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First car

3 great cars for students who recently passed their driving tests


Your first car should be a cheap, safe and reasonable priced car, as we all know with your first car you’re going to have little accidents and bumps here and there, you wouldn’t want to be scratching up a brand new car. The most important feature is that the car is safe and can get you from A to B. The cost of running a car comes as a shock to most young people as they are not used to paying out money for something. The best way to maximise your money is to get a car that’s affordable, economical, and cheap on insurance, that way you are spending the least amount of money but still enjoying that level of freedom.

Many first time buyers focus on buying second hand cars which sounds sensible but buying or financing a brand new car means you will have warranty and a few other bonuses especially when car companies such as car finance genie who offer no deposit car finance. This allows for more flexibility if you was looking to buy a car on finance as you don’t need to put down a hefty sum down before even beginning the contract, this really could give you that head start and reduce the chances of mechanical problems, meaning less money to pay out.

One big problem students and young drivers have is the sky-high insurance costs due to the lack of experience the driver will have and your age. Its very important to find a car which offers cheaper insurance compared to others. And to focus on keeping your claims down for a 12 month period which will result in a lower insurance premium, this discount will only grow the longer you drive without no claims.

One way of boosting your discounts will be to fit your car with a ‘black box’ which is monitored by the insurance company which keeps an eye on your overall driving including speed, breaking, time you are driving ect. You and the insurer will review your performance and make note of any improvements and if you constantly gain good scores you can reduce your payments further, this is the easiest way to keep your insurance cost lower and will also keep you safe on the roads as you will be practising safe driving under their guidelines.

Also, we would recommend going for a petrol car instead of diesel as it will become a tougher search looking for a small diesel car and you will only benefit you if you are doing a lot of miles on motorways which is unlikely for a student and new driver. A small petrol engine is perfect

Another thing to keep in mind as a cost which you will have to spend is MOT, this is normally a annual test by a mechanic to check the car is still roadworthy and its important you keep this up and by law you must. When buying a secondhand car is good to check when there last MOT was and if the car has an advisory warnings as this could mean you could negotiate a lower price. The government DVLA website has an MOT checker where you can type in a registration and it will tell you when its due to expire, this is handy when buying a secondhand car.

Some university accommodations will not have public transport so having a car is necessary to get around but the student life doesn’t allow for a big budget when it comes to cars. That’s why within this article we are going to speak about 3 cars with 3 different budgets which are suitable for students when buying their first car. Manageable, easy to drive and keeping new drivers as safe as possible.

Student cars for £1,500 budget

This is the lowest budget we are going to discuss however, there are possibly cheaper cars out there on the market it will just take time and a lot of research. The first car is a Toyota Yaris which surprisingly has a 1.3 litre engine and offers a decent performance for the size of the car. Also, low petrol cost and a car which will last you a few cars whilst completing your time at university and is easy to drive small car which is ideal for short journeys.

Student cars for a £2,000 budget

The Renault clio is available for the £2000 mark, a good-looking minimalistic car. The clio is very comfortable to drive especially on longer journeys if needed maybe travelling back from your university accommodation. The engine is cheap to run which is perfect and look wise a facelifted model was introduced in 2009 with a more of a sporty look to the car which makes it far more appealing to those interested.

Student cars for a £3,000 budget MINI

This car is more on a expensive budget but provides the aesthetic and looks that most students will desire. With a budget of £3000 this will allow you to get behind the wheel of a mini starting from the year 2006 until 2013. A three door, less than 10 years old with fewer than 100,000 miles, being an affordable car to run and lower insurance due to the economical engines, this is the ideal candidate. This is not the largest car, with only 2 seats in the back but those two seats will provide comfort for your friends. Also, another benefit of this car and spending that little extra cash is that there are many extra available options on minis so when it comes to selling in the future this will add extra value and selling point to your car.

Overall, there are many cars to choose from for those students who are on a budget but still want a car to gain that freedom and to travel to and from university. In order to find the best car suitable for you is to research around the market and in different areas and models of cars to maximise the money you will be outlaying for your car.

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