Faced with choosing between a Volvo V40, a Mercedes A-Class or an Audi A3, badge appeal may put the Swedish car in third place.

However, where does it rank when considerations such as CO2, P11D price, fuel efficiency and running costs are considered?

The V40 D2 SE Nav has a P11D price of £22,740, higher than the £21,945 for the A3 Sportback 1.6TDI Sport and even more expensive than the £21,170 quoted for the Mercedes-Benz A180 CDI Blue Efficiency SE.

The V40, however, is the greenest of the three with CO2 emissions of 94g/km, compared to 98g/km and 99g/km for the A-Class and the A3 respectively.

That puts it into a benefit-in-kind tax band of 13%, lower than the 14% of its rivals.

And, with fuel efficiency closely mirroring emissions, it’s not surprising to see that at 78.5mpg, the V40 trumps the 74.3mpg official combined of both the A3 and A-Class.

All three models are currently on the Fleet News long-term test fleet and the A-Class has the best real-world economy of 64.2mpg.

The V40 suffers a shortfall of 33% on its official combined with 52.5mpg, while the A3 is achieving 50mpg, again a 33% shortfall.

Looking at a four-year, 80,000-mile cycle, the A3 and the A-Class are closely matched when it comes to residual values.

The A3 will provide a 35% (£7,410) return, while the A-Class would give you a 36% (£7,575) return.

The V40, however, offers less than its two rivals at 29% (£6,602).

It is therefore perhaps not that surprising to find the V40 in third place when running costs are also assessed.

At 33.06ppm, it is more expensive to run than the A3 at 30.15ppm and the A-Class at 29.28ppm.