I would avoid all Peugeots! Because the majority of new cars are bought through manufacturer's finance via PCP, they now tend to offer warranties that match the standard finance term of 3 years. Most buyers don't care that the warranty runs out after 3 years because they just take the car back and get a new one.

If you're buying a 2019 car, you're probably buying one of those. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but it won't have a warranty. The cost of PCP deals always reflects how much the manufacturers think they will lose in depreciation over the term. So, a PCP on a VW will always be cheaper than an equivalent RRP on a Peugeot. People (wrongly) assume that used VWs will be problem free, so the residuals are higher and the depreciation lower.

Peugeot make some very good cars, but they have a long history of producing some real duffers too. I don't think anyone could say for sure whether the 3008 will be a good one or a bad one, but Peugeot are not famed for reliability.

If I was buying a car that I intended to keep for a long time, didn't want to gamble on bills, and couldn't just take back to the dealer when it started getting old, I would go for something with a long warranty. That means Kia (7 years / 100,000 miles), Toyota/Lexus (5 years but extended to up to 10 if you service with them) or Ssangyong (7 years). So Kia Niro or Sorrento, Toyota RAV4 or Ssangyong Korando.

I fit into the short urban journeys group. Having said that our Ford diesel has been fine, great in fact. So you think diesels in general should be avoided (for short journeys) or the Mazda in particular? The Peugeot 3008 was another option we liked - again, should we avoid diesels there too?!

Note that you do have a 2L (non turbo) Skyavtiv-G petrol option for the CX-5, which gives decent fuel efficiency at around the manual version at 40ish mpg and 35 for the auto if driven sensibly. Not quick, but fine for everyday driving.

The TC auto isn't the most efficient, but is very smooth and is a related drive (I've test driven its equivalent in both the Mazda3 and smaller [no out of production] CX-3) for the urban driver. It (the auto box) will be likely more reliable than dual clutch 'autos' if you do a decent amount of urban driving in heavy traffic.

Note also in the Mazda range is the more recent crossover (all petrol) CX-30, which has the benefits of both the CX-5 and 3 with lesser downsides. You may not be able to find one in your price range though, given the current market.

Modern petrol engines often give a much closer mpg in real-world driving to the 'official' figures than diesels, especially when more of the driving is urban. See the 'Real MPG' section for such figures.

Have you thought of estate cars to get that decent boot space but with less of an mpg penalty (lower weight and air resistance) than MPVs / SUVs / crossovers?

TBH, if your current car serves you well, is not falling to bits / costing a fortune is spares [noting how expensive replacement cars are now for comparison], there's a good case for keeping it going until the likely big worldwide recession comes, and inevitably prices slide because of a lack of demand. Unless you have to change car because its just not big enough or because of problems (doesn't appear to be any*), then if I were you, I'd keep yours.

* Note that your car may likely not be one that 'complies' with the London ULEZ of EU5-rated (or below) engines for diesels and would incur a big daily charge on top of the 'Congestion' charge. There is no discount for residents within the affected zone - only some (some temporary) for certain groups, e.g. disabled persons.

Other major cities seem to be going down the same path to adopt similar regs. Note also that at the moment, the compliance level for petrol cars is EU4, meaning much older cars (including my 2005 built Mazda3 1.6 petrol) don't incur that charge.

Depending on your locale / workplace, etc, this may become a factor in whether and when you charge car.

I have a 14 reg CX-5, bought second hand six years ago. It's petrol; I wasn't prepared to take a chance on diesel and I think the jury is still out on whether more recent Mazda diesels are more reliable.

I love the car. It suits me better than any other car I've owned in nearly sixty years of motoring. But it's probably not for everyone. I'm not concerned about powerful acceleration, which you will get from the petrol version only by thrashing it a bit and using the gearbox. I get very good economy (around 43/45 mpg in mixed driving) by being gentle with my right foot. I find the driving experience excellent, the handling superb and it's comfortable on a long journey.

Best of all, it's been very reliable. In six years and 30,000 miles or so I've put four tyres on it, replaced brake pads and the rear brake disks and that's it. No breakdowns. No failure of any component except a rear brake light.

Our budget is up to £20k

The old shape RAV4 (pre 2020 facelift) are available at this price range. They also come with features like adaptive cruise control.

Kia Sportage (pre 2022 facelift) will also be well within that budget although Sportage doesn't get those safety features unless you go for GT Line S trim which is still over 20k in general.

I always wondered why Mazda didn't up the warranty from 3 years. I too like CX5 but feel not worth taking the risk when compared with Kia or Toyota.

No-one asked about Citroens.

Both the 207 and 307 have appalling reliability records, as do all other cars equipped with the ironically named Prince engine. The 605, you may recall, really started the descent 25 years ago and was legendary for issues. Peugeot appear to have upped their game again in recent years, but the 3008 is new enough that I wouldn't recommend buying one until it has proven itself.

Citroen use the same floorpan and running gear as Peugeot, so saying avoid all Peugeot must also include all Citroens (along with a handful of Vauxhalls).

The OP is looking at £20k cars, well into 2nd gen 3008 territory, so no Prince engines involved.

Twenty five years ago the 605 had been around for more than seven, and was in fact more than year into the much improved facelifted version. That it only lasted another two years was mostly due to the existence of the 406, which was a fair bit bigger than its predecessor and pretty much rendered the 605 obsolete (in much the same way as the Mondeo's continued growth in size did for the Granada/Scorpio).

The floorpan and running gear of the current 3008 has been around since the introduction of the 2013 308, so it is hardly new and unproven.