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Hi. I have a 2005 car and am wanting to buy a younger used car. Most of my driving is done in the 100km zone and I average about 250kms a week. I prefer hatchbacks that are higher off the ground. I’m looking for fuel economy and safety in the car. I’d love to know what you would recommend. Thank you.

Hi there,
A few later model options that spring to mind would be NZ Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Subaru Impreza, or a European vehicle like VW Golf or Ford Focus (pre 2011). If you are after more of an SUV style vehicle, maybe a Mazda CX5, Hyundai ix35, Subaru Forester, XV or Toyota Rav4 might suit. For obtaining safety ratings for NZ new cars you can look on the ANCAP website http://www.ancap.com.au/ and for used car "safe picks" https://rightcar.govt.nz/used-car-safety-ratings.html