Published on 04 November 2020
Congratulations! You’ve passed your driving test! Now you might be starting to think about getting a car of your own, but how do you go about finding one that ticks all the boxes? We give you some pointers to help you find your perfect first-time buy and get on the road in no time.
If you’ve got Bimmer dreams on a Fiat Punto budget, you might need to do some research into how much you can afford each month. Many automotive sites have finance calculators to help you work out your monthly payments, and don’t forget to factor in other costs like insurance, road tax, maintenance and fuel.
At the risk of sounding like your mum, it’s really important to choose a car with a good safety rating. All cars have a Euro NCAP rating, which is based on a series of standardised tests. Aim for three stars and above – three stars offers standard crash protection, such as airbags, and anything over three stars will probably include crash avoidance technology such as pedestrian detection. Five-star models include the Volkswagen Golf, Renault Clio, Kia Rio, SEAT Ibiza and Ford Fiesta.
The last thing you want when you’ve just learned to drive is the added pressure and cost of breakdowns and repairs. ŠKODA scores high for reliability and their Fabia model is a good first-time buy for new drivers, thanks to its low running costs – and it’s cheap to insure, too. The Hyundai i10 also managed a 97.6% rating on What Car’s reliability survey in 2019, with the added peace of mind of Hyundai’s five-year warranty if anything goes wrong. Kia is also a good choice thanks to their market-leading seven-year warranty. If you’re looking for a used car, these vehicles may still have a few years left on the warranty, so it’s a good thing to consider when you’re searching.
Superminis and compact cars are cheaper to run than larger cars, thanks to their smaller engines. You may think that a car with a 1.0-litre engine would be slow, but modern compact cars are designed to be lightweight and offer a dynamic driving experience, especially if you’re using it to get around the city. You won’t have to compromise on style, either, as city cars are often designed around the needs of young drivers. Favourites include the Volkswagen up!, the cute new Peugeot 108 (which also comes with a telematics box to keep your insurance premiums down) and of course, the stylish Italian Fiat 500.
Although you’ve probably been learning in a traditionally fuelled car, driving an electric car involves fewer controls, zero emissions, zero road tax and, of course, zero trips to the petrol pump, which makes them very cheap to run. If you’re considering electric driving, models like the Renault ZOE, the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Ioniq are at the more affordable end of the market, with used models available for under £10,000.
Most new cars now have smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, but the connectivity on older used cars can vary quite a bit. If there’s a USB port you should be able to use your smartphone en route, but touchscreen controls are safer to use as their interfaces are bigger, use fewer apps and have simplified navigation. Look for touchscreen controls and smartphone mirroring if you can – these can be found on models from around 2017 onwards. Fiat’s uConnect system is a good example of a straightforward interface, and audio can also be controlled via the steering wheel, meaning your eyes can stay firmly on the road.
Remember, if you’ve hired a dual control car for 10 hours or more, you’ll get a £300 new car discount at Arnold Clark. Start your search
Back to Latest News