Learning to drive is a rite of passage, regardless of when you pass your test. Once you’re certified for the road, you’ll need to shop for your first car – and we’re here to tell you that you needn’t roll around in an old banger if you don’t want to. There are plenty of brand-new small cars on the market that are both affordable to buy and cheap to insure.
That latter point is particularly important as, being a new driver, you’ll be subject to some heavy insurance premiums. Providers charge new drivers more money for cover as a means of protecting themselves, simply because new drivers are statistically more likely to have accidents due to their lack of experience.
For that reason, you should forget about owning a powerful sports car in the early stages of your driving career – the insurance premiums will bankrupt you. To unlock the best insurance deals, you should shop for something that’s cheap, safe and economical.
Thankfully, that no longer means you’ll be relegated to a car with as many creature comforts as a 19th century prison cell. These days, even the smallest cars come loaded with must-have equipment, such as autonomous emergency braking, air conditioning and smartphone connectivity.
Scroll down for our top 10 list of the best first cars for new drivers. They’ve all been tested extensively by Parkers’ team of experts – and they all represent great value for money. If one catches your eye, head over to the Parkers new cars for sale page to start shopping. Or, if you’d prefer to break the cost of your car into monthly instalments, we also have thousands of leasing deals to choose from.
The best first cars for new drivers in 2024
Winner of the 2024 Parkers First Car of the Year award
We think it’s the best car for new drivers because you get the most value for your money. It has tonnes of space inside and it’s made from better quality materials than bargain rivals like the Dacia Sandero. Sure, it isn’t the sharpest car to drive here, but Skoda made some changes to the current car’s platform which make it better in the corners than its predecessor. For example, its suspension is firmer which means it rolls around less in the bends.
Read our full Skoda Fabia review
Pros
- Spacious interior
- Broad range of engines
- Great value for money
Cons
- Lacks the Clio's fizz
- No hybrid tech available
Retro styling, fun handling and a good range for its size
It's nippy, too. The flagship 500 Electric has 118hp and 210Nm of torque, which is enough for a 0–62mph time of nine seconds flat. From 0–30mph, it’ll scamper away from the best small hot hatchbacks – and its suspension is good enough to allow it to hold its own in the corners. It is quite expensive for a city car, though. At the time of writing, prices for the cheapest 24kWh model started from a shade over £28,000, while the 42kWh variant (which is the one you want) cost just over £31,000.
Read our full Fiat 500 Electric review
Pros
- Effortlessly stylish
- Quick and fun to drive
- Good range for small car
Cons
- Top spec models are pricey
- Not particularly practical
Recent facelift has made a good car better
It's great fun to drive, too. Renault’s hybrid system produces 145hp in the Clio, which is more than enough to make it feel lively. It’s a cohesive powertrain that, unlike some rivals, manages the switch between electric and petrol power well – and if you baby it, it’ll basically operate as an EV around town. The only downside is the cost. The hybrid system jacks the car's price up past £21,000 which is a lot of cash to spend on your first motor. Stick with 90hp petrol engine for maximum value.
Read our full Renault Clio review
Pros
- Well-designed interior
- Efficient hybrid powertrain
- Sharp handling
Cons
- Space in the back is tight
- Hybrid is expensive
The best-driving car here. If you ignore the Fiesta
The Puma is so good because it shares its platform with the now deceased Fiesta supermini – and that was easily the best-handling small car on sale. So, if the way a car handles is of paramount importance to you, stop reading here and buy the Puma. However, it’s worth noting the car is more than a one-trick pony. It’s both a racehorse and a pack mule. Thanks to Ford’s innovative Megabox storage cubby under the boot floor, it has more luggage space than the much larger Volkswagen Golf, which means it also works well as a car for small families.
Read our full Ford Puma review
Pros
- Fantastic fun to drive
- Excellent 1.0-litre engines
- Enormous boot – 456 litres!
Cons
- Rear legroom could be better
- Automatic gearbox is rubbish
Sharp-driving supermini worth more than the sum of its parts
It also represents cracking value for money. The Ibiza is more than £1,000 cheaper than the Polo to buy with cash, but it comes with the same range of engines and equipment. It’s equally attractive on finance. SEAT is currently running a 0% APR PCP deal on the Ibiza, with monthly payments starting from as little as £199.
Read our full SEAT Ibiza review
Pros
- Great value for money
- Lots of equipment available
- Easy to drive, but also fun
Cons
- Cheaper plastics than the Polo
- No hybrid models available
Kia’s perennial city car has received a major update
And the previous model was great. It’s still our highest-rated city car, sitting comfortably above the Volkswagen Up thanks to its impressive packaging, big car technology and entertaining driving experience. The entry-level 1.0-litre petrol engine can feel a bit breathless with passengers and luggage on board, but the Picanto’s wheel-at-each corner stance and taut suspension make up for that as you can carry plenty of speed through corners. We just hope that Kia can keep the updated car as affordable as the old one. Prices used to start from a very reasonable £13,665.
Read our full Kia Picanto review
Pros
- Well-equipped
- Good build quality
- Easy to drive around town
Cons
- Appalling automatic gearbox
- Entry-level engine is strained
Simple hatchback offers great value for money
It doesn’t feel like a cheap car to drive, either. It’s built with the same rugged dependability as a Challenger 2 tank and is tough enough to shrug off Britain’s battered road network without beating you up in the process. That’s more than can be said for the comparably priced Toyota Aygo X. We like the Sandero’s willing petrol engines, too – and, because the current model is based on the same platform as the latest Renault Clio, it’s surprisingly good fun to drive.
Read our full Dacia Sandero review
Pros
- Spacious enough for families
- Compact enough for cities
- Surprisingly good fun to drive
Cons
- Poor Euro NCAP safety rating
- Finance deals aren't fantastic
Small on the outside, big on the inside
It's very well-packaged, too. You can unapologetically use the i10 as a four-seater – and it has 252 litres of boot space, which is an entire litre more than you get in the Volkswagen Up. It isn’t all rosy, though. The Hyundai’s driving experience gives away some ground, as it simply isn’t as fun as the Volkswagen Up or, rather strangely, its Kia Picanto sister car.
Read our full Hyundai i10 review
Pros
- Huge cabin compared to rivals
- Bright and classy interior design
- Packed with safety equipment
Cons
- Optional automatic is atrocious
- Higher trims are expensive
Quirky micro-SUV with real off-road capability
Unlike a proper 4x4 (we’re talking Land Rover Defenders and Ineos Grenadiers, here), the Ignis isn’t desperately expensive to run. It’s powered by a tiny 83hp 1.2-litre mild hybrid petrol engine which Suzuki says can return upwards of 50mpg. It never feels breathless around town but it’s outclassed by its rivals on faster roads. Cars like the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto are more refined on the motorway. Make sure you shop around for insurance, too – for some reason, the Ignis sits in group 15 which is unusual for such a small car.
Read our full Suzuki Ignis review
Pros
- Unique 4WD variant
- It's a doddle to drive in town
- Cheap to buy and run
Cons
- Lacking in safety equipment
- It struggles on the motorway
Ford Fiesta
Class-leading supermini takes its final bow
Everyone lusts after the Fiesta ST hot hatchback but, because you’re shopping for your first car, we’d recommend avoiding it. The insurance premiums will bankrupt you. Go for middling Titanium or ST-Line specification paired with Ford’s excellent 125hp 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine. The unit has an astonishing amount of poke for its capacity. Just make sure you pair it with a manual gearbox. The Fiesta’s manual transmission is one of the best in the business.
Read our full Ford Fiesta review
Pros
- Fantastic to drive
- Willing 1.0-litre petrols
- Generously equipped
Cons
- You can only buy on from stock
- And stock leves won't last long
What is the best first car?
Here at Parkers, we believe that all new drivers should cut their teeth on a used car before buying something brand new. If you buy something you’re not particularly precious about – ideally something that’s already dented – you’ll avoid the ruinously expensive repair costs (and the heartache) when you inevitably rattle the passenger side door down a wall when parking. An old banger will also be cheaper to insure.
Can you insure yourself as a named driver on someone else’s policy?
Don’t think you can get around the steep premiums by putting yourself as named driver on a policy under a more experienced friend or family member’s name. It’s considered fraud if the primary policyholder doesn’t ever drive the insured vehicle, or if they drive it less than the named driver.
It’s called ‘fronting’ and, if your insurer catches wind of your scheme, they could refuse to pay for any damage to your car in the event of an accident. In the worst case, you might end up with a criminal record. In addition to the legal issues, fronting means the newly qualified motorist won’t accumulate a no claims bonus, which can help bring down their insurance premiums in the future.
What’s the most affordable car insurance for new driver?
These days, there are lots of insurance policies designed for younger and inexperienced drivers. Some insurers will fit your car with a telematics device, colloquially known as a ‘black box,’ which monitors your driving style and adjusts the price of your policy depending on how aggressive you are with your inputs or how often you speed. In simple terms, the faster you drive, the more you’ll pay.
Luke Wilkinson is a Deputy Editor of Parkers. He writes news, reviews and best of pages for both Parkers and our sister site, CAR magazine.
