The first thing that may prove a hurdle here is the ‘backstreet garage’. I’m not sure how advanced or modern the garage is, but if you’re choosing a car that’s only 18 months old, any work that needs to be carried out, including servicing, will require diagnostics hardware and smaller garages don’t always have this available for all makes and models. I’m not sure of your budget, but given that you’re currently considering a Nissan Note or Ford Focus I’ll use those as a guide. You also mention that you have to tackle mud and ice as well as rural roads, so something with four-wheel drive would no doubt be useful.

Taking these factors in consideration, along with your need for something economical, reliable and long-lasting, I’d suggest taking a look at a Skoda Octavia 4x4 1.9 TDI. It’s an estate so has plenty of room for five passengers, a dog and everything else a family needs to transport. It’s in VED band G which is £155. If you find that you don’t necessarily need the four-wheel-drive, there are of course standard front-wheel drive Octavias with the same engine, but road tax is cheaper. The standard 1.9 TDI Estate model is band E which is £110 a year.