SEVERAL OF the main family hatchbacks now qualify for the scrappage scheme, but the offers become less aggressive as the cars get bigger.
The Ford Focus is out in front as the bestseller this year but there are no real offers on the car aside from a good specification on the car and the €1,500 Government discount allowed by virtue of its low emissions. Starting from €19,515 under the scheme, the Focus is going to be one of the bestsellers this year, despite the attentions of cheaper rivals.
The Renault Mégane is now a much better car than before and the five-door 86bhp diesel version is selling for as little as €14,800 with a whopping €4,000 off the car in addition to the Government allowance of €1,500. The Renault Coupé too can be had for the same price.
The Peugeot 308 1.6-litre HDi in either manual or Ecomatique qualifies for scrappage and there is €3,000 off qualifying models. With a starting price of €16,555 for the 90bhp HDi S model, this is outstanding value.
The Hyundai i30 deserves special attention. It is every bit good enough to compete with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. You can have a 90bhp 1.6-litre diesel Classic i30 for €15,995, which includes a discount of €4,000 under the scheme. There is €4,500 off the 115bhp Deluxe and Premium models too.
The Kia C’eed is worth a look too. The 1.6-litre diesel C’eed starts at €16,050 as part of the scrappage deal thanks to a €1,000 bonus from Kia. This follows what was a €2,075 price drop on the model at the start of the year.
Mazda have a new version of their Mazda3 on sale now, with the 109bhp 1.6-litre diesel falling into tax band A. Mazda will add to the Government allowance to give a total of €3,530 off the price of a four-door or five-door version of this car so they start at €17,995.
There is also €3,000 of the Nissan Tiida diesel under the scheme, with a bonus from Nissan to giving a starting price of €17,480.
The Opel Astra has just arrived in dealerships but Opel dealers are offering an additional €1,500 on top of the €1,500 given by the Government on qualifying models. It is a much more competitive, spacious and dynamic car than before.
The Seat Leon diesel qualifies for the scrappage scheme with the price for the 1.9 TDi Costa now starting at €18,325.
The Skoda Octavia has always been excellent value. There arent any massive offers in addition to the scrappage allowance so the diesel range starts from €17,625 with scrappage. You can still get your hands on the old Tour model from €15,130 through scrappage and dealers are giving further scrappage bonuses on all qualifying Skodas.
The Toyota Auris and Corolla come with the standard €1,500 off qualifying diesel versions. Toyota save their better offer for the petrol Corolla, which doesn’t qualify for the scheme. Their diesel is a frugal 90bhp 1.4-litre. Prices start at €22,500 for the Auris diesel and €20,410 for the Corolla diesel.
A large number of the Volkswagen Golf range qualifies for the scrappage scheme. The new 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine has 105bhp and sits in Band A and with the govenment allowance starts at €18,280. Our pick is the 1.6-litre five-door diesel with 90bhp and Band A emissions of 118g/km. Prices for that with scrappage start from €19,995.
Scrappage Hero: Renault Megane
