5 Cheapest Sports Cars to Maintain (+Exact Costs)

A lot of people know that I’m a huge sports car geek. They often ask me if I coould recommend them some cheap to maintain sports car.

So, I decided to write an article to show them (and you guys) top 5 cheapest sports cars to maintain.

When compiling this list, it was important that I get the right information to you. So, I have taken all our facts and figures from a number of direct, public use sources listed at the bottom of this article. As well as some direct user feedback from owning and maintaining some of our top 5.

There were several criteria I felt were crucial to determining this list and these were:

  • Drivability – what are these cars like to drive (probably the most important factor here)
  • Mot and Service Costs – costs were found for a Full Service and MOT in the Buckinghamshire County
  • Tires– price per individual tire
  • Insurance Group – cost of one year’s insurance
  • Road Tax – cost of one year’s road tax

5. Vauxhall Monaro VXR

Probably the cheapest V8 sports car on the market today. With prices going for under £10k, it is hard to find anything at this price with an engine over 5.0lts. Best ‘bang for buck’ engine out there.

Vauxhall Monaro VXR

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, the Vauxhall Monaro originated from Australia and was introduced to the US and European markets in the early 2000’s.

This car makes it onto the list purely for its accessibility at such a low price and impressive specs. With a 5.7 and 6.0lt options as standard, it is hard to say no.

Mot and Service – £190 to £275
Tyres – Mid Range £89.95, Top End £150.13
Insurance Group – 48
Road Tax – £340

4. Ford Mondeo ST220

The Mondeo ST220 was voted Top Gear’s one and only favorite car that Clarkson, Hammond and May could confidentiality agree on. And who could blame them?

Ford Mondeo ST220

With a punchy V6 and enough space to fit the kids in the back, there was a definite need for this car in the market. Currently, you can pick up either the Estate or Saloon version of the ST220 for under £5k and this makes it bargain of the century in my eyes.

The Mondeo was never a flashy car but held the ‘Sleeper’ status with over 220bhp hiding under the hood.

Mot and Service – £190 to £215
Tyres – Mid Range £67.50, Top End £99.99
Insurance Group – 34
Road Tax – £340

3. Toyota GT86

Easily a crowd favorite, the Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ counterpart are famed for being affordable, track ready machines.

Toyota GT86

With small skinny tyres and RWD to help, the GT86/BRZ is great fun to drive on circuit as well as on the road. Needing very little maintenance work, it is clear on Toyota forums that the GT86 is the way to go when it comes to low-end sportscars.

Another point to mention is that both the Toyota and Subaru offer accessibility to the mod market. Meaning that the skies really are the limit when it comes to the number of available upgrades and plug-n-play style modifications.

The biggest take away from the GT86 and BRZ is its driver to road connection. Users of both cars cannot deny that for sheer driving experience, it is up there with cars way above its paygrade.

Mot and Service – £185.75 to £244
Tyres – Mid Range £70, Top End £110.38
Insurance Group – 34
Road Tax – £315

2. Mazda MX-5 R-Sport 2015

You cannot have a Top 5 Cheapest Sports cars and not include the Mazda MX-5. A truly infamous sports car with racing pedigree from the 90’s onwards.

For this list however we opted to choose the latest version of the MX-5, the 2015 R-Sport. The original MK1 MX-5 was a real contender here, however the price of the original car in good, rust-free condition is on the rise. Running costs and reliability for the older car are also a point to consider.

With the newer, modern version, the same amount of driving fun can be had without the need to replace engine parts and chassis components.

The MX-5 has always been a car you can drive to the race track, thrash the hell out of, and then drive home with no issues whatsoever. Light weight and boasting a 50-50 weight distribution makes this one of the most fun handling cars available today.

Small tyres and small engine mean running costs are relatively low and inexpensive which is why it is at number 2 on my list.

Mot and Service – £182.93 to £271.45
Tyres – Mid Range £76, Top End £139.72
Insurance Group – 27
Road Tax – £155

1. Caterham 310

Our winner of todays list is the Caterham 310. With the smallest engine out of our list yet one of the most impressive BHP per Tone figures (250bhp/tone to be exact), the Caterham is quite deservedly my winner.

Having owned and driven one of these cars for a few years, you could say I am slightly biased, but for good reason! With small, medium profile tyres and tiny 1.6lt Ford engine, the maintenance on a Caterham 310 is next to nothing.

In the eventuality that something does go wrong, the car is incredibly easy to work on with only 4 latches holding the bonnet down, you can easily access the engine bay and tinker.

For pure driving experience, the Caterham holds the road like nothing else, with go-kart like responses and being sat inches off the ground, you really do feel as if you are driving a racecar for the road.

Mot and Service – £185 to £244.85
Tyres – Mid Range £50.83, Top End £78.06
Insurance Group – 18
Road Tax – £180

Worthy Mentions

There were some cars that unfortunately did not make the cut but were up there in my estimations:

  • Ford Fiesta ST
  • Original Mini Cooper
  • Skoda VRS
  • And more!

As always, if you think there is something we have missed or reckon there should have been another contender, then please reach out to us using our contact page here!

Links and References

https://www.whocanfixmycar.com/driver/dashboard – Servicing and MOT

https://www.blackcircles.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw_JuGBhBkEiwA1xmbRaOaLl8LA5Tg32rnA-skwgjY7MFRwJ3TnWManOk0BxxStGGRk7RR2hoC3OEQAvD_BwE – Tyres

https://www.parkers.co.uk/ – Specs and Details

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables – Vehicle Tax Rates

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