Small Car For A First Time Driver

goalscrounger

Well-known member
My daughter hasn't had a car since passing her test but could do with one (medical student so sent all over South Yorkshire on hospital placements) so we are going to get her one for her 21st.

She's in England and we are in the US so it's tricky. Anyone recommend a particular model of small car (second hand) that they think would be work looking at for an inexperienced first, time car owner. Budget 5 to 6 k max. Thank you!
 
My daughter hasn't had a car since passing her test but could do with one (medical student so sent all over South Yorkshire on hospital placements) so we are going to get her one for her 21st.

She's in England and we are in the US so it's tricky. Anyone recommend a particular model of small car (second hand) that they think would be work looking at for an inexperienced first, time car owner. Budget 5 to 6 k max. Thank you!
I had a Seat Mii Sport years ago when we had two cars on the household. It was a doddle to drive and surprisingly spacious inside too.

Please avoid Citroen C1's. Yes they are small and cheap but they are essentially tin cans on wheels.
 
Toyota Aygo my daughter had the Pug 108 equivalent for three years as her first car, never missed a beat (they are all built n the same factory so you could get the Citroen version whatever that is called) cheap to insure and great mpg, being a Toyota they rarely go wrong (even the Citroen ones)
 
You can't go wrong with a Corsa. The insurance is reasonable if she gets a black box fitted, they are reliable and are good on fuel.

Truthfully though, they aren't any bad cars about.
 
When your a first time insurance buyer, and she will be, insurance can be as much if not more than the price of the vehicle.
Small car, under 1500cc and no mods will be most peoples idea of cheapest insurance, and they would be right, but one that people don't think about is the cars age. With new drivers, newer cars are cheaper to insure as insurance companies think the insured will take more care of a newer vehicle. £5/6k and you should be looking at a car that's less than 3 years old, and with the other insurance considerations you'll get the best deal for insurance, which as I said is just as important as the buying cost of the car. Other than that, all modern cars are like for like, it's just personal preference.
 
I'd say a Ford Fiesta. It's no suprise they are the best selling car every year. They are cheap and very reliable with cheap servicing and after parts.

They have decent little 1L ecoboost engines (ideal for insurance). I'm not sure how much you want to spend but the MK7s and new 8s are superb.

That said such a wide range of super minis these days. I would maybe say Skoda Fabias if not the Fiesta. They are cheap and come with Volkswagon engineering.
 
I'd agree with the Toyota Aygo. The Yaris is nice and it's a far more advanced car than the Aygo but it's also likely to be much more expensive to maintain. But IMO you can't go wrong with small Toyota for reliability and whilst more expensive than say a corse to maintain you're also less likely to have to. Bare in mind the Aygo is French built so not full Toyota reliability but, easy to repair.
 
I tend the avoid French and Italian cars, but just find a small engined (1000cc) car to keep insurance down. I know the SEAT Ibiza and Skoda Fabia use the same basics as the Polo but are usually 20% cheaper than a Polo and often have more extras. Some of the so called City cars can have very small boots like the VW Up! and Toyota Yaris, say if she is moving stuff a lot.
 
I recently purchased a second hand car from Cinch. You chose the car online and they deliver to your home. 14 days to send back if not happy and 3 month warranty. Was a very slick service with lots of customer support and feedback. They're owned by the British Car Auction. All Cars under 6 years of age and less than 70k on the clock. Car was immaculate
 
I'd say a Ford Fiesta. It's no suprise they are the best selling car every year. They are cheap and very reliable with cheap servicing and after parts.

They have decent little 1L ecoboost engines (ideal for insurance). I'm not sure how much you want to spend but the MK7s and new 8s are superb.

That said such a wide range of super minis these days. I would maybe say Skoda Fabias if not the Fiesta. They are cheap and come with Volkswagon engineering.
Had the eco boost for my first car, would certainly recommend one. Cheap to to run and insure and much nicer to drive than most in the same price range
 
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