Six surprising new car bargains (and one that's just plain cheap)

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Everyone is looking for a bargain, yet, with prices rising inexorably, it can feel like the new car market is no longer the place to find one.

Yet they still exist; all of the cars below represent tempting ownership prospects for the price. Some have hybrid powertrains, others surprisingly generous equipment lists. All are pleasant to drive and more comfortable than you might expect, given their cost.

Here are the six most refreshingly affordable new cars - along with one that, by contrast, might appear good value but is in fact simply cheap.

The French supermini is one of the longest-serving small cars and in its latest form it took a step up in terms of sophistication. The full-hybrid E-Tech version has grabbed the headlines - but a pure petrol model, with a punchy three-cylinder turbo engine, is still available and in entry-level Evolution form, it looks great value.

You don't get much equipment for your money, although electric windows, cruise control and air-conditioning are included. You get the same plush-feeling interior as other Clios, as well as the same comfortable seats and well-resolved ride quality.

As a result, this Clio feels an awful lot more grown-up than other cars at the same price or less.

The latest C4 is often overlooked, its not-quite-an-SUV styling meaning buyers struggle to know exactly where it sits. But it's little more than a slightly beefed-up family hatchback and with lots of space in the back seats (albeit a rather average-sized boot) it serves the purpose well.

It's not the best to drive, with light steering and soft suspension, but to be fair it is geared toward comfort - and it delivers that in spades, glossing over even the worst bumps and shielding your backside with its memory foam "advanced comfort" seats.

With a warranty that can run for as much as eight years, the C4 provides extra reassurance if anything goes wrong. Given that, a price that's less than you'll pay for some base-specification superminis feels like a bargain.

Price from: from £23,095

Pros: Smooth ride, spacious rear seats, perky engines, long service-activated warranty

You have to feel for the Scala. Its stablemates, the Octavia and Superb, get all the limelight - but in many ways the Scala remains the most true to Skoda's ideals of offering quality transport for a very reasonable price.

Its ride quality isn't quite as sophisticated as its siblings', but it is still comfortable, with a relaxed, easy-going feel. Thanks to turbocharged engines, it doesn't feel slow or wheezy either.

Inside, there's space aplenty, with a boot that betters the equivalent Volkswagen Golf. And while the plastics are a little on the thin side by comparison, there's a sense of quality about the Scala that belies its price.

Cons: Somewhat dull to drive, hardly the most exciting thing to look at either

Read our review of the Skoda Scala

While Dacia is no longer the best-kept secret in affordable motoring, a run-down of budget-friendly cars wouldn't be complete without one of its models. Of its current range, the Duster is the sweet spot, combining compact, easy-going dimensions with enough room for family life, along with a surprisingly comprehensive equipment list. And, as with all Dacias, you get up to six years of warranty if you keep it serviced at a main dealer.

So where's the catch? It's inside, where the dashboard is built out of tough, unyielding plastics that aren't particularly pleasant to the touch. Even this, though, is mitigated by the smart, chunky design - and there are enough buttons to make it feel reasonably easy to use by modern standards.

Another of our budget superstars that feels a little forgotten, the CX-30, is a brilliant alternative to the Nissan Qashqai family SUV. Yet while the most basic Qashqai costs more than £30,000, the entry-level CX-30 is £26,435 - and even a high-spec Exclusive-Line version costs less than the cheapest Qashqai.

All this would be for naught if the CX-30 were a bit rubbish. Far from it. The interior is plusher than the Nissan's, with high-quality plastics and, in higher-spec models, a wonderfully tactile leather-trimmed dashboard.

The true ace in the CX-30's deck, however, is the way it drives, with beautifully slick controls, a delicious precision to the way it handles and a ride quality that cossets you over the worst roads. On the downside, its engines feel a bit gutless - although they are efficient.

It might not immediately look as though the Swift is a brilliant bargain - after all, it costs more than the Renault Clio and the Dacia Sandero.

But look at what you get for your money. Even the entry-level Motion model is packed with equipment - so much so that it makes the top-of-the-range Ultra appear somewhat unnecessary.

There's a super-frugal mild hybrid powertrain and enough room inside for four adults to sit in comfort. The Swift is great to drive, too, while you can keep it in warranty for up to seven years if you use main dealer servicing - not that you should need it, given Suzuki has one of the best reputations for reliability.

All this for less than £20,000? In this day and age, that's a bona fide steal.

Another Dacia that looks on first acquaintance to be a real bargain. The Spring is (at the time of writing) the cheapest proper electric car on the market today; at only £15,995, it looks cheap as chips.

But its low range and slow charging speed make it viable only as urban transport; even then it's not very quick, while the cheap interior plastics and lack of sound deadening mean it feels tinny. It's tiny, too, so space is at a premium inside.

Worse still is the safety score; you really don't want to get crashed into if you're driving a Spring. It might be cheap, then, but this is a car that feels it.