With scrappage due to finish at the end of March there is still time to take advantage of the scheme and get yourself a new car with a huge reduction of £2,000 or more off the price. The proviso is that your car has to be at least ten years old, although many manufacturers are offering their own deals on the back of the scheme which could mean an eight year old car will qualify.

Although the financial incentive is in no doubt what are the other advantages of spending a still significant sum of your hard earned cash on a new car? Particularly if your existing older one may still be serving you well. Well you would be surprised just how much cars have changed in a decade, or even less. To demonstrate how things have moved on I took the chance to sample a new Hyundai i20 hatchback against an old Metro.

Hyundai have been the lead manufacturer under the scrappage scheme with their cars, already good value, seeming to have been the transport of choice for those trading in under the scheme. Although most of Hyundai’s sales under the scheme have been the smaller i10 the i20 has netted more than its fair share of buyers and unlike so many smaller compact cars the i20 is what many would term a ‘proper’ car.

Let’s first look at the Metro. Many will be familiar with the Metro which started life under the Austin banner and ceased production adorned with Rover badges. My test Metro was one of these late Rover models and actually in remarkably fine fettle for its age when you consider its reputation for poor build quality. Under the bonnet was a 1.4 litre diesel engine.

Turning the key for the first time I was immediately struck by how noisy the diesel engine was and the vibration through the whole car. With 100K on the clock this is perhaps to be expected and all too representative of the kind of cars the scheme has been aimed at. With heavy pedals, clunky gear change and a distinct lack of inertia even 30 mph felt like an achievement with 50mph testing both the driver’s nerve and the car’s ability. One evening accelerating up a slip road to join a dual carriageway I was certain fog was chasing me until Irealised it was the contents of the Metro’s exhaust.

Whilst the driving experience and condition of this old Metro left much to be desired there were some good points that showed how ahead of its time the Metro was, and in many ways still is. There was so much light in the car thanks to the large glass area and low body line, something modern car makers could do with emulating. Equally the feeling of space was not an illusion for even in the rear of the three door Metro access was easy and both leg and headroom surprisingly good.

Swapping to the Hyundai i20 was nothing short of a revelation. I have always rated the Hyundai brand and especially the i30, but the i20 is now firmly on my motoring radar for all the right reasons. Whilst essentially a standard, rather ordinary looking small 5-door hatch the i20 drives superbly well. I had a busy week clocking up over 600 miles and the i20 was a delight with decent performance, great economy and enough standard features to put some more mainstream European brands to shame.

Standard fare across the i20 line-up includes air con, remote locking, ‘cooled’ glove box, MP3 compatible sound system and a plethora of safety features. There is also that famous all inclusive 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. Running costs compared to the Metro  in terms of road tax and fuel consumption are greatly reduced, but it is the fact that the i20 is such a pleasure to drive that would win over most drivers of older cars.

The i20 range starts at £9,340 and peaks at £13,070, but this is without the £2,000 scrappage allowance. For example under the scrappage scheme and with Hyundai’s offers a 5-door 1.2 litre i20 costs just £7,450, over 32,00 cheaper than the list price. An i10 1.2 litre can be yours for just £5,695. Factor this in and you can see why Hyundai have proved an attraction for so many drivers.