity on the roads. This is just a short preview of the most stolen cars in the UK but for more, visit our blog here.

The most stolen cars in the UK:

• Range Rover
• Mercedes-Benz
• Ford

This isn’t all we covered. Get hold of some handy tips to protect your car against theft.

Don’t let your wheels get stolen. Visit our blog and get car safety savvy.

2025 is set to host plenty of great new cars, from futuristic SUVs to fast sports cars. Here’s a quick sneak peak of what our blog has to offer:

The most exciting releases coming in 2025:

• Skoda Epiq
• MG Cyberster
• Range Rover EV
• Lotus Emeya
• Audi A6 e-Tron
• Kia K4

Visit our blog to learn more about each car, including what makes it so special and the price you will have to pay to own one.

The Best New Cars 2025

Automatic cars are the way for most drivers in today’s market. There’s plenty of great value in automatic cars, too. With that in mind, we’ve put together our favourites in a separate piece. Here’s a quick look at what you can expect.

The best cheap automatic cars for sale:

• Volkswagen Up!
• Audi A3
• Toyota Aygo
• Ford Focus
• Toyota Yaris
• Peugeot 208
• Skoda Fabia

📢 As mentioned, you can find out more about each car by clicking here.

The Ford Fiesta is one of the most popular cars in the UK. It’s been on our roads for plenty of years, and in that time has become a fan favourite amongst drivers. A used Ford Fiesta can cost anywhere from £1,000 to £19,000 based on its age and spec. There are plenty of different types of Ford Fiesta too:

• Ford Fiesta ST – an economical hot hatch, the ST is the fast, sporty version of the Ford Fiesta range.
• Ford Fiesta Zetec – a fairly standard model, this doesn’t blow you away. It is however super reliable and efficient.
• Ford Fiesta MK7 – a slightly older option, this car handles well and comes in at a cheap price.
• Ford Fiesta Titanium – a run-of-the-mill, safe option that you can rely on, the Titanium is one of the most popular Fiestas around.
• Ford Fiesta Vignale – a premium option, the Vignale comes with leather finishes throughout.
• Ford Fiesta Active – the SUV version, this is a good model if you’re looking for something bigger, but don’t want to part with a Fiesta.
• Ford Fiesta Startline – a modern version of the Zetec, the Startline is sporty and fresh.

It’s not just price that puts plenty of people onto the Ford Fiesta, it’s insurance too. Out of 50 insurance levels, where lower equals better, Fiestas rank 7^th. This makes the Ford Fiesta one of the cheapest cars to insure in the UK.

This is just a brief overview of the Ford Fiesta—we’ve covered each model in more detail in a separate piece, as well as a look to a future where Fiestas have sadly stopped production.

💭 Interested in finding out more? Here’s our guide to buying a used Ford Fiesta.

We’ve taken a look at the best cars for the following budgets:

• £5,000
• £15,000
• £30,000
• £50,000

Now let’s pick our favourites for each price range.

The best cars under £5,000:

• BMW Z4
• Ford Focus
• Toyota Yaris

The best cars under £15,000:

• BMW 1 Series
• Nissan Leaf

The best cars under £30,000:

• Volvo XC60
• Porsche Cayenne
• BMW 5 Series

The best cars under £50,000

• Jaguar F-Type
• Tesla Model S

Wanting to find out more about a specific car? Don’t worry, we have you covered. This is just a snippet from a larger piece looking at the best cars for your budget.

There are more cars starting with S than you can probably think of. It’s one of the most popular letters, with plenty of car brands starting with S:

• Subaru
• Skoda
• Seat
• Suzuki
• Saab
• Smart

Within each brand is a variety of different models, from hatchbacks to large trucks! To take a deeper dive into each brand, visit our dedicated piece here.

Choosing between petrol and diesel can be tricky. With that in mind, we’ve broken down the pros and cons of each.

Why choose a petrol car?

• Cheaper to run and fill up.
• Better suited to short journeys.
• Lower emissions.

What are the downsides of petrol?

• Tends to use more fuel than diesel.
• Older petrol cars are now subject to higher tax rates.

What are the benefits of diesel cars?

• More efficient (better MPG).
• Costs less to run.
• Performance, particularly in carrying heavy loads, as they tend to provide more power.

What are the negatives of diesel cars?

• Diesel cars tend to be more expensive.
• Higher emissions in older models, which can bring with it higher taxes.
• More likely to be damaged and require repair.

So, this begs the question: is petrol or diesel better?

The answer depends on your circumstances and what you want from a car. For ease and short journeys, petrol is the way to go. If you’re looking for something powerful that has better MPG on long journeys, you should go for a diesel. One thing to note is that diesels are coming under more and more scrutiny due to their higher level of emissions, and there’s a good chance that further taxes may appear, bringing up the cost of owning a diesel car.

This is just a brief overview of the debate, though. You can find more information via our petrol vs diesel piece.

Cars that exist in groups 2-5 tend to be the cheapest to insure. This includes:

• VW Up
• Hyundai i10
• Kia Picanto
• VW Polo
• Seat Ibiza
• Renault Clio
• Kia Rio
• Skoda Fabia
• Nissan Micra
• Dacia Sandero

Yes, these cars are cheap to insure, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily right for you. Take a look at our blog ‘what are the cheapest cars to insure’ to learn more about each car, and see which option best suits you.

ULEZ is an area spanning central London and all the nearby boroughs. Any car that drives through this area and isn’t ULEZ exempt will face a small fine. It’s not all bad news, though; some cars are actually exempt from the ULEZ charge, so driving them won’t hurt your wallet. What are these cars, and how can you avoid the charges next time you visit the capital?

Cars that are ULEZ exempt:

• Ford Fiesta
• Skoda Octavia
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Golf
• Audi A3 Sportback
• Toyota Corolla
• Seat Ibiza
• BMW i5
• MG4 EV

Learn more about each car via our dedicated ULEZ blog, which looks at the merits of each vehicle and why one of them could be your next ride.