For many car buyers, leasing will never make much sense. You put down a chunk of money and pay a monthly rental fee, then hand the car back at the end of the term and walk away with absolutely nothing at all.

Nonetheless, leasing is a hugely popular way of funding a new car purchase. It’s convenient, hassle-free and it keeps you in a steady stream of new, warrantied metal. Depending on the terms of the agreement vehicle maintenance may be included in the package, too. Over the following few pages we’ll pick out 30 of the best cars you can lease today for £300 or less (much less in certain cases).

All of the cars highlighted in this guide are highly rated by Autocar’s road testers. The deals were all sourced through our sister title What Car?, whose online leasing service searches for the best deals from more than 300 franchised dealerships across the country.

The deals are all personal rather than business contracts - which means VAT is included - and unless stated otherwise they are based on a 36 month agreement with a three month payment upfront, and an annual mileage limit of 10,000 miles. They do not include maintenance. Along the way we’ll also drop in some expert advice to help you decide if leasing really is the best option for you.