Car for DS | Mumsnet

madamegazelle1 · 22/12/2025 18:24

Mine has a VW up- very easy to drive, good visibility, well made and as its 1 litre was better than alot of cars to insure. Paid £1350 first year, £650 second and £420 third year. Admiral mid range policy so not cheapest policy/ black box etc. Passed when 17. £20 a year insurance and cheap to run. Top of the range one so heated seats etc so comfy too

wornoutjeans · 22/12/2025 18:26

My ds had a vw lupo was still a lot of money to insure even with a black box, but was cheaper than say a fiesta . You really need to do research as car you think would be cheap to insure really aren’t

Muchtoomuchtodo · 28/12/2025 21:42

DS has got a 1.2 Peugeot 208. First year’s insurance was £921

Avoid cars like fiestas and corsage which are popular with young male drivers

Davros · 28/12/2025 21:44

VW Polo

tartyflette · 28/12/2025 21:46

Astra? Easy to drive, lots of them around. Minimal cachet!
Insurance for DS was over a grand...

BrickBiscuit · 28/12/2025 21:58

blankcanvas3 · 22/12/2025 18:21

DS’s driving test is in January and we want to buy him a car. He’s 17 and we’ll be insuring it etc. Does anybody have any recommendations for a good first car? If he fails we want to be able to take him out in it to get more practice as he can’t get insurance on ours as a learner. Either new or second hand, not bothered which.

Check out the threads on wet belts. That will now be the first question I ask when shopping for cars, so I can rule out any that have them. I would also want one with a spare wheel, but that's a rarity now. My criteria used to be to check the top ten for (a) safety, (b) reliability and (c) economy. I was able to find choices that met all three. Now it's (d) no wet belt and (e) a spare too. If it's an issue, nearly-new costs less because the initial depreciation has already happened, and safety should be more up-to-date. For family, I would also upgrade to premium tyres as you go; better safety, and more mileage can offset a bit of the extra cost.

BigBoysDontCry · 28/12/2025 22:36

Skoda Citigo/vw up/seat mii. Basically all the same car. Easy to drive, cheap to insure. Ideal first car.

TessSaysYes · 28/12/2025 22:44

Dont get one with a wet belt, if you ve seen the other thread at moment 👍
Honda civic? Renault Cleo?

Original poster

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 17:20

Ive just come back to this as we’re going car shopping tomorrow - the wet belt stuff has really thrown me! We were looking at Polo’s but according to google some of them have wet belts?

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StCuntyMcCunterson · 30/12/2025 17:26

Insurance is based on stats so you may be better off getting a car that a teen wouldn’t statistically drive. I used to work in insurance and always recommended the most boring old man car such as a focus estate and it’s usually cheaper than you expect. Especially once they started the smaller engines. These are exactly the wetbelt car to avoid but others are available. There is a sweet spot between charging loads more because it’s big and powerful and less because most teens wouldn’t be seen dead.

any car, Google make, model and engine common issues - Ford focus 1.6tdci common issues

specific cars Google “check mot history” and enter the registration. It’s a .gov site and free to use. You will be able to tell if a car has been well looked after from the fails and minors. Example, one car I looked at showed excessive rust of the chassis but doesn’t affect structural integrity. I avoided that one for when it did become a problem. Another had loads of brake and tyre work at every MOT suggesting it only saw a garage when it legally had to and it wasn’t driven carefully in between.

Original poster

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 17:32

StCuntyMcCunterson · 30/12/2025 17:26

Insurance is based on stats so you may be better off getting a car that a teen wouldn’t statistically drive. I used to work in insurance and always recommended the most boring old man car such as a focus estate and it’s usually cheaper than you expect. Especially once they started the smaller engines. These are exactly the wetbelt car to avoid but others are available. There is a sweet spot between charging loads more because it’s big and powerful and less because most teens wouldn’t be seen dead.

any car, Google make, model and engine common issues - Ford focus 1.6tdci common issues

specific cars Google “check mot history” and enter the registration. It’s a .gov site and free to use. You will be able to tell if a car has been well looked after from the fails and minors. Example, one car I looked at showed excessive rust of the chassis but doesn’t affect structural integrity. I avoided that one for when it did become a problem. Another had loads of brake and tyre work at every MOT suggesting it only saw a garage when it legally had to and it wasn’t driven carefully in between.

Really helpful - thank you. Think we’re going to go new to be honest, or at least newish (one previous owner for example). Think possibly electric too? Unless that would be a nightmare to insure.

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StCuntyMcCunterson · 30/12/2025 17:51

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 17:32

Really helpful - thank you. Think we’re going to go new to be honest, or at least newish (one previous owner for example). Think possibly electric too? Unless that would be a nightmare to insure.

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Most insurance companies know how to handle electrics - it was a nightmare at first as one of the questions is what litre engine and obv they are 0.0 but that was at the start.

is he taking a manual test?

Honestly, I wouldn’t go new for first car. I’d go safe banger until their first accident or clang.

if you’re going new or nearly, just go for any solid brand. Toyota and Honda are rock solid. Not Renault, Nissan, Dacia (same company) anything French, Ford, JLR, Jeep, fiat, Alfa etc.

Blinkkisses · 30/12/2025 17:55

Watching with interest as my teen will be learning this year.
What’s a wet belt? Is that the same as the timing belt (that needs changing generally after 75,000 I thought)

Original poster

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 17:58

StCuntyMcCunterson · 30/12/2025 17:51

Most insurance companies know how to handle electrics - it was a nightmare at first as one of the questions is what litre engine and obv they are 0.0 but that was at the start.

is he taking a manual test?

Honestly, I wouldn’t go new for first car. I’d go safe banger until their first accident or clang.

if you’re going new or nearly, just go for any solid brand. Toyota and Honda are rock solid. Not Renault, Nissan, Dacia (same company) anything French, Ford, JLR, Jeep, fiat, Alfa etc.

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Yes he’s taking a manual test. So Japanese brands would be better in general? Over European?

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BrickBiscuit · 30/12/2025 18:43

Blinkkisses · 30/12/2025 17:55

Watching with interest as my teen will be learning this year.
What’s a wet belt? Is that the same as the timing belt (that needs changing generally after 75,000 I thought)

A wet belt is a newer type of timing belt that runs in the engine oil, sheds fibres and debris into it and can destroy the engine. Issues range from inconvenience and expense (due to maintenance neediness) to lethal (if it fails at speed, losing traction and braking). If you find a model that has one, you know it was designed by idiots. This can help immensely with car choice. Unfortunately its use is currently widespread.

ClawClip1 · 30/12/2025 18:49

Honda. The model will depend on your insurance budget, but the new ones all have similar features. (I have both a new Jazz and a HR-V)

StCuntyMcCunterson · 30/12/2025 18:58

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 17:58

Yes he’s taking a manual test. So Japanese brands would be better in general? Over European?

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Always Japanese. Used to be German but they don’t match Japanese. We both have BMW’s. His is old and just won’t stop. Mine is new and no problems. Kia and hyundai are mostly solid but i have heard some issues but the warranties probably push them above German. I wouldn’t go anything other than Japanese or German (and by German I include VAG which is covers brands technically from other parts)

TheFairyCaravan · 30/12/2025 19:09

VW Polo or Audi A1

angelcake20 · 30/12/2025 19:11

Another one with a VW Up here. He’s had it since he was 17 and is 23 now. These and the Citigo/mii are always recommended due to the insurance costs. The fact that you’re prepared to by new suggests that budget is less of an issue than it is for most, though.

Original poster

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 19:12

StCuntyMcCunterson · 30/12/2025 18:58

Always Japanese. Used to be German but they don’t match Japanese. We both have BMW’s. His is old and just won’t stop. Mine is new and no problems. Kia and hyundai are mostly solid but i have heard some issues but the warranties probably push them above German. I wouldn’t go anything other than Japanese or German (and by German I include VAG which is covers brands technically from other parts)

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Thanks so much for your help - I’ve had BMWs and always loved them but I had heard they weren’t as good anymore. I’ll let you know what we go for tomorrow!

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Dazedandconfus · 30/12/2025 19:20

DD has a Hyundai i10 and has had it since September 2023 from new. If I remember correctly we chose the larger engine size just to give it a bit more oomph on the motorway.
It has a chain rather than wet belt.
Insurance was I think £1200 for year 1, £900 for year 2 and £560 for year 3. This is with it parked on street in a large city. This is with Admiral and no black box.
It's been cheap to run, easy to park and having been a passenger it's comfortable and spacious with a decent boot.
Would recommend it if it's a small, but not too small kind of car that you're after.

Original poster

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 19:22

Dazedandconfus · 30/12/2025 19:20

DD has a Hyundai i10 and has had it since September 2023 from new. If I remember correctly we chose the larger engine size just to give it a bit more oomph on the motorway.
It has a chain rather than wet belt.
Insurance was I think £1200 for year 1, £900 for year 2 and £560 for year 3. This is with it parked on street in a large city. This is with Admiral and no black box.
It's been cheap to run, easy to park and having been a passenger it's comfortable and spacious with a decent boot.
Would recommend it if it's a small, but not too small kind of car that you're after.

Added to my list - perfect thank you!

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TessSaysYes · 30/12/2025 22:04

Hi if you re buying a new car for for a 17 year old, I wonder if you're missing a trick here. I wouldn't be in fear of a £3000 used car. Get the AA to check it.
Wouldn't your kid rather used the saved money for skiing and interrailing?

Original poster

blankcanvas3 · 30/12/2025 22:08

TessSaysYes · 30/12/2025 22:04

Hi if you re buying a new car for for a 17 year old, I wonder if you're missing a trick here. I wouldn't be in fear of a £3000 used car. Get the AA to check it.
Wouldn't your kid rather used the saved money for skiing and interrailing?

He’s in a premier league academy so no chance of interrailing or skiing at the moment! Not against a 3K car at all, just want something that’s reliable, safe and will last. We’re going to a couple of different places tomorrow inc second hand dealers so it just depends what we find that fits the bill.

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dementedpixie · 30/12/2025 22:12

Ds got a Citroën C1. Has done him well and he's in his 2nd year of driving it