Must-haves are marked. Everything else only changes the order, and you can leave it blank.
Must-have The price of the car itself. We never go over it.
£5,000
£1,000 No limit
Budget
Up to £1,000 Up to £1,500 Up to £2,000 Up to £2,500 Up to £3,000 Up to £3,500 Up to £4,000 Up to £5,000 Up to £6,000 Up to £7,000 Up to £8,000 Up to £9,000 Up to £10,000 Up to £12,000 Up to £15,000 Up to £18,000 Up to £20,000 Up to £25,000 Up to £30,000 Up to £40,000 Up to £50,000 No limit
£3k
£5k
£8k
£12k
£20k
No limit
Preference This weighs fuel types: a diesel that only does short hops can clog its exhaust filter. It never rules a car out.
Mostly short, local trips Work, school, shops: mostly under 10 miles each way. A mix Local trips, plus a longer run most weeks. Lots of long runs Regular trips off the island, or long commutes.
Preference It decides how much fuel economy counts, and whether a diesel's savings would pay off. Not sure? Skip it.
Under 5,000 miles About 100 miles a week or less. 5,000 to 10,000 miles About 100 to 200 miles a week. Over 10,000 miles Fuel economy will matter more.
Must-have We only count seats the advert lists. Cars that don't say go in a separate list to check.
Just me, or one other Any car will do. Four Four seats or more. Five Five seats or more, as the advert lists them. Six Six seats or more. Seven A bigger family, or lift shares.
Three-door cars mean climbing in past the front seats, which is hard work with a child seat. Only counts if you need four seats or more.
Every day: it must have rear doors Must-have Children in car seats, or older passengers. Often: rear doors would be better Preference Five-door cars rank higher, three-doors still count. Now and then Three doors is fine.
Preference Pick any. Adverts never give boot sizes, so we favour estate, MPV and SUV bodies and give you things to check at the viewing.
A pushchair or baby kit Car seats, a travel cot, the changing bag A dog In the boot, or on the back seat Bikes, sports kit or tip runs Long or awkward loads
Must-have Automatics make Ventnor's hills and Ryde's summer traffic easier. Help me decide (opens in a new tab)
Automatic only No clutch to work. You'll need one if your licence is for automatics only. Manual only Usually a little cheaper to buy. Either is fine Show me both.
Some electric cars or plug-in hybrids fit your answers so far. Charging at home is what makes them cheapest to run.
Yes, at home or at work A driveway, garage or workplace charger. Electric cars and plug-ins rank higher. No, only public chargers We'll still show electric cars and plug-ins, but rank them lower. I don't want an electric car Must-have Hybrids and plug-in hybrids still count.
Must-have Miles on the clock. A well-looked-after car with higher miles can be a better buy, so only set a limit if you mean it.
Up to 30,000 miles Up to 50,000 miles Up to 80,000 miles Up to 100,000 miles No limit Judge each car on its own.
Preference Pick one. It counts for the most when we put the cars in order.
Cheap to run Official mpg and road tax from the advert Low mileage The fewest miles on the clock A newer car The more recent, the better A warranty From the dealer, in writing Room for luggage Estates, MPVs and SUVs first Easy to park Hatchbacks first. Check the length yourself Best value Money left over, and good prices by our guide
Preference Pick up to 2, or skip. These count for less than your main one.
Cheap to run Official mpg and road tax from the advert Low mileage The fewest miles on the clock A newer car The more recent, the better A warranty From the dealer, in writing Room for luggage Estates, MPVs and SUVs first Easy to park Hatchbacks first. Check the length yourself Best value Money left over, and good prices by our guide