Teenager Learning to drive

[Keepaddingpets]

Has anyone got any good ideas of car types ideal for a 17 year old learning to drive. He's been given £3000 by a relative to spend on a car (he's very lucky and does appreciate it luckily!)

He's maybe thinking Citroen C1 or Peugeot 107. Does anyone have experience of these? Or do you have any other suggestions?

Also any suggestions for insurance companies for when he passes (he can easily be added to ours for learning)

It's all a minefield to me at the moment. Thank you.

DD (now 20 but passed age 17) has a Hyundai i10.
We have an Admiral Multicar policy which seems quite good.
Just make sure it's a low insurance group and probably not a 'sports' model.

he needs to look at running and fix costs for whatever he chooses. Best to spend less and keep budget for fixes.

his insurance will be astronomical. Legal ways to reduce it include black box and adding an adult as a named driver - he remains main driver or it is fronting and fraud, but a second person on the policy does help.

Also do the Pass Plus course, that should help reduce premiums.

We have a Toyota Yaris which ds will drive once he has passed his test, but it's a hybrid, and therefore an automatic, which you may not be keen on. We were going to buy a small manual when we replaced our old car but then decided that hybrids/electric cars were the future and manuals will disappear in time. But there are plenty of manual options and there's the Aygo too.

My dc learnt on a Toyota Aygo and it was a good size/engine for learners.

Ford Ka's are one of the lowest insurance group cars you can buy....although insurance will still be eye wateringly expensive.

Skoda Fabia, was cheap to insure and refused all of DS's attempts to kill it (DD was a much kinder learner/new driver than DS was).

Suzuki Alto, cheap to buy & run, and not much to go wrong, one of the most reliable cars. Insurance will be steep, black box brings down cost, but still expensive.

I wold start by looking up the insurance groups for a few that he likes the look of.
It isn't the cost of buying the car that is the issue, it is the cost of the insurance that will be eye watering (plus maintaining it - repairs, MOT, etc) afterwards.

Suzuki swift was recommended by a mechanic- my dd has one and it is great. Admiral were the best insurers- cheapest and easiest to deal with. We went with multi car

French cars have the worst mot pass rates. He would be better off buying a car after he passes. Plus when is he 18? DS insurance quotes a day before and a day after being 18 was about £400.