When looking for a first car for a new driver, a low insurance group is key to help keep running costs down and typically these cars are small and have lower power engines which are also useful attributes for inexperienced drivers. We would look at cars like the Kia Picanto, which has an impressive reliabilty record, is cheap to buy and to run. 1.0-litre versions of the Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia can also fall into lower insurance groups and are a little larger than the Kia while still being compact and easy to drive.