The average Brit spends between 100 and 130 hours per year commuting to work. For those who drive, this can mean over six days a year cooped up inside your car, not including any time spent on the weekends!  

If you're spending so much time in the car, you might as well guarantee that it's comfortable! We’ve compiled a list of the best commuter cars available in the UK. Whatever your budget, we’ve got you covered. Scroll to see the highlights now.  

Best cars for commuting a 100 miles a day

The qualities that help make long commutes easy include quietness, refinement and comfort. A noisy, hard-riding car will add to your tiredness remarkably after a long day in the office. Find the best car for long commutes below: 

1. Mercedes C-Class - From £45,180

Commonly regarded as a class leader in modern luxury refinement, the C-class is one of the first cars that comes to mind when long-distance driving is required.   

Fitted with all the latest safety and convenience tech, both the interior silence and electronic aids will contribute to a relaxing journey both to and from work. This car is available for £45,180 if you’re paying cash.  

2. Volkswagen Passat - £38,500 

Slightly more modest than a Mercedes but just as comfortable, the VW Passat is a mainstay of company car fleets, in equal parts due to its reliability and comfort.   

If you need a commuter car that can do a tip run or transport the dog to the park on the weekend, the Passat Estate is a great option. It has a selection of engines, including 2.0 diesel, 2.0 petrol, and hybrid options, all with excellent reliability.   

Prices for a Volkswagen Passat start at £38,500 but can be as low as £36,000 if you’re a cash buyer. 

3. Volvo S60 - £38,000 

Volvos are well known for their practicality and safety but are also extremely comfortable and refined. The S60 is the perfect choice for commuting, as it affords a longer wheelbase for motorway stability and great tech and economy stats. 

The S60 is available in a range of economical diesel versions, frugal petrol versions, and the sporty T5 version, which offers more power but slightly less comfort!  

Volvo S60s can be purchased for £38,000 to £56,000. However, a more affordable used model is available for £19,000. 

3. Audi A5 Sportback - £43,000

Another option for long-distance commuting, the Audi A5 Sportback offers a sleek and attractive look with four doors, a hatchback tailgate, and a high-quality interior.  

The car has a Quattro all-wheel drive and a 2.0-litre engine. But that’s not all. It also comes with matric or LED headlights, Traffic Jam Assist, and massaging seats. Perfect for those with an ultra-long commute. 

The RRP price of an Audi A5 Sportback is from £43,000 to £60,000. You can buy a used model from anywhere from £11,000 to £60,000. 

Best cars for short journeys

A commute of 10 miles or so sounds like a simple task, but the wrong car can still increase the stress and fatigue of doing so, especially through city or town traffic. Find the best cheap commuter car for short journeys below. 

1. Ford Focus 1.5 Petrol EcoBoost - £28,000

Diesel cars are not best suited to short journeys because they can cause DPF issues. The petrol 1.5 Ecoboost Ford Focus is luxurious enough to be comfortable but compact and efficient enough to drive shorter distances through towns and cities.   

The turbocharged petrol engine can achieve over 50MPG, and with petrol prices as high as they are, any extra efficiency can save quite a bit of cash over a year of driving.  

Ford Focuses go for as little as £26,000 when you’re a cash buyer. However, if not, you’re looking at prices of £28,500 to £33,500. 

2. Seat Leon - £23,000

A similar size to the Focus mentioned above, the Seat Leon is a solid option for city driving and short commutes in the medium-sized car sector. With similar underpinnings as the VW Golf, but usually with more equipment as standard, the Leon is a reliable and comfortable all-rounder.   

Select the petrol engines for short commutes. Both the 1.5TSI and 2.0 Turbo engined cars are good options, with the latter having a little more power—useful if you have motorway driving on your commute.  

Seat Leons cost around £23,000 to £37,000, depending on your choice and whether you’re a cash buyer. 

3. Citroen C3 - £14,000 

The Citroen C3 is an excellent option for a short or inner-city commute.  

This compact car is small but still has enough space for family needs. It’s also equipped with padded seats, a low-emission engine, and basic cruise control and lane-keeping assist. These tech add-ons aren’t as complex as competitors', but they tick the boxes for short drives.  

The Citroen C3’s most popular feature is its built-in dash cam, which is unobtrusive and can be linked directly to your phone. The car's average fuel consumption is 76 mpg, and its power output is 100hp. 

A Citroen C3 costs between £ 14,000 and £22,000, making it ideal for those who want a reliable car without splurging. 

4. Nissan Leaf - £28,500

The Nissan Leaf might not be as small as you’d ideally want for a short commute. However, the car’s fusion of advanced driver technology and electric power makes it a great option for stress-free driving. Owners can use the ProPilot tech for hazard, lane, and distance sensing. The car uses regenerative braking, meaning you rarely have to touch the pedal. 

Since the Nissan Leaf is an emission-free car, you can take advantage of parking subsidies and free parking spots. The electric engine's range is 200 miles, meaning some will be able to drive for days without charging.  

Nissan Leaf prices start from £28,500. 

Best cars for 50 mile commutes

Whether your car is very comfortable, economical or fast doesn't matter. If it costs a fortune to maintain and fix, it's not worth it. That's why reliability is so important when choosing a commuter car.  

1. Toyota Prius - £37,300

Revolutionary when it was launched, and still the first name in hybrid vehicles. The Prius uses tried and tested petrol-electric drivetrains that offer excellent MPG and reliability as a solid commuter car built for daily use.   

Not only is the hybrid system efficient, but the electric motor and automatic transmission also make it very quiet and easy to drive, especially in stop-start traffic.  

At RRP, a Toyota Prius costs £37,300. However, depending on the version you want, this price can jump to £40,000. 

2. Honda Civic - 1.8 Petrol - £35,000 

Honda has a great reputation for building ultra-reliable petrol-engined cars, and the Civic is the perfect mix of comfort, practicality, and ease of ownership. The parts are reasonably priced, and the reliability is top-notch.   

The 1.8 petrol engine is an excellent choice for both reliability and economy as a commuter car. It won’t beat a Prius but will be much cheaper to buy and less complex to maintain. You can expect a new Honda Civic to cost at least £35,000. Some go for around £50,000, depending on their age and variant.  

3. Kia Sorento - £50,000

With new safety technology and a hybrid powertrain, the Kia Sorento is a reliable commuter car everyone should consider.  

The car's progressive seven-seater SUV design makes it one of the larger options on the list. However, with a seamless cabin experience and comfort, it’s a reliable option for commutes and daily driving.  

Kia Sorento has safety features such as automatic braking if a collision is detected, traffic monitoring, and motorway blindspot checking. Parking assistance is also available as part of the intuitive safety suite. 

Kia Sorentos are available from £50,000. Older models may be cheaper. 

Most comfortable commuter cars  

The best cars for commuting are the ones that feel like home. If comfort is your top priority, these cars are the ones to go for.  

1. Lexus IS - £18,000 

Famously called the Japanese Mercedes, Lexus’ reputation for high-quality, premium cars is legendary. The IS generation from 2013 offers excellent gadgetry and entertainment options, including adaptive cruise control, heated and cooled seats and more. All these extras add up to a highly comfortable commute.  

The petrol options come paired with a hybrid system adapted from the Prius. The Toyota build quality is present throughout the car, meaning you’re unlikely to face constant repair bills.  

The IS Lexus models are more affordable than others. Expect prices of around £18,000. 

2. BMW 5 Series - £51,000

Slightly larger than the Lexus IS, the 5 series is an executive saloon (or estate) that will transport you from home to the office in extreme comfort and refinement.   

The larger size makes the BMW slightly more challenging to manoeuvre in the city, but it will be more stable and refined on the motorway and at high speed, partly due to the 5 Series complex multi-link suspension.  

The BMW 5 Series costs between £ 51,000 and £87,000, making it one of the more costly options on the list. However, if you're a cash buyer, you can access this car for as low as £47,000. 

3. Mercedes S Class - £94,000 

The S Class is the top-of-the-line Mercedes saloon, a direct rival to the BMW 5 and 7 series. It offers whisper-quiet commuting and plush interior comfort. With various driver aids and systems, too, an S-Class would make the drive to work the best part of your day!  

The range of engine options is not exactly tailored to fuel economy, with Mercedes offering a whopping 6.0 V8 or even larger V12 engine. Both, however, offer explosive acceleration and performance.  

Unsurprisingly, this is the most expensive commuter car in the guide. A Mercedes S Class costs £94,000 to £200,000, depending on which model you choose. You can access the vehicle for around £93,900 if you pay cash. 

Cheap commuter cars  

Haven’t seen anything that meets your needs? Here are some more cheap commuter cars you can consider.  

1. Lexus GS300 - £33,000 

Whilst a new Lexus will cost a pretty penny, the older models still offer great comfort and even better value for money. The GS300 is a mid-large saloon with five seats and a 3.0 V6 engine.   

Older Lexus GS300 models 2005-2010 can be bought for as little as £5,000, making them a great budget commuter car. You’ll struggle to find one with a poor service history, too. It seems Lexus buyers tend to keep their cars well looked after. The GS has modern features such as cooled seats, auto-adjusting steering wheel and keyless entry.   

Want a new Lexus GS300? Prices start from £33,000. 

2. Ford Fiesta - £19,000 

The Fiesta is a prime choice for a no-nonsense A-B budget commuter car. It has been made for over 30 years, and the formula has been perfected for our current cars. Economical, reasonably comfortable and very safe, the Mk8 Fiesta (2017-2023) is an excellent choice for someone who does not need a large vehicle.   

The 1.0 EcoBoost engines have gained a reputation for unreliability, so we would not choose them. Instead, we would opt for the 1.5 EcoBoost, with its steel timing chain, rather than the 1.0's 'wet' belt.  

Ford Fiestas have an RRP cost of £19,000 and up to around £27,000. However, you can nab a used one for £7,000. 

3. Mazda 2 - £18,500 

The Mazda 2 is an even smaller back-to-basics commuter car. These small cars have garnered a great reputation for reliability and longevity, and the 1.3 petrol engine is the best choice.   

They come relatively well equipped with electric windows, air conditioning and alloy wheels and are exceedingly easy to park and manoeuvre in the city. The 5-door option can accommodate four adults for short journeys if needed.  

Mazda 2 vehicles start at £18,500 but can cost as much as £24,000, depending on which you choose. 

Final Words

So, that’s the current list of best commuter cars. What do you think? Did you spot your vehicle? Or has this list inspired you to invest in a new commuter car? Hopefully, our expert’s picks have pointed you in the right direction.  

About Bumper 

Keep your commuter car in tip-top condition with Bumper. Split car repair costs into interest-free monthly payments at 1000s of garages and dealerships.   

Author - Joseph Law

Joseph has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his five cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.