Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver

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Tue 11 Jun 2019 10:20
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - Postel1400

Hi Guys, I'm looking to buy my daughter her first car having just passed her test (18yrs)

Can anyone advise on best makes/models to consider?

Value, style, driveability?

Likes Fiat 500, but I'm not sure these are good buys on higher miles and multiple owners?

Budget £3000-£4000.

Many thanks in advance

Postel1400

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Tue 11 Jun 2019 11:03
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

Insurance will be a big factor. Start on something with low insurance, 1l engine or so, maybe a Corsa. Allow for repairs and minor accident damage. I did when buying my newly qualified step sons car.

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Tue 11 Jun 2019 13:45
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - Gibbo_Wirral

Rubbish advice. A 1L Corsa suffers from a high insurance premium for younger drivers because of the number crashed by young drivers.

Same with the smaller engined Peugeot 206.

When my brother first started driving he found a 2L diesel 306 cheaper than a 1L Corsa.

Best thing to do is to speak to an insurance broker and let them do the legwork to find out what is the cheapest car for the driver.

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Tue 11 Jun 2019 14:12
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - Oli rag
Toyota Aygo, Citroen c1 or Peugeot 108 I believe start from group 1 insurance depending on spec.
They are a good car ( all basically the same and built in the same factory), which don’t seem to have too many problems.

A Hyundai i10 is also a good choice, it’s a bit more refined and roomy than the other choices, but possibly more expensive to insure.
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Tue 11 Jun 2019 14:20
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - skidpan

Groups are not the only factor that defines the final premium. As an example our Note was several groups lower than the Fabia that replaced it (the Fabia is more powerful) but the Fabia is approx 20% less to insure with the same company (Aviva).

Suggest the OP hits the comparison sites to get some quotes from the comfort of their own living room before doing anything else.

Another tip (perfectly legal) is to add mature family members with clean records as named drivers on the policy (even if they will never drive the car). This will without doubt lower the premium since it theoretically lowers the risk. Also works when you are insuring cars for octogenarians.

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Tue 11 Jun 2019 14:33
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - Big John

As already mentioned, Corsa might not be the best idea due to the number driven and crashed by young people. When my son started driving I had a long chat with an Insurer who mentioned this (LV I think?). He's now taken on my old 2001 poverty spec Octavia 1.416v (not turbo!) which is proving cheap to insure and nice to drive on a run, infact it was about the same to insure for him as our Fiat Panda.

As mentioned above the Peugeot 107, Citroen C1 or Totota Aygo (avoid automatic) are worht considering as are the Skoda Citigo, Seat Mii and the VW UP. I'm not sure I'd go for a Panda, these are great around town but not nice to drive on a motorway, ours has been a bit "needy" as well including a gearbox rebuild at 40k miles. Sweet 1.2 engine though.

Before you buy anything get insurance quotes as these could eclipse the original purchase price!

Edited by Big John on 11/06/2019 at 14:35

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Tue 11 Jun 2019 14:43
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - SLO76
I like the Fiat 500, I see the appeal but as they get past 6-7yrs and 70k reliability tends to fall off a cliff. I’d look to something Japanese for reliability instead. Get insurance quotes for the following to slim the list down. As said, it’s not always the group the insurers go by.

Mazda 2 1.3 petrol
Ford Fiesta 1.25 petrol (watch for rattling/knocking steering racks)
Toyota Yaris 1.33 petrol
Suzuki Swift 1.3/1.2 petrol
Honda Jazz 1.4 (if it’s not too much of a wrinkly mobile for her)
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Tue 11 Jun 2019 16:01
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - KB.

I just happened to see mentionof the Hyundai i10 above with the suggestion the insurance might be dearer.

Speaking as someone who has renewed the insurance on a 2011 Hyundai 1200cc i10 automatic I can tell you that for the past 7 or 8 years the insurance on the i10 has always - every year - been more expensive than my 2011 1200cc petrol DSG Yeti. Not by a great deal - but always more. And, trust me, I've looked hard to see if i can change that - but I never have.

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Tue 11 Jun 2019 16:57
Not Sure - Best used small car for learner driver - badbusdriver

I just happened to see mentionof the Hyundai i10 above with the suggestion the insurance might be dearer.

Speaking as someone who has renewed the insurance on a 2011 Hyundai 1200cc i10 automatic I can tell you that for the past 7 or 8 years the insurance on the i10 has always - every year - been more expensive than my 2011 1200cc petrol DSG Yeti. Not by a great deal - but always more. And, trust me, I've looked hard to see if i can change that - but I never have.

It has been mentioned that insurance groups are not the only factor in insurance cost. However, the current shape i10 (2014>) sits in much lower groups than your earlier generation car KB. For example, the 1.0 version of your car is group 9, whereas the 1.0 version of the current car is group 1.

And for the record, the 1st gen i10 1.2 (can't see a seperate listing for the auto) is group 12, the Yeti 1.2 DSG is group 9.

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