BEST USED CARS FOR SNOW

If you need a vehicle for snowy conditions but don't have the budget to run to a new one, there are plenty of excellent second-hand choices out there

- Richard Dredge

USED car values are significantly higher than they once were, but whatever your budget, there's still something out there that will keep you out of trouble this winter, especially if we're faced with prolonged Arctic conditions and plenty of snow.

That's true whether you're looking for a daily driver to be your main car, or perhaps a second car that can come out when conditions are at their worst, to ensure you can do your duties.

Here we've picked 10 used cars that we think will make your life easier in the most challenging conditions, with prices starting at just £2,000. They range from hatchbacks to SUVs, each one of them extremely capable when the going gets slippy, and most of them equipped with all-wheel drive.

Of course, if you have deeper pockets, you can spend more than 10 times as much on something newer and posher (see Page 64), but all of these cars have one thing in common: they can cope with the slipperiest conditions, especially if they're fitted with a decent set of winter or all-season tyres.

FIAT PANDA 4X4

SOME cars punch well above their weight, and the Panda 4x4 is proof. Small, light and cheap to buy and run, the Panda can put more expensive 4x4s in the shade when it comes to treacherous ground. The third-generation Panda 4x4 arrived in January 2013 with the more rugged Panda Cross appearing in October 2014.

The latter was developed more for off-roading than wintry roads, but whichever you buy, it'll have a part-time 4WD set-up to save fuel. Prices start at £3,000 for a high-mileage early 4x4; the much rarer Cross starts at £6,000. Both editions came in petrol and diesel form and there was no auto option, so all used Pandas will have a five or six-speed manual gearbox.

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 4