Are You a New Driver? Here are our Top 4 First Cars

Added: 15 January 2018

Firstly, congratulations – well done on passing your driving test. It’s not easy, and hopefully you didn’t have to take the assessment too many times before you got the satisfaction of a pass certificate!

Of course, now that you’ve passed you have the next, and most exciting step – finding yourself a perfect first car that meets a number of strict criteria –

1. It has to be great for ferrying your friends around, especially if you’re the first of your friendship group to achieve their green license.
2. It has to be affordable to run – the last thing you want is a big fuel bill every week, or an insurance cost that racks up into the £1,000s!
3. Ideally, it should look good. Or at least, not be in-betweeners level of ridiculous and mortify you – though we know the kudos of having a car can cancel out even the most ludicrous paint schemes!

So, what first car do we recommend that you get? Here are some of our favourites:

Hyundai i10

The i10 is such a great all-rounder, and despite being a small call your friends won’t have to be crawling out of the front thanks to its 5 doors. Plus, it’s been named WhatCar? city Car of the Year” before, meaning you don’t just have to take our word for it.

In terms of spec the Hyundai is a great option to – you’ve got plenty of safety features (such as brake assist and tyre pressure monitoring) so that you don’t have to feel anxious in your first scary months of independent driving.

Finally, it’s affordable to drive too – the Hyundai i10 S Air typically falls in insurance group 1, and it’s reported combined MPG is 60.1. What’s not to love?

Citroen C1

A new car classic, the Citroen C1 has been updated for the next generation. It’s a nippy, compact little runaround that we actually have in stock (at the time of writing this blog!) used from just for £5k. If you’re looking to buy new, you can choose to buy it with Citroen SimplyDrive, which thanks to the use of a telematics box even includes free insurance from 18 years!

Whilst it’s small size makes it efficient (65.7 MPG), you don’t sacrifice looks, thanks to some nifty colour and personalising touches and a cheeky look.

We love this car like all those many car reviewers before us have, so it was an obvious choice for our top first cars.

DS3

If you pride yourself on style and class, then the DS3 makes it onto our suggested first car list with oodles of both. It’s not the cheapest car on the list, but if you’ve got a bigger budget (or generous parents) then this sexy hatchback is definitely one to consider. There’s even a cabrio version if you really have the gift of the gab.

With plenty of room for your passengers and more than 30 colour combinations, the DS3 is a cut above most first cars, but still ticks all of your criteria. Plus, like other cars from the Citroen and DS range it is available with “SimplyDrive” for over 21s (if you’re closer to 18, the C1 is probably the best option for you).

Robin Reliant

OK, so we couldn’t do an article like this without throwing in at least one wildcard, could we?!

Sometimes you’ve got to have a bit of fun, and the absurdity of the Reliant means it’s one of those iconic cheap-cheerful-and-strange cars that for some reason is associated with young drivers – and Only Fools and Horses, of course.

If you’re looking for something a bit different, all we have to say is this – be careful on those corners!

Have you decided what first car you want?

Hopefully this has given you some ideas for the ideal first car. Why not contact your nearest Richmond dealership to book a test drive in a new or used vehicle, so that you can see how it feels to drive them on the open road?