Car for DD - recommendations?

[LaLaFlottes]

We are looking for a car for DD who passed her test in September 2022.

We will hopefully be buying it in June prior to her needing it for placements on her University course.

Some of her driving will be in a city but also some will be further afield and on motorways. Driving home every so often is a 4 hour drive mostly on the motorway.

Initially we thought of the small cars such as Citroen C1 etc, but maybe something a little more robust would be better in her circumstances? She learnt in a Hyundai i10 and liked it.

Any recommendations for a good first car, that's cheap to insure, but is nice and safe and good in a city and also on longer journeys?

Thanks!

MINI

very reliable and safe yet compact
good for city or motorway driving

I had a new Skoda Fabia hatchback and only sold it 15 years later because I don't need a car any longer. That little car was fantastic! Small enough to park easily, huge boot especially if I removed the back seats, nippy enough to get me out of the way of lorries on the motorway, and it sailed through its services and MOTs. Parts are cheap and easily available if you need them. I'm now driving my daughter's family Fabia estate and it's just as good, albeit less easy to park because it's bigger.

The owner of my local garage also rates the Toyota Aygo or Auris, but not less than a 1.4 Auris or it'll struggle, or a Kia. This is a trusted little local garage, so no axe to grind.

Seat Ibiza. Fantastic, reliable, easy to drive.

ds(19) has a fiesta 1L Ecoboost. Nippy and he likes it. Insurance was £1k for first year, £700 for second.

We looked up cars for sale and put in the reg in the photos to get ideas of insurance quotes for him. We also looked at Polos and Skoda but they were either too expensive to buy or couldn't find anything suitable.

It was surprisingly difficult to find a second hand small car just over a year ago, hardly any available as people seem to be holding onto their cars for longer.

Toyota Yaris

Toyota - I had a Yaris which was very reliable and they're sturdily built. Another consideration is that they have a high side before the window starts (if that makes sense?) so they pass a lot of the higher safety standards if someone T bars the car. That was on the older one so I presume it's the same on the newer one.
Kia is also popular but I've heard awful things about the Kia dealerships and warranty policies from multiple people.

Another vote for Seat. I have an Arona, which is a bit too big for a first car but one of the smaller models would be perfect. Really sturdy and Seats are basically Volkswagen inside so reliable and good quality.

DD had a Corsa 1.2L

What kind of car does she want? Any preferences?

All else being equal I'd probably go one size up from a city car. Hyundai i20 is a sound choice and lots about it would be familiar to the car she learned in.

Citroen C3 is another possible. Citroens generally have quite a relaxed driving manner; they sort of lope along, which would be good for both town driving and the occasional motorway trip.

My dd drives a Fiesta and my son drives a Corsa

I'd agree with the Skoda and Toyotas being good cars to look at.

But, to start narrowing things down, I'd recommend looking up which cars have lower insurance groups as the starting point, and then work from that list. Otherwise there are just too many options to begin with.

With a 4 hour drive home though, I'd not go for the smallest engine, nor smallest car.

Oh, and mini's are expensive for parts and repairs.

If she's motorway driving I'd go for something a bit more robust

Skoda
Vw golf or polo

Or seat Ibiza (basically a golf) just cheaper trim

skoda fabia
low insurance band
great car

I had a Mazda 2 and loved it

Ford fiesta

Thank you all so much for your input - so helpful and I’ll start trying to narrow it down.

DD is very relaxed about which car and not picky at all, she’s just happy to be getting one. She just wants to know she/we are making the best choice really.

I’ll look at insurance to start with as that will be an important factor too as it will be expensive, new driver, parked on a road not a drive way and in a city!

Thanks all!

Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza, Vauxhall Corsa, I wouldn't get something with too big of an engine or the insurance will be extortionate. Depending on your area even a 1.4 upwards might be unaffordable insurance wise. Ideally something less than 10 years old with service history.
If she is wanting something a little more premium, as many teen girls do, Audi A1 or Mini Cooper (keep to the smaller engine sizes). Make sure to factor in services and repairs as they are more expensive on these cars.

Hyundai i10, fab little car, cheap to run and fun to drive. I'm on my second.

My DD passed 6 months ago at 17 and she got a mini cooper 1.6 and insurance with Churchill was 1.2k which i didn't think was to bad .

Check the insurance groups. Dd drives a Mazda