When buying a first car for a new driver the biggest hurdle to overcome is insurance costs, so we would always suggest buying a small hatch or city car with the lowest insurance group possible, even to the point of reducing the budget for the car to free up funds for the insurance. As much as you may want the nicest car possible for your relative, a higher-value car will push the insurance costs up further still. There is no shame in running something more humble for the first couple of years to build up some no-claims bonus and driving experience.

We would suggest cars like the Volkswagen Up or Hyundai i10 which are cheap to insure, cheap to service and repair, and aren't quick enough to get a new driver into trouble very easily. www.honestjohn.co.uk/guides/cheapest-cars-to-insur.../