First time buyer, car needed for long commute

Hiya, I'm new to this forum and pretty new to cars in general. I'm 24 years old and I need to buy a car for a 40 mile commute (so that's 80 miles daily) from Manchester to Preston and then back again. Most of the commute will be on the motorway so I'll be needing a car that can handle long distance travel, but I also want quite a small car with good mpg, low tax and is reasonably cheap to run. The Toyota Aygo was a possibility but I think it may be that little bit too small for such a long daily commute.

I would greatly appreciate any advice!

EDIT: I'm aiming to get a second-hand car. I don't really have enough cash for anything new, heh.