It is no secret that driving is expensive. The average person spends nearly £1000 on lessons alone with it being recommended that learners spend at least 45 hours behind the wheel before taking their practical test.
But that is only the beginning of the spiralling costs that young drivers face. First there is buying the car and secondly insuring the car.
It can be quite daunting when faced with the enormous choice that is the used car market. There are so many factors to think of such as:
The good news for the used car market however is the sheer number of cars available at nearly any price point. Cars can lose as much as 50% of their value in just the first year. This allows the used car market to be much more flexible on price and you can often pick up a great car at a great price.
Insuring a car for a young person is extremely expensive. Even the smallest, least powerful cars can have insurance bills of well over £2000. This does not look set to lower any time soon after it was announced that the discount rate would decrease from 2.5% to -0.75%.
 This is likely to increase the pay-outs to injured victims of car crashes. The previous rate assumed that the receiver of money would invest it in government bonds and therefore be offset against inflation. But now, once inflation is considered, the returns become negative.
It is important to look at the cars that are in the insurance group 20 and under to get the very cheapest rates. An engine size of 1.4l or more usually greatly increases the cost of insurance. To get the very cheapest rates, an engine size of 1.0l should be sought after to get into the very lowest insurance groups.
The Renault Clio is one of the most popular choices for first time drivers. The 0.9TCe version is similar to the Ford Eco Boost range where it uses the advantages of direct fuel injection and a turbo charger. This generates a surprising 90bhp meaning it will handle nearly all forms of driving. It also comes in some of the lowest insurance groups and boasts real world economy of 45.4mpg. Not bad for a petrol!
Expect to pick up this version (2014) for around £5000-£6000
It is hardly surprising that Britain’s bestselling car tops this list. It sold over 150,000 units in 2016 and with the new model ready to be launched this September second hand ‘older’ models can be picked up far cheaper. Excellent build quality and design gives this car a solid first choice.
This also comes in some of the lowest insurance groups and our pick is the 1.0 which although may lack in power, makes up for it in style with a range of features available dependent on the model chosen. The cheap insurance on this car makes it particularly popular with younger drivers.
Expect to pick up this model (2014) between £5000-£6000.
The new Corsa offers plenty of space and is comfortable and well finished inside. It’s not as good to drive as the Fiesta, but you can have it with the 1.0-litre engine for less than £10k, and it’s a decent thing for motorway use.
 As well as having low running costs, Vauxhall dealers often run promotions that cater for younger drivers, such as free insurance and tend to offer healthy discounts off the list price. The Corsa was awarded a full five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests.