Safety

• What safety equipment does the car have, such as airbags, pre-tensioning seatbelts, anti-lock brakes and so on?
• How well does it score in the NHTSA crash test?

Costs

• Is the car fuel-efficient? The more miles it can do to the gallon, the better. Although a more fuel efficient car may cost more at first, you will save money on fuel bills in the long run.
• Cars with hybrid engines, such as the Toyota Prius are often very economical. The Prius returns over 60mpg.
• How expensive will the car be to service? Are parts easily available?
• What will be the cost of insuring the car?
• Does the car hold its value?

Environmental impact

• What is the manufacturer's environmental policy? Are their vehicles designed to be recycled easily?
• How much carbon dioxide is produced by the engine? In some countries, cars with cleaner engines incur lower road tax charges.

Performance

• Is the car quick and agile (for city use) or good at speed (essential for heavy highway use)?
• What is the top speed?

Equipment

• Is the car well equipped? Does it have air conditioning, a CD player, folding seats, or anything else which you would want in a car?
• If certain equipment (such as air-conditioning) are not included, how much would it cost to add them?

After-sales

• Does the car come with a warranty?

Test drive

Once you think that a certain car may be right, go to the dealer and ask for a test drive - it shouldn't cost you anything. If possible drive on a range of roads - the highway, in town, country lanes, and off-road if you're going for an SUV.

Also explore the car's interior. Does it feel well-constructed? Is the driving position good? Can you reach all the controls easily?

Comparing potential choices: an example

The best way to make your final choice is this:

1. Make a list of three or four possible models within your budget.
2. List all the qualities which are important to you, such as safety, equipment, bootspace, and so on.
3. Then award 3 points to the car best in each category, 2 to the second best, and 1 to the worst. If there were four cars you would ward 4, 3, 2 and 1 point from best to worst.

If certain categories are more important (such as economy) you could award double or triple points , so the winner would get 6 or 9.

Here is an example, based on a choice between a "VW Lopo", a "Ford Siesta" and a "Suzuki Soprano", three small cars available in Europe and rated under ten criteria. All the details, like the cars, are entirely fictitious.

• The Lopo gets 1+2+1+1+3+3+1+3+2+2=19 points
• The Siesta gets 3+3+3+2+2+3+2+2+1+2=24 points
• The Soprano gets 2+1+2+3+1+3+3+1+3+3=22 points

And so in this test, the Siesta is the best buy with 24 points. All three gained 3 points for safety as this was a draw; both the VW and Ford gained 2 points for the warranty because they both offered a 3-year warranty.