What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Can you recommend a safe, cheap to insure car for an 18-year-old?
Please could you advise me regarding a car for an 18-year old man who has recently passed his test. His parents require a safe car (good crash test results) and a car with a reasonable insurance premium (if that's possible for his age). and good reliability. He requires a car with ‘street-cred’, but this might not be possible when considering the above parameters.
Asked on 6 February 2012 by RH, Shifnal, Shropshire
Answered by
Honest John
Citroen C1, Hyundai i10 1.2, KIA Picanto, FIAT Panda, Nissan Pixo, Peugeot 107, SEAT Mii, Skoda Citigo, Suzuki Alto, Suzuki Splash, Toyota Aygo, Vauxhall Agila or Volkswagen Up! Best to put him on a ‘black box’ transponder system insurance that monitors his driving and bases his insurance premium on it.
Similar questions
My 18-year-old son has decided to take up driving lessons and will eventually have a car of his own. What would you recommend as his first car? My issue is obviously insurance costs but more importantly...
My 17-year-old daughter has just started driving and I think it would be more cost effective to buy her a small car rather than try to insure her on the family car. Safety and reliability are definitely...
My son will be 17 in June and his grandmother has offered to buy him a car to learn in and then to own. We live rurally in the Dales and most of his journeys will be a 22-mile round trip to our nearest...
Related models
Cheap to run. Group 1 insurance. 60mpg. handles well. Low list prices. Good Euro NCAP score. 2012 model emits just 99g/km CO2.
Cheap to own. All models have airc on, five seatbelts and flat folding rear seats. Rides and handles quite well for its size. 99g/km Blue model from early 2011.
Cheap to buy new, low CO2 emissions and high economy mean it's cheap to run. Available with an automatic gearbox. Nicer seats than near identical Suzuki Alto.
Cheap to run. Economical and perky 1.0-litre engine. Fun to drive. Decent cabin room. Ideal first car. 2012 model emits 99g/km CO2.
Cute little small hatch clone offering low emissions, low tax, good fuel economy and a proper 4-speed automatic option. Decent to drive.
Small yet tall five-door city car. High seating position. Rear seats fold flat. Auto is 4-speed torque converter. Highest first time MoT pass rate of any car.
Low road tax and insurance. Averages a claimed 60mpg. Cheap to run and drives decently. 99g/km CO2 from 2012.
Surprisingly spacious small five-door city car. Makes best sense with 1.0 petrol engine. Much better than old Agila. Rebadged version of Suzuki Splash.
Funky little city car. Cheap to run with low CO2. Lively and fun to drive. Large enough for four adults.
Cute looks. Surprisingly practical. Fantastic value for money. Really easy to drive.
A quality product, low running costs, decent level of refinement, zesty little engine, easy to drive.
Ideal for town or motorway driving, and economical on fuel. Fun to drive and great value.