London family, 18-month-old, £11k budget - compact SUV for 5-6 years. Talk me off the ledge.
I appreciate that this is not interesting CarTalk chat but I can't face chatting to AI and would appreciate some real humans offering an opinion. I'm going round in circles now as I was in accident that got my car written off and need to buy a car in next 7 days realistically.
Location: London
Price range: Up to £11k
Lease or Buy: Buy
New or used: Used
Auto or Manual: Open to Both
Intended use: Daily driver and family car
How many miles do you plan to do a year: 10,000
How often do you make long journeys: Daily commute approx. 40-50 miles, mix urban and motorway
Does it need to be ULEZ compliant? Yes
Vehicles you've already considered:
- Nissan Qashqai (2018–19 petrol)
- Hyundai Tucson (2018–19 petrol)
- Kia Sportage (2017–18 petrol)
- Toyota C-HR 1.8 Hybrid
- Kia Niro hybrid (both gens)
- Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Boosterjet (2019–20)
Vehicle size: Compact SUV / crossover
Is this your 1st vehicle: No
Do you need a Warranty: Optional if it makes sense
Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes
Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No
Additional Notes:
Partner and 18-month-old, need to keep the car 5–6 years. Mostly urban commute with some motorway. Been going round in circles — either I spend £9k on a simple petrol crossover with no warranty and accept the fuel costs, or stretch to £13k for a hybrid with remaining warranty but more complex mechanicals.
Am I overthinking this? What are hidden costs of getting hybrids that I need to account for? What would you do? Open to suggestions I haven't considered.