ECONOMY-CONSCIOUS motorists have kept the Ford Fiesta at the top of CAP Automotive’s ‘Total Cost of Motoring’ consumer research charts for the 3rd month running.

Britain’s best-loved new car again underlined its claim to the crown in the world of cost-conscious motoring, beating strong challenges from Volkswagen in particular during April.

Every month the independent car cost experts at CAP measure consumer interest in the long-range financial impact of cars researched by visitors to its specialist ‘Total Cost of Motoring’ tool at www.cap.co.uk.

The data provides insight to manufacturers and motor dealers wanting to understand trends in consumer tastes for new cars.

It consistently reveals the growing interest among motorists in the all-round costs of owning cars over time, which include depreciation, service and maintenance, fuel and road tax.

The reputation of German brands such as Volkswagen and BMW is also highlighted by the consistent appearance of 2 models from each in CAP’s monthly ‘Total Cost of Motoring’ top 10.

In April both diesel and petrol versions of the Volkswagen Golf remained in the chart for the 2nd month running. BMW 3 Series and 5 Series also held onto chart places again – proving that even the buyers of ‘executive’ models are increasingly conscious of the impact of car ownership on their personal budget.

Jaguar made a fresh entry into the chart with its XF diesel saloon, while new entries were also registered by Mercedes-Benz, with the C Class diesel, and Volvo’s popular XC60 diesel.

The belief among consumers that diesel cars are likely to cost less to run over time is also revealed by the domination of the chart by oil burners. The only petrol cars to feature during April were Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

CAP’s Retail & Consumer expert, Philip Nothard, said: “Once again our website user data shows that people are looking harder at running costs than ever before and are definitely in the market for cars they believe represent the best value.

“Motorists who come to us for an independent valuation of their existing car are also typically moving on to investigate another car that may prove cheaper to own over time.

“It is also interesting that, given a completely free choice of car running costs to investigate, the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf and larger BMW models continue to keep most other contenders outside the top 10.”