Hyundai i30 or Opel Astra?

Hello, I am looking for a small economical car to run and tax; I was looking at the Opel Astra CDTi Elite 1.3 diesel or Hyundai i30 1.3 diesel. I would be looking to buy 2008 versions of either. Which car in your opinion is better, or have any other suggestions?

Thank you

Peter Ryan (Carrick On Shannon)

Jun 2013 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Peter,

OK, there was no 1.3 diesel Hyundai i30, it was always a 1.6 diesel although there were lower and higher power versions. We found a couple of classified ads purporting to be 1.3 diesel i30s, but they must be typos. The Astra is definitely available with a 1.3 CDTi diesel though (a unit co-developed with Fiat a number of years ago) and while it's a fine engine and the Astra is a fine car, it's the Hyundai we'd go for - it's economical, cheap to tax and endlessly reliable. It's also far better to drive than you might expect (it even drew admiring comparisons to the class handling champ, the Ford Focus, at its time of launch) and is spacious and comfy to boot.

That said, if you're thinking of the Hyundai, you have to also consider the Kia cee'd. Launched in 2006, it's mechanically identical to the Hyundai, arguably a little sharper to drive and, depending on the mileage, a 2008 model should still have two years of Kia's seven-year warranty to run.

To be fair, you won't go wrong with either.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe