Car choice: A classy way to make short journeys

Charlotte Hart wonders whether she should keep her Audi A4 diesel, given all the uncertainty about the future for that fuel

A car for the head

We asked Charlotte about how she uses her car and the answers were remarkable. Her annual mileage is barely 5,000 miles, and most of that is local journeys and just the odd motorway trip.

It seems she would better off with a classy car such as her Audi, but in a smaller package. In fact, Audi make such a car and they call it the A3. It is also available with a very efficient petrol engine too. With £12,450 she can buy a 1.2 TFSI Sport which does around 57mpg. We found a 2014 one-owner example with just 14,297 miles.

(Alfa Romeo (Alfa Romeo)

A car for the heart

German executive cars can be such a cliché, even if they are shrunk down to a more manageable size. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some more interesting small cars that you don’t see often enough. That means she should consider an Alfa Romeo. They are stylish, fun and overlooked unfairly. Their compact model is the Mito with just three doors, but I think a four-door Giulietta is more practical for Charlotte. A 2015 1.4 TB MultiAir Exclusive at £15,000 is a great buy with 11,000 miles which will deliver 50mpg overall.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com