A £250 per month budget feels like a real sweet spot for used cars.
It usually gets you into a current-shape model that might only be a couple of years old, but for considerably less than the same car if it’d just rolled out of the factory. So you get the latest tech, a plate that’s not very old and, often, the balance of the manufacturer’s warranty.
We've chosen our 10 favourite cars at this price point. For even more choice, browse our range of used cars under £250 per month here.
Skoda Octavia
The Skoda Octavia is a rational, measured car – what it lacks in white-knuckle excitement, it makes up for with reassuring competence. It’s comfortable, quiet, economical and sort of fun to drive, while its smart interior manages to blend hardwearing materials with premium touches to good effect.
The Octavia is based on the Volkswagen Golf and shares a lot of its qualities, but the Skoda has a much bigger boot – over 50% bigger, in fact – and costs less to buy. How can your sensible head resist?
Shop used Skoda Octavia cars for sale or read our Skoda Octavia review
Audi A3
Sure, you can get a Volkswagen Golf for under £250 per month, but why not treat yourself to the posher version? The Audi A3 has plusher materials and tech that both looks more impressive and is more usable than the Golf, while practicality and the engine choices are largely the same.
A £250 maximum spend buys you an A3 that’s only a couple of years old and in the popular S Line trim, or the plug-in hybrid A3 with its 40-mile electric range if you’re happy with the Sport trim. Sport doesn’t have the glitz of S Line, but it has all the tech of the higher-spec car.
Shop used Audi A3 cars for sale or read our Audi A3 review
Nissan Qashqai
The Nissan Qashqai has quietly become something of a British icon. This family SUV is built in Sunderland and at least one can usually be found on every suburban street in the land. What's more, the third-generation Qashqai is now available for less than £250 per month, and it's had a significant glow-up compared to its predecessor. The cabin still has all the space a family of four can ask for, but now comes trimmed in much posher materials and boasts much fancier-looking tech in the dashboard. Our budget doesn't quite stretch to the clever range-extending e-Power version yet, but the standard 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine is smooth and refined in use.
Shop used Nissan Qashqai cars for sale or read our Nissan Qashqai review
BMW 3 Series
You might be surprised to see that the BMW 3 Series doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Because BMWs are continually popular, the resale values are good, and that keeps your monthly payments nice and low. Stick to this budget and you can choose from the 330e plug-in hybrid – with a 34-mile electric range – or one of the smooth petrol engines, in either the Sport or the popular M Sport trims.
Think how lovely it’ll feel knowing you’re driving a car that everyone else thinks is expensive, but you’ve picked up for reasonable money.
Shop used BMW 3 Series cars for sale or read our BMW 3 Series review
Kia Sportage
It might have been replaced by a brand-new model now, but the last-shape Kia Sportage is still an excellent buy if you’re looking for a family-size SUV under £250 a month. With the balance of a seven-year warranty, a three-year-old Sportage still has more coverage than a brand-new Mercedes – although Kia’s reliability means you might never need it. The Sportage gets heated seats and smartphone connectivity as standard, as well as acres of passenger space and a big boot.
There’s a good choice of specs to choose from, including the mid-range 3 and big-wheeled GT-Line trim, and a couple of petrol and diesel engines.
Shop used Kia Sportage cars for sale or read our Kia Sportage review
Mercedes A-Class
The Mercedes A-Class is another posh car that benefits from strong resale values, keeping monthly finance costs reasonable. There's no sense of cost-cutting behind the wheel. Material quality is high with leather and metal pieces dotted all over the cabin, and an effortlessly stylish design. You also get the company's latest MBUX infotainment setup in a sweeping double-screen pod across the dashboard – it's packed with features and has sharp-looking graphics. It also manages to conjure that sense of effortlessness drivers look for in a Mercedes, with punch turbocharged engines and a quick-witted automatic gearbox.
Shop used Mercedes A-Class cars for sale or read our Mercedes A-Class review
Skoda Karoq
Vanilla is the best flavour of ice cream, and the Skoda Karoq – while a bit bland-looking at first – is one of the, er, tastiest SUVs. Its handsome, well-proportioned bodywork hides a smart and considered dashboard, featuring a blend of materials that strike a good balance between plushness and durability. The Karoq offers a huge amount of interior space and excellent versatility, but it’s also good to drive and comfortable.
It’s one of our favourite family haulers, and you can spend considerably less than £250 per month to get behind the wheel of one. You can even buy a Karoq with the zippy 1.0-litre petrol engine and in a decently equipped trim level for under £200 per month. SE L trim adds lots of bells and whistles and still comes under budget.
Shop used Skoda Karoq cars for sale or read our Skoda Karoq review
Mazda CX-30
Just like the Volkswagen T-Roc, the Mazda CX-30 straddles the line between small and midsize SUVs, and both are similarly good value on the second-hand market. So your choice might depend on which car’s styling you prefer, or which you find easiest to use. The Mazda is more curvaceous where the T-Roc is chiselled and square.
The Mazda has the slight edge when it comes to material quality, but you might find its infotainment screen – controlled by a rotary dial – a little unusual to use, compared to the more conventional touchscreen fitted in the T-Roc. Fuel economy and performance are largely the same, even if the two cars go about it in very different ways.
Shop used Mazda CX-30 cars and used Volkswagen T-Roc cars for sale, or read our T-Roc review
Toyota C-HR
Familiarity might’ve softened the boldness of the C-HR’s styling a little, but if you buy one you’ll notice new styling flicks every time you go up to it.
Come for the alien spaceship styling, stay for the frugal hybrid engines. The C-HR shares its 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines with the Corolla, and the smaller of the two lumps can return almost 60mpg when driven gently. Keep at a restrained pace and it’s impressively quiet, too.
Shop used Toyota C-HR cars for sale or read our Toyota C-HR review
Volkswagen ID.3
Spending under £250 per month on a Volkswagen ID.3 seems really good value to us. The ID.3 is essentially Volkswagen’s electric Golf – the car that takes on the challenge of converting VW drivers to battery power. Look for the 58kWh battery and ‘Pro Performance’ motor which, together, give a range of about 250 miles and acceleration that almost matches the Golf GTI hot hatch, and a delightfully smooth driving experience. It feels really spacious inside, thanks to a long wheelbase and an open, expansive dashboard. But it’s still packed full of equipment, including heated seats and climate control.
Shop used Volkswagen ID.3 cars for sale
Read our top picks for other monthly budgets
- 10 of the best cars for under £150 per month
- 10 of the best cars for under £200 per month
- 10 of the best cars for under £300 per month
Affordable finance on used cars
Check out Motorpoint's huge selection of nearly new and used cars, all with a range of flexible finance options.
