Most small cars should have a light clutch, but you could rent a small car for a week and see how you get on.

Small automatics can lose a lot of efficiency against the manual equivalent so unless you really need to its probably be staying with a manual unless your ankle makes it impossible.

There are many options for you and everyone will have their favourite. How small is small? You could buy the Peugeot107/Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo clones, or the newer Seat Mii/VW Up!/Skoda Citigo clones. Alternatively the Kia Picanto/Hyundai i10. Fiat Panda/500 Alfa MiTo or hordes of smaller Japanese cars.

Decide how small is small, and then ask for more advice. Many small cars do not do an automatic version and you may need to up from the smallest class to get this feature.

As regards automatics, I would be wary of buying any of the Easytronic or MMT models, which are not true automatics, and a compromise between an auto and a manual. Can be very expensive to fix.

If you have to go for an automatic, cars like the Kia Picanto, Kia Rio, Hyundai i10 and i20, Suzuki Alto, Suzuki Swift and Suzuki Splash can be had with 'proper' automatic gearboxes.

The previous comment about the Toyota five year warranty being from 2010 isn't quite correct. New Toyotas from July 2010 came with the five year warranty - before July 2010, the warranty was three years. However, 'Approved' used Toyotas come with a minimum of a 1 year warranty, and Toyota warranties are usually as bulletproof as you can get

Agree with all the points above. You must have experienced friends' cars and have some ideas, so go for some test drives or hire for a few days to get the feel. It may be worth spending a little to save the cost of a hasty decision.

Presuming you are a lady, that will probably limit the choice, just as it would for a man, so I won't make any personal suggestion. If you are thinking of any particular model, look at the Readers' Reviews on this website.

I would concur with much of what's already been said, and would also say that extended test drives (including over a weekend if you can get one) on a variety of roads, especially a route (such as the drive to work) that you frequently use, plus a general good mix of road types & situations (to see how the car copes) is very useful.

You should also get a reasonable understanding of whether you feel comfortable driving the car the longer you do so - this can matter a lot if you're going to be driving it often and/or for long distances, or if you've got problems with your limbs (as you have) or your back (as I do). More modern cars will have more "adjustment" features for the driver's seat and sterring wheel than older ones, so always spend a while getting comfortable (making adjustments) before setting off for your test drive. Some cars (e.g. the Peugeot 206) has I believe very offset pedals (most cars do to an extent, some more so than others [especially on smaller cars]), which (also with offset steering wheels) can make driving uncomfortable and possibly cause long-term back and leg problems.

As this is your first car, you need to be as comfortable using it as possible, so make sure you don't get one (unless you're very good with electronics and multi-tasking) that has simple controls for the ICE, heater or A/C etc so that you keep you mind on driving rather than fiddling with some awkward buttons to find some function on the CD player etc. Better to have a safe but boring first car, than a flashy one written off in a ditch with nasty injuries to yourself and your friends/family because you took your eyes off the road too long to fiddle with the stereo. The same goes for insurance groups - don't be tempted to go for an older flashy car (e.g. a early 2000's BMW 3 series 325i etc or Gold GTi) because you'll unlikely to have the necessary experience to handle the car at the limit for a good while, plus you'll pay a fortune in premiums as you're a new driver.

Something simple, easy to insure, repair and drive that doesn't cost the earth to run and is reasonably reliable. My first car (back in 2008) was a two year old Micra, with no electronic gizmos (it had wind-down windows) - just a heater, a radio cassette player and a manual sunroof (a bonus) - no A/C, sat nav (not invented back then!), electric mirrors/sunroof/windows/do-dahs. It had the added bonus of being not attractive to car thieves, given all the other more "desirable" cars around at the time.

Go for something more upmarket on your second car after about 3-5 years.

Best of luck!

Have a look at Hyundai i20. I say i20 over i10 because unless you really want a tiddler you can have more comfort and refinement with similar running costs.

Incredibly easy to drive, very very light clutch and the 1.2 engine is very good. I got 62mpg showing in normal driving in a facelifted i20 1.2 that started the journey with 9 miles on the clock! You may be able to secure an ex demo facelifted car within budget however pre facelifts are inherently the same but with spec differences. All came with 5 year warranties and all have Air Con (apart from the pointless Blue model in the facelift cars).

All i20s have ESP as standard and full length curtain airbags too.

If you do decide on an auto, the i20 has a 'proper' autobox with torque converter, dipstick for checking the fluid etc so is a much better choice than most however you will be looking at an older car to grab an auto for that money. I would buy the i20 with my own money over Fiesta or Polo or anything else in class to be honest.

Edited by countryroads on 02/01/2013 at 21:04

As an owner of these marques, I honestly would be very careful buying a small capacity second hand Ford or Vauxhall if you can't fix them yourself, they have very bad servicing, even if done by garages, with a full servicing record.

Just don't buy a french car.

Smart Car? There is a particular profile, use google.

Suzuki or Hyundai, Nissan or Honda, take your pick.

VW Polo is probably the car for you, but they have thier weaknesses, VW's reputation far exceeds its products nowadays. Likewise Audi. You probably don't want a Skoda but more fool you.

I'd get a secondhand BMW 1 series if you can afford the insurance.