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.
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