They are incredibly good on fuel at town speeds - but at 60mph+ no better than any small car with a small engine, but you feel far more vulnerable in it. Tax I'd completely forget about, it's not really a big variable over a year is it? £12 a month or thereabouts we pay by direct debit for our Fiesta, I just forget about it. Even my Focus ST is only just shy of £25 a month from memory