What car would you suggest for the following requirement: annual usage is around 6,000km and mainly used in and around Dublin for grocery shopping and weekend trips, of max 300km per trip. It’s mainly for a family of two adults (50 years old) and sometimes one more adult in the rear seat (less than 6ft height). [I] would like to choose a car which has heated seats and good seat height, as one of the passengers has joint issues. [A] new or old car is fine. Planning to trade in an existing VW 2017 petrol automatic car. By the way, something not expensive – maybe under €300 to €500 per month? – From AD, DublinI think we can point you in the right direction of one or two good options.Would you be willing to go electric? That driving pattern seems to suggest that an EV would be an ideal choice, as long as you have off-street parking at home where you can fit a charging point, which will slash your fuel bills pretty dramatically.There’s a huge number of very affordable new EVs with more than enough range to deal with your driving. How about an MG S5 EV? It’s a compact, but handsome, electric SUV with lots of interior space (so your third adult will be plenty comfortable in the back) and has a mildly elevated seat height which should make getting in and out pretty easy. It does mean going for the highest spec model, the Exclusive, to get the heated seats that you crave, but even so, with a list price of €35,995, you should be able to get the repayments in at under €500 per month, depending on what deal you go for. The S5 isn’t thrilling to drive or anything, but it’s comfortable and easy-going and should prove to be very efficient. If you’re not yet ready to make the leap to fully electric, then how about a hybrid, such as a Renault Clio hybrid? There is an all-new Clio on the way, but it won’t be available in Ireland until well into 2027. The current Clio is still a very decent car and, actually, it’s much more handsome than the incoming model.The hybrid version, with a very frugal 1.6-litre petrol hybrid engine, starts at €29,945 and according to Renault’s finance calculator, if you can put down a €5,000 deposit (and your Passat should make up a good chunk of that) then the monthly repayments are €348, which seems fairly reasonable. It’s a very smooth car to drive, and while it’s not the biggest car in the back seats, it should be just about roomy enough for your needs. However, you may find that the seats are slightly too low for easy access so make sure you take a test drive before you decide. You could also go fully electric with gorgeous little Renault 5 E-Tech, for similar money on the monthly repayments, but again the seats are quite low and in very cold weather it might not quite manage your 300km weekend trip without stopping for a charge-up.Perhaps then Toyota – as is so often the case – has the right answer. The Yaris Cross represents an almost ideal middle ground between being small enough to be frugal, and yet roomy enough to be useful, as well has having its seats high enough off the ground that it should meet your entry and exit requirements. In this case, I think you’re best going for a used example (Toyota’s inherent reliability makes this a safe bet once you’ve checked out the car’s condition and made sure it has a full and complete service history). The Yaris Cross was introduced in 2021, and it’s been a strong seller ever since, so there are plenty to choose from, and we’ve found several on sale at dealerships with indicative monthly repayments of about €300-€350 per month (although of course any finance package will depend on your personal circumstances).The Yaris Cross is compact enough on the outside to make it a doddle to park, but has a very roomy cabin (so there’s plenty of space for the three of you) and the 397-litre boot should hold all the groceries you can throw at it. Best of all, it’s sparky and enjoyable to drive, looks adorably cute on the outside, and can easily return 4.5 litres per 100km fuel economy in real-world conditions. It’s been Ireland’s bestselling new car so far this year, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why. I reckon that might be the perfect solution for you.