Depends what type of car you're after and the miles you do

And how much you want to spend of course!

In general, the cheapest way to run a car is to buy second hand and run it for a long time (spreading the depreciation over a long period). The downside is that you take on the risk of something big going wrong (say a £2k plus repair bill).

Leasing offers certainty on cash flow, but will be more expensive in the long run. The key with leasing is not to be too fussy with exactly what car you want so when there is a good deal you can jump on it. Normally though, the best deals are for 8k miles pa. There was an amazing deal on a Golf R a little while back!

Of course if you want a brand new car every time then you can't hide from the depreciation, but the longer the time you own it the lower the cost per month of ownership.

If you want to change your car every 2 or 3 years and want a new one each time, leasing is the best option. Takes the risk out of residual values etc.

Posted By: SimonOTBC, Aug 15, 09:51:52