Best Value Cars
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Mazda's top-selling 3 is also a top value pick
1. Mazda 3 Neo sedan
WHY the 3 sedan? It’s better looking. Okay, that's not particularly pragmatic; both the hatch and its booted brother offer the blend of cash-saving qualities that see the Mazda 3 dust off a 15-strong sub-$25K small car field.
Happily, the third-gen 3 adds economy to its list of high points. However, it’s solid showings across the board that help the Mazda to a well-deserved gong. The 3 is
happy on a low-octane fuel (91), strong on resale (77 percent), with an annual insurance premium on the cheap side at $934. And it conveniently only needs a 12-monthly appointment with the spannerman.
The Mazda’s only downfall is its three-year unlimited-kilometre warranty – not exactly stingy, but well short of industry-best.
2. Holden Cruze Equipe
TWO best-sellers figuring at the pointy end here speaks loudly about how switched-on Aussie buyers are. Cruze comes second, with strong resale and class-cheapest insurance.
3. Kia Cerato S sedan
A FIVE-YEAR* warranty sees to it that Kia – and Korea – is always in the hunt for a Gold Star gong. No prizes for aesthetics, but if there were, the Peter Schreyer-styled Rio would fare well.
*STOP PRESS: Since pubication of this article, Kia has increased its warranty to seven years/unlimited kilometres
| Small <$25k | Purchase Price | Comb. Fuel (L/100km) | Fuel RON (min. rec.) | 3-year fuel cost | Redbook resale (%) | 3-year deprec. | AAMI insurance prem. | Service interval (months) | Warranty (years) |
| Mazda 3 Neo sedan | $20,490 | 5.8 | 91 | $3310 | 77 | $4712 | $933.96 | 12 | 3 |
| Holden Cruze Equipe 1.8 | $19,890 | 7.0 | 91 | $3995 | 72 | $5569 | $872.71 | 9 | 3 |
| Kia Cerato S sedan manual | $19,990 | 6.6 | 91 | $3767 | 64 | $7196 | $950.13 | 12 | 5 |
Notable classmates: Hyundai i30 CRDi Active, Golf 90 TSI / Number of cars crunched: 15
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