If you had £5k to spend on a small car

[Yoloohno]

What would you buy?

it needs to have 5 seats and a boot and preferably as new as possible and needs to be insurance for a young driver.

Any ideas appreciated, thanks.

Thank you for the food for thought, I’m liking the idea of a Hyundai.

Just throwing in another vote for a Hyundai. I’m on my fourth i10 since the late 2000s. Only had an issue with the first one (clutch) but the others have been great.

As I'm massively outnumbered I will add to the chorus and say I had an i10 as a courtesy car and it was a bloody lovely drive.

Then I had a C1 and thought I was facing certain death if a lorry drove by me on the motorway!

VW Polo, you might end up with something slightly older than anticipated, but they tend to tick along nicely for years ❤️

Polo 1L automatic. If they have passed their test it’s not a problem. Recently insured ours for my DS17 and it only cost £800 as main driver ( with both DH and I as named driver and using DH no claims which is only about 4 yrs worth)
Apparently not many 16yr olds drive automatics so not many 16yr olds have had accidents in Automatic Polos therefore the premiums are much lower.
On the other hand Ford Fiestas are the most popular cars in the he UK for young drivers so the premiums are very high.
All this info was directly from the insurance company.

Obviously that should be 17yr olds

@girlmom21 omg me too, I was terrified driving my C1 on the motorway, it would sway to and fro in the slightest breeze! I absolutely hated that car despite how reliable and cheap to run it was.

Honda Jazz is a good car and very reliable.

I'll add to that haha. Managed to drive my C1 for 8 years and it never broke
Down, was so so cheap to run and can't believe I didn't have any major issues with it over that time. But the motorway trips were like being in a tin can in the ocean, it would literally shake all over the place

I’ve put the suggestions to DD as it’s her car and she’s paying for it, but she’s learning towards a ds3.

Has she test drove one?

You could have a look at a Seat Ibiza, they do a 3 & 5 dr version. Boot is a good size & they have VW engines. Not sure what plate 5k would buy but I suspect up to a 15 plate or similar

Honda - wish I still had mine! Or another vote for other Japanese

We got my DD an Hyundai i10. It's been an amazing little car. We got it two years ago 2013 plate, £3500. It's a really smooth drive, low insurance, perfect little car.

The received wisdom is anything petrol and Japanese is likely to be a good bet at this price point

citroen c1/Toyota Aygo/whatever the Peugeot one is called (they’re all basically the same car) are super reliable, and cheap to run and maintain. But as people have said upthread, aren’t exactly the pinnacle of comfort. Great cars if you’re not carrying lots of people/stuff and are just scooting round town tho’

Kia Picanto - the warranty is so long on them (7 yr) you can often find good used examples with some left
Toyota Yaris - absolutely solid
Mazda 2
Ford Fiesta - most popular car sold in the UK so there's plenty of examples out there
Honda Jazz - they're like slugs but they're bulletproof
Nissan Micra - the K11 engine version is one of the most reliable ever, apparently

I have a Citroen DS3, really nice little car, good sized boot and 3 proper seatbelts on back. No good for car seats though. Also don't get a turbo version.

I'm baffled by the Hyundai love, I had a courtesy car i10 and it was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever driven. The hire company agreed and said everything hates them, they only get used when everything else is unavailable!

I have a Fiesta which is great. In your DD situation I would say prioritise the cost of running it and choose an electric car.

I love my kia picanto! Bought used with 6 years left on warranty, so easy to drive.

You can't buy an electric car for £5k, new or used.

I agree with going for a Japanese car. Very reliable and very reasonably priced. I love my Suzuki swift. My previous car was also a Suzuki and I had it for 12 years without a single breakdown.

@WhackingPhoenix How does it drive on the motorway? I've got a Nissan Pixo which is basically the same car but with a Nissan badge. As you say, it's fantastic on fuel, cheap to run and very reliable. But, driving on the motorway feels like a white knuckle ride! The slightest breeze knocks it sideways and it rattles and shakes as soon as you go over 65. The boot is as spacious as a postage stamp and I have to sit tall passengers on opposite sides of the car unless they want their knees in their chest.

I love my 2012 Honda Jazz . Very spacious (transported 6 foot Christmas tree home in it ), reliable, feels sturdy and safe on motorways. And definitely not a slug, despite what a pp said! It whizzes down the motorway & up the many hills in the town where I work.

In your DD situation I would say prioritise the cost of running it and choose an electric car.

She's got 5k, not 50.

Ford Fiesta

I have a Ford Fusion. It's like a fiesta but with a bigger boot and you can fit more in it than in many far bigger cars. I've had it for 8 years and it's 13 years old. It's sailed through every MOT bar one where it needed a track rod end so not a fortune and has broken down once (something to do with radiator that caused it to over heat - cost around £40 to fix) had some basic maintenance at services. Small enough to squeeze in small spaces in cities, big enough to feel safe on the motorway. Not especially stylish but it's been a great and reliable car for me. Easy/inexpensive ti find parts for too being a Ford.