Hi Carole,

Your best bets are probably to go for a Skoda Octavia or Volkswagen Golf 1.6 or 1.9 TDI with the DSG automatic gearbox, or possibly a (hugely frugal) Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi Ecomatique (although that’s actually an automated manual and needs a bit of learning to get the best from). There are some Ford Focus diesel autos around in your price bracket too, but these tend to be the larger 2.0-litre engine versions, so may not suit your needs.