Cars in Europe vary in some considerable ways from their American counterparts -- they typically have smaller engines, smaller dimensions and fewer standard options. They also tend to be more expensive for what you get, based on manufacturer and country. This being true, there are different levels of "cheap cars" in Europe, ranging from ultra-cheap, ultra-economy cars to frugal-yet-luxurious hatchbacks from well-known manufacturers.
AvtoVAZ, a Russian automaker, announced an ultra-cheap 4-door sedan, the Lada Granta, with starting prices somewhere around $6,150 and $7,000 The Lada Granta was to be introduced in Europe late-2011, and the company was expecting to produce around 500,000 units. A hatchback version was also expected to hit the market shortly after the sedan, with the possibility of a wagon version too.
Some well known brands and their cheapest cars include: the Citroën C1, $10,500; the Renault Twingo, $11,520; the Nissan Pixo, $11,700; the Toyota Aygo, $12,425; and the Peugeot 107, $14,000. There's even a sporty coupe offered by Mercedes-owned Smart, called the Fortwo Coupe, which goes for $13,700. All prices as of 2010.
According to an European Commission report, Malta, Greece and Finland had the lowest prices on new cars -- between 5 and 6 percent cheaper than the European Union average. The most expensive countries were Germany, Luxembourg and France, with prices between 5 and 6 percent more expensive than the average. The report also stated that the overall difference in new car prices between the countries is shrinking.
