Car choice: The ideal vehicle for a long commute. Is it trad Vauxhall Astra or new tech Honda Insight

Need a new or used car but not sure which make or model? James Ruppert can help you decide

The Astra is often overlooked but is nice to drive and very efficient (Vauxhall)

Tony Shapiro needs an economical car for an impressively long commute of over 100 miles a day. He has a budget of up to £7,000.

A car for the head

We have been told that diesel is a very bad thing what with all those nasty emissions. The thing is, diesels are not going anywhere for the time being, so it would be silly not to take advantage of the quite spectacular MPG returns that Tony will get. He needs a family-sized car, so let’s take a look at the Vauxhall Astra. It often gets overlooked but this model is nice to drive and very efficient, with the 1.7 diesel model returning over 60mpg as an average. I found a 2011 with just 23K miles at £7,000.


 The Honda Insight is good for most conditions 
 (Honda)

A car for the heart

If the diesel option does not appeal to Tony then there is always a Hybrid. The combination of a petrol engine and electric power has two advantages. Firstly there is no chance of running out of battery power and secondly when there is a mixture of motoring conditions it becomes more even more efficient. The Honda Insight 1.3 IMA is a decently sized family car and overall should return 64mpg overall. A well-equipped SE from 2010 with 38,500 miles and two previous owners was £7,000 inclusive of a dealer warranty and a full MOT.

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