by Beckie Knowles

Created on: March 22, 2009

Insurance for young drivers is through the roof. With rising fuel costs and general inflation, it is essential for teenage drivers to have a cheap, safe vehicle to learn to drive in and eventually use for personal use. As a nineteen year old, I feel I can recommend cars that I know from personal experience are cheap to run, reliable and as safe as an automobile can be for a young, newly qualified driver.

Car Hunting

Don't fall into the trap of buying a car quickly. Ideally, buy a car from a private seller you know personally and is trustworthy. Take your time to carefully check over the car, ask plenty of questions, take it for a test drive and check over the service history. Buying a car with at least 6 months Tax and MOT will save you time and money.

Budget depends on personal circumstance, but however much you might be able to afford, a good budget for a first car is between 500 and 800 GBP. Cheaper indicates there is something wrong with the car and more expencive could prove a waste of money. One in five new drivers are involved in a car accident in their first year of driving (Brake. However good you think you are at driving, accidents happen.

Vauxhall Corsa

The Corsa is incredibly popular among young drivers for several reasons; it's very fuel efficient, it's cheap to buy and it's practical. Corsas generally run on petrol; my own 1.4 Corsa currently costs about 15 GBP to fill half a tank, which also provides a good number of miles per litre. As well as looking good, the Corsa is a tardis. There is plenty of boot space for road trips and a comfortable amount of space for passengers. Also, Corsas are notorious for lasting forever. The Corsa is the perfect first car.

Renault Clio

Similar to the Corsa in size, appearance and practicality, the Clio is another great buy for teenage drivers. They are easy to drive, comfortable and inexpensive to run.

VW Polo

Although many Polos have smaller engines than Corsas and Clios, the car itself is just as good a choice for a first car. Small but nippy, Polos make a great run around as well as having a great safety track record. The tagline 'small but tough' is true; this little car can do many miles on one tank of fuel and is a hardy car for travelling around the country. One slight compromise is the amount of boot space, as the car itself is quite small. However, both old and new models of the Polo are reliable, fairly cheap and perfect for a teen driver.

Peugeot 106

The smaller and therefore cheaper model of Peugeot is a great first car. This model is very fuel efficient and like the models above has cheap insurance. It may be a good deal smaller than the previous recommendations, however my best friend manages to fit a pram and baby gear comfortably in the boot!

Cost Saving Features

A car with 5 doors will have cheaper insurance than a 3-door. This is because 3-door cars are tagged 'boy racer' cars. Watch out for certain makes, including the Citroen Saxo and Peugeot sports models that have higher insurance because they are frequently driven by young, male drivers. Models associated with the family market have lower insurance, such as the Ford Focus and Renaults.

To gain cheaper insurance for young drivers, shop around online for the best deal and consider insuring the car in your name and adding your son or daughter to the policy as a named driver. For my full article on car insurance for young drivers click here.

Overall, make sure you choose a sensible car if you are a teenage driver. Take your time to pick the car that is right for you. Always favour efficiency and practicality over status and speed, drive safely and always make sure you are legally insured.

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