Hyundai Ibiza KIA Mazda Mercedes Optima SEAT Tucson V60 Volvo Top 10

These used diesel cars are worth considering

Alvaro Avilés 5 February 2020 5 min.

These used diesel cars are worth considering

Buying a used diesel car is not crazy at all; quite the opposite. That is why we bring you a few options that are well worth considering.

With all the commotion we have had in recent years over new emissions regulations, the environmental labels and electrification, there have been some clear casualties: diesel cars.

However, time is showing that they were not the main problem, because pollutant emissions kept rising as a result of the diesel crisis. We therefore asked ourselves which vehicle really pollutes the most: an electric car, a hybrid, a petrol car or a diesel?

It is not unreasonable to take advantage of the moment to buy a diesel car, especially a used one, since the demonization they have suffered in recent months has pushed their prices down, and we can benefit from that. For this reason, we have surveyed the used market to find out which used diesel cars are worth it.

To do so, we set different budgets, starting at 10,000 euros and rising in steps of 5,000 up to the 30,000-euro mark. We also set a maximum age of 2014, since from that year onwards cars carry the DGT’s C label. Without further ado, here are our picks:

These used diesels are worth considering:

Up to €10,000: Seat Ibiza 1.4 TDI

We have found a good number of units of the previous generation of the Seat Ibiza – sold until 2017 – with the 90 CV 1.4 TDI engine. This engine is more than enough to move the car with ease thanks to its 230 Nm of torque, and it rewards us with consumption of around 4 l/100 km.

This option is a great choice if what we want is a car for commuting to work, going to university, taking the kids to school, doing the shopping, and so on. In addition, there is enough room for four people to travel comfortably, and it has a 292-litre boot.

From €10,000 to €15,000: Kia Optima 1.7 CRDI

Without a doubt, this is one of the bargains in the used diesel market. At very reasonable prices, we can have a three-box saloon – and even the SW estate version – with good design, very good ride comfort and perfect space for the whole family.

It is easy to find Optima units priced between €10,000 and €15,000 with the 141 CV 1.7 CRDI engine under the bonnet. This powerplant offers a good balance between efficiency and performance: we get 350 Nm of torque at our right foot and consumption that, driving carefully, will not exceed 6 l/100 km.

From €15,000 to €20,000: Mazda 6 2.2 Skyactiv-D

If we want to stretch our budget a little, we can get a Mazda 6 like the one we tested a few months ago. We are talking about one of the best saloons in its segment, which has little to envy from others that, in theory, are more premium.

At this budget we will find plenty of units with the 150 CV 2.2 Skyactiv-D engine – the 184 CV versions push the price up a little. Even so, this one offers more than adequate performance and consumption of 5 l/100 km.

From €20,000 to €25,000: Hyundai Tucson 1.6 CRDI Hybrid

If you like SUVs and want one that offers good consumption, there are few better alternatives in terms of value for money than the Hyundai Tucson 1.6 CRDI Hybrid. As its name suggests, it has a mild hybrid system with which it achieves all the advantages of the DGT’s ECO label.

Within these budgets we can find a good number of zero-kilometre units, so we can have an SUV with an ECO label practically brand new without having to sell a kidney.

From €25,000 to €30,000: Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTec Hybrid

The Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTec Hybrid is another great alternative on the market: some units with just over 100,000 kilometres on the odometer can be found at prices starting from 25,000 euros.

With it we get a saloon with the quality in every sense that is typical of the star brand, and a hybrid engine with 231 CV of power. It has excellent performance – 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 244 km/h – and negligible consumption: 4 l/100 km. It also carries the ECO label from the DGT.

The master purchase: Volvo V60 D6 Plug-in Hybrid

The Volvo Volvo V60 D6 Plug-in Hybrid is one of the pioneers of the now very fashionable category of plug-in hybrid cars. It went on sale in 2015 and had 283 CV of power, enough to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds.

To top it off, it has an 11.2 kWh battery that gives the Volvo V60 D6 Plug-in Hybrid an electric range of up to 50 kilometres. It therefore carries the DGT’s Label 0.

With all this, we will find some units priced at around 20,000 euros, including the estate version in the sportiest trim of the range, the R Line. The Volvo V60 D6 Plug-in Hybrid is therefore one of the used diesels that is most worth considering.