What is the most economical small family diesel car?

What is the most economical small family diesel car with a 1.6- to 2.0-litre engine?

Phil Blake (Cahir)

Dec 2013 Filed under: fuel economy and emissions

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Expert answer

Hi Phil,

"Most economical" is something of a loaded question as it's really much more dependant on your style of driving and the routes you use as much as anything else. 

What I can tell you though is the car in that class I've been able, consistently, to get the best economy from. It's a Golf. To be precise, it's the Mk VI Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion. Test driving it on a warm, sunny day with the air conditioning going and not paying a huge amount of attention to being economical, I managed an average of 65mpg. I haven't yet driven the latest Mk VII Golf BlueMotion but would suspect you could do even better again, possibly as good as 70mpg.

Come back to us if you need more assistance choosing.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe