Most fuel efficient cars in the UK

My in-laws have offered to buy us cars so we have immediate transportation when we get to the UK. My only request is an automatic with good fuel economy. I know this sounds a bit like an oxymoron, but I would really prefer taking the whole "learning to drive on the wrong side of the road" one step at a time.

Since my husband seems to be the only man alive who knows nothing about cars, can any one else give suggestions on fuel efficient vehicles?

Comments I've seen on here point in the direction of diesel engine powered motor cars.
What kind? I dono.

i have a toyota prirus- it's probably one of the most fuel efficient you can get. 

if you're looking for straight fuel efficiency- look at supermini size cars- things like ka.

I drive a Toyota Yaris, which you can get in a semi-automatic transmission (it drives the same as an automatic), and I get about 400 miles to a 9 gallon tank.  But, I do not fill up when empty but about a 1/4 tank before so you can probably get more mileage.  I wanted a Prius, but, cost was an issue for us at first.  Next time!! 

I drive a nissan micra and while mine is a manual transmission, they do make them in automatics too (ive seen them!). I get about 60 miles per gallon on the motorway and slightly less when driving through town, etc. It cost about £38 to fill up and it lasts me a fortnight (i dont do TONS of driving, but I have driven 70 miles and it is still on full if that helps!). A mini car would work great. Automatics sometimes have slightly worse fuel economy due to larger engines, however a prius or micra that's automatic wouldn't have a huge different I would't think in the size of the engines...

Probably won't be able to afford these cars, as we are looking at used mid-90s models under 2000 GBP. I was looking at Fiat Puntos, which seem to meet a lot of my requirements.

I'll have a look at semi-automatics.
I like the prius, but true hybrids are out our pricerange.

I guess I'm looking for the makes and models of the supermini sized cars.

yeh i did a search for an automatic when i first came here on a website (gumtree i think?) and found one for like £800 but then someone gave me a car and as it was a manual i learned to drive it lol. you should be able to find a micra, fiat, or prius used for under £2000 easily i would think. good luck to you!!

yeh i did a search for an automatic when i first came here on a website (gumtree i think?) and found one for like £800 but then someone gave me a car and as it was a manual i learned to drive it lol. you should be able to find a micra, fiat, or prius used for under £2000 easily i would think. good luck to you!!

Thanks, that's great, I'll be on the look out for those.

Well, I do know how to drive a manual, but really prefer driving automatics. I think it will also be easier learning to drive in the UK, if I don't have to try learning to shift with my left hand at the same time.

In 2006, I bought a 1995 Nissan Micra for £800 (manual, not automatic). It was fairly well-used, with 80,000 miles on the clock, but I still got 40-45 miles to the (UK) gallon with it. In terms of petrol/gas amounts, it had a 9-gallon tank and I spent about £20 per week on fuel (about half to two-thirds of a tank), driving 200 miles per week.

Probably won't be able to afford these cars, as we are looking at used mid-90s models under 2000 GBP. I was looking at Fiat Puntos, which seem to meet a lot of my requirements.

I'll have a look at semi-automatics.
I like the prius, but true hybrids are out our pricerange.

I guess I'm looking for the makes and models of the supermini sized cars.

You will likely have a hard time finding a decent, small, mid-90s automatic under £2000 - much harder than finding the same thing in a standard transmission in the US!  I speak from experience - we live near Newcastle and travelled to Sheffield to buy our current car, a '96 N-reg automatic VW Golf that we paid £1300 for in January.  Most automatic cars under £2000 tend to be what you'd think of as old-lady cars - large, roomy, well-padded cars like Ford Mondeos, Vauxhall Vectras and Renault Lagunas.  You'll find loads of Fiat Puntos (but beware, there's a reason there are a ton on the market!), some Ford Fiestas and Escorts (the latter is considered a family-sized car here), a few VW Golfs and Polos, and the rare Nissan Micra or Vauxhall Corsa - but be prepared to search!

Try a search on Autotrader.co.uk to get a good idea of what's out there and what sizes, engine stats, etc. each car has.

Why are there a lot of Fiat Puntos on the market?

Why are there a lot of Fiat Puntos on the market?

They're not incredibly reliable as used cars go - at least in my experience.  YMMV.

Just for pricing sake, we purchased my Toyota Yaris used for £5500 (it is a 2005 that had 13,500 miles and we purchased in December 2007).  They had similar cars in older models 2000-2004, that ranged from  a bit under £2000 to £4000.  So, you may be able to find something that will run well if you look.  We purchased my car from a Toyota dealer and it is a certified car with a 3 year warranty.  Just something to think about.  Good luck!

We hired a VW Golf diesel auto when we were in Scotland in Feb and it was GREAT on mileage/fuel!!

I hired a Ford Focus manual petrol when I was in London last week and it was great too. I drove 300 miles on one tank of fuel. I don't know how the auto would have done though.

You may want to check out Fifth Gear's search feature.  Running cost refers to fuel economy.  Choose auto transmition in question 5.     They'll give you the rundown on cars that meet your requirements.

Also, you may want to have a look on AutoTader for more info on cars, their reliablility etc.

In addition to economy you're also going to need to look into car insurance.  Just because a car is economical, doesn't mean it won't really dig into your budget to insure it.

Good luck!