Small cars like the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 207 take the largest share of new vehicle sales in the UK.

It’s a highly competitive sector of the market with many customers on tight budget, so it is often the first to show signs of increases in the costs of driving.

Discounts, offers and incentives on new models make used models up to 12 months old less attractive.

Cheapest examples of the latest Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 207 on the used market seem to be advertised at around £6500.

New Corsa prices start at £7495, so there doesn’t seem much of an incentive to buy a year-old car at £6500. However, there are hundreds of the previous generation cars for sale at a year old with prices between £4500 and £5500

So, if having the latest model isn’t that important, there is plenty of choice of the earlier Corsa.

The most popular Peugeot 207s are upwards of £9000 new, so year-old models from £6500 have some appeal.

There are some good deals around in the Fiesta as we enter the last few months before an all-new model replaces it towards the end of next year.

But it probably represents the best value of the three on the used market as there is no shortage of models at around £5000 and it feels a more rounded product than the last-generation Corsa.