How to cut the cost with lookalike cars

You don't have to drop £120,000 on a new car for it to possess the road presence of a Bentley, explains motoring editor Peter Carroll.

The canny buyer can opt for an alternative which will offer very nearly as much stature and style as the Winged B from Crewe - for a fraction of the price!

Scroll through our gallery to find out how you can save thousands of pounds by choosing vehicles which have a similar look, or features, to better-known brand names.

Nobody is suggesting that car manufacturers have deliberately set out to copy rival vehicles - it's merely that certain cars share similar profiles or characteristics.

And while it's possible for drivers to save thousands of pounds by opting for a cut-price alternative, note that it's sometimes better to stick with the more expensive product as it will offer better value in the long run.

Check out Peter's gallery of wallet-friendly lookalikes below!

nextpageBENTLEY versus CHRYSLER:

SPLURGE (above): The Bentley Continental Flying Spur, from £117,500

SAVE (below): Chrysler's 300C, from £26,995

LOWDOWN: The Bentley simply oozes class and luxury. Eleven cows have to die just to provide the sumptuous leather interior that cossets its lucky occupants. But it costs a substantial six-figure sum to put on the road. Running costs are going to be sky-high and everywhere you go you'll worry about some little toerag scratching it.

The big, bruising Chrysler from the US very nearly matches the Bentley for road presence, however, and all for little more than the price of a family-sized repmobile. Underneath its hulking body the 300C's mechanics are from Mercedes-Benz and it drives better than you might imagine.

Almost unbelievably for a Chrysler, it holds its value better than a BMW 5 Series. And new SRT-Design models come with a mesh grille which makes them look even more like the Bentley...

SAVING: £90,500 LOOKALIKE RATING: 9/10

VERDICT: The 300C is surely the king of the lookalikes and Chrysler has just boosted the quality of its interior too. An outstanding buy if you want an "impact" car. And you'll be able to buy a HOUSE with the money you save.

nextpageVOLVO versus KIA

SPLURGE (above): Volvo C30 2.0 D SE Lux, £19,500

SAVE (below): Kia Procee'd CRDi 3, £14,300

LOWDOWN: Kia's clumsily-named three-door hatchback, the Procee'd, may have been inspired by the Audi A3 but the car it most resembles is surely the C30 - arguably the funkiest car in Volvo's range. In a highly scientific market research experiment I asked four colleagues if they could tell the difference between these sporty-looking hatches and only two could.

A solid mid-range example of the C30 will cost around £20,000 but the Procee'd range starts from little more than £12,000 on the road. A decent spec diesel CRDi 3 Procee'd, capable of 50mpg, costs just over £14,000, representing a saving of some £5,200 on the Volvo.

Kia's badge definitely lacks the clout of Volvo's but this is another Far East firm that has made big advances in recent years. Despite its sporty look the Kia is no driver's car - but then neither, frankly, is the C30.

SAVING: £5,200 LOOKALIKE RATING: 8/10

VERDICT: The Kia looks good in the currently fashionable colour of white. I expect to see more and more of these on the road.

nextpageMINI versus SUZUKI

SPLURGE (above): MINI Cooper S, from £16,000

SAVE (below): Suzuki Swift Sport, £11,500

LOWDOWN: MINI's are among the most sought-after small cars on the road - which is why they command a premium. A Cooper S will cost around £16,000 to put on the road and that's before you start ticking boxes from the extensive options list, which most buyers seem to do, to personalise their purchase.

The Suzuki Swift Sport has a similar boxy look and is genuinely fun to drive for the money it costs. Only the 175hp versions of the MINI can outpace the Swift Sport and the little Suzuki looks good value for £11,500.

If you wanted to be picky, and MINI owners generally are, the Suzuki's styling is fussier and less attractive than the more classical lines of the Cowley-built car. It's bumperless extremities can be expensive to repair in the event of even a minor prang. It is also not going to hold its value as well as a MINI -Êbut then not much does.

SAVING: £4,500 LOOKALIKE RATING: 5/10

VERDICT: MINI enthusiasts may recoil at the idea but the Suzuki has plenty of style and drives well.

nextpageNISSAN versus DODGE

SPLURGE (above): Nissan Qashqai dCi Acenta 2.0D, £17,995

SAVE (below): Dodge Kaliber 2.0 D SE, £14,995

LOWDOWN: Nissan's brave step to replace its medium-sized (Almera) and family-sized (Primera) hatchbacks with the Qashqai has paid off. The Qashqai is a 'crossover' car which was inspired by the rugged look of 4x4s but designed to be driven on, rather than off, the road.

It's a quality product which has been a huge hit across Europe and Sunderland has had to recruit extra staff to keep up with demand. Upmarket versions are well-equipped but cost in excess of £20,000, while cheaper versions can be had from around £16,000.

The Dodge Kaliber, meanwhile, is even cheaper than this and possesses a similarly attractive, muscular look to the Qashqai. The similarities disappear when you get inside the cars, however. The Dodge has been built to a budget and cannot match the interior quality of the Nissan. Nor is it as good to drive as the Qashqai.

SAVING: £3,000 LOOKALIKE RATING: 6/10

VERDICT: It's very much a case of you get what you pay for here. The Nissan is more expensive because it has a far higher quality interior. It is also likely to depreciate less, so it's worth buying the British-built product.

nextpageJAGUAR versus HYUNDAI

SPLURGE (above): Jaguar XK Coupe, £60,995

SAVE (below): Hyundai Coupe V6, £19,995

LOWDOWN: What's this, some kind of late April Fool's joke? A Hyundai masqerading as a Jaguar XK? Well not really. Nobody is going to be fooled that the Hyundai Coupe, which starts at little more than £15,000 on the road, can match a £60,000 Jag. But have a look at that rear three quarter profile again and do its haunches not possess a little of the XK's muscularity?

The Hyundai Coupe is not as sports-focused to drive as it looks but a V6 version will get you to 60mph in under eight and a half seconds - that's only two and a half seconds behind the Big Cat.

The Coupe has proved popular with buyers in the UK and Hyundai sells thousands of these every year. And maybe if Jaguar could knock out a coupe for under £30,000 (let alone £20,000) perhaps it would be in a better financial state than it is currently?

SAVING: £41,000 LOOKALIKE RATING: 2/10

VERDICT: Not a match for the Jag but Hyundai is putting the finishing touches to a more upmarket coupe called the Genesis which could pose more of a threat to the Big Cat.