AGGRESSIVE front end prices, strong residual values and low maintenance costs have made the Toyota Avensis one of the cheapest cars to contract hire in the upper medium sector. The well-specified and aggressively priced Carina E replacement is at or near the top of the contract hire charts according to three leading leasing companies.

The Avensis 2.0 turbodiesel estate also came out on top of a five-car contract hire comparison of leasing rates conducted by Fleet News' sister publication Fleet Car. Five leading leasing companies put the Avensis ahead of equivalent Vectra, Laguna, 406 and Passat models in Fleet Car's February edition, with the Toyota claiming the lowest purchase price after discount, second lowest maintenance payments and 3rd highest residual values.

Dial makes the Avensis cheapest in class at three engine and trim levels, beating best-selling models like the Ford Mondeo by as much as 17%. AT&T Automotive Services also placed the Avensis at the top of the table in all three categories while Swan National made the Toyota cheapest in two of the categories and second by only to the Renault Laguna 2.0 RXE in third.