Are you a petrolhead? Are you looking to take your first steps onto the motoring ladder? If so, our list of the best first cars should be your bible.
Well maybe not the bible. But certainly something to study to ensure that your first motor offers plenty of driver involvement, is stylish enough to play your music in and is cheap to insure.
Unlike other lists you might find on Google, ours is for used cars. In other words, stuff you can actually afford to buy.
We’ve pored over the classifieds and run more insurance quotes than we care to remember to put together this definitive guide.
Each car has a unique selling point to mark it out from the other slabs of metal in your average car park. From stylish superminis to hot hatches, there’s a good option here for everyone.
And if you have a bit more money to play with, try our best used cars for enthusiasts article.
Best first cars
The Mini may be one of the most iconic cars in the world, but it also comes with a bit of exclusivity.
No fewer than 13 trim levels were available with a list of colour combinations and options form so extensive that it looked like a child’s Christmas wishlist. This means that no two Minis are likely to be the same, giving you a slice of car-park cachet.
This generation was birthed with the code ‘R56’ – ‘R’ standing for Rover. That doesn’t mean it uses any Rover bits, however, because this endlessly configurable hatchback was reliable with strong build quality and is now available for sensible money, with fully ULEZ-compliant petrol engines no matter which year you pick. Plus, it's in insurance group 17.
Six engines were offered, ranging from a 1.4-litre petrol to a 2.0-litre diesel. While the diesels are a bit gravelly, they don't detract from the fact that this is a reliable, fun-loving hatch that turns on a 5p piece and is instantly recognisable.
Problems? Practicality is quite poor and some cars have developed gearbox issues after living hard lives; just make sure to listen out for gearbox whine on the test drive.
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MX-5, or, something the person's actually interested in, it doesn't necessarily have to be fast etc, could be a classic VW or Fiat 500 etc.
Problem is that most insurance companies won't insure a young driver with many of the cars on this list and if by chance they did the cost of the annual premium with probably be more than the value of the car, What this article should be advising them to buy are cars with the lowest insurance group build up a few years no claims get more experience on the road before buying somthing more powerful.
I would add the previous gen Mazda 2 that is light, has an amazing gearbox (same as the NC MX5) comes with plenty of safety kit and is more reliable than any of the cars in this list.