Mazda MX-5, 2015, 53k, £9,990
War. What is it good for? Not fuel prices, that’s for sure. At the time of writing, the price of oil surged to nearly $110 a barrel - by the time you read these words, it might very well be higher still. A ‘protracted energy shock’ is likely in all our futures, meaning that prices at the pump are set to remain high for the foreseeable. It is at moments like this when the industry’s long-running preoccupation with engine downsizing comes good - or at least of considerably more interest. Seemingly top of most people's list, the MX-5. Hard to swerve the accusation that the 1.5-litre motor is underpowered perhaps, but with beyond 40mpg a genuine real-world prospect, you might finally find yourself happy to go with the flow. Cheap to buy, too.
Caterham Seven, 2013, 7k, £17,995
Of course, if you want to really save on fuel - and have some fun while you’re doing it - you really can’t do much better than a Caterham Seven with a three-cylinder Suzuki engine in it. Granted, while there is plenty of hypermiling potential from the combination on paper, it does tend to suffer a bit from the thrashing required to get the entry-level model up to speed - but if you can resist the temptation, its 0.7-litre capacity and barely half a tonne of kerbweight ought to do the rest. Not the most entertaining Seven to drive, it must be said, yet with its skinny tyres it can be amusing enough on the right road - especially in the wet. And because it was meant to be affordable from day one, even very nice-looking, low-mileage examples like this one will not break the bank.
Jaguar F-Type, 2017, 52k, £24,199
The Seven, like all Sevens, is not for everyone. Nor for every journey, which does limit its usefulness as an all-encompassing solution. The four-cylinder F-Type, on the other hand, will be obliging for almost any task, and make you look good doing it. It too was about offering Jaguar buyers a more cost-effective way into sports car ownership, and while the variant inevitably lacked the sultry appeal of six or eight cylinders, 300hp proved sufficiently punchy for a sub-six-second 0-60mph time. Its maker's suggestion that you might nudge 39mpg in combined use is almost certainly the result of lab-based optimism, yet you should still experience returns that an SVR owner could only dream about. Also, as with virtually all F-Types, it presents as a bargain.
BMW i8, 2015, 48k, £30,989
And talking of bargains long acknowledged, who could forget the hybridised moonshot that is the BMW i8? If these weren’t being sold at a loss when new, we’ll eat our hats. A decade later, readily available for used hot hatch money, they occupy a singular space in the used market. Affordability has seen some fall into the hands of unsympathetic owners (make of this car’s dragon fire wrap what you will), yet find a good one and they make for a very likeable, swift and quirky way of getting around. As with all plug-in hybrids, you really need to be conscientious with your battery charging to get the best from it - and obviously you can forget about seeing 135mpg in mixed use - but drive it as BMW intended and you’ll likely think the i8 superb value for money.
Toyota Supra, 2021, 24k, £35,888
BMW’s ability for adroitly balancing fun and parsimony is the chief reason for the Supra appearing on this shortlist. The four-cylinder version shares its raison d’être with the F-Type (and the flat-four Porsche Cayman among numerous others), though unlike many it arguably does not suffer so much for comparison with the range-topper - the turbocharged six-pot was better, no question, yet a barnstormer it was not. The pay-off, at any rate, is similar: less time spent handing money to your local petrol station attendant. The same could be said for the (cheaper) GT86, a lighter sports car famously sold on eco-rubber, though the Supra is unquestionably an upgrade in ambience and is still readily available from £35k.
Lotus Exige, 2004, 44k, PH Auction
If that all sounds a little bit too sensible, you could always do what legions of UK buyers have done for a generation: break out the man math abacus and announce to your significant other that various (old) Lotus products make excellent sense from a running cost perspective. Perhaps the Exige would be a harder case to argue than a 1.6-litre Elise, but let’s not forget the earliest S2s (like this one) were naturally aspirated, and therefore amenable to fuel-sipping if you were inclined to drive with one eye fixed on the needle. It even has the superior aerodynamic performance that comes with a fixed roof. Come on, you know you want to…
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