So, at the tender age of 17 you have passed your driving test with flying colours, or perhaps you’ve just scraped through by the skin of your teeth, either way, you are now officially one of the youngest people who is able to legally drive a car on the UK roads – providing you have legal use of a car and are fully insured to do so of course!
Unfortunately, this is where the problem lies, as a new driver you will have very little driving experience and no experience of driving alone, obviously you will also have zero no claims discount either. Your age, lack of experience and zero no claims discount will all mean that insurance companies are going to shriek with horror and refuse to insure you, or slap such an enormous premium on you that you may not be afford it anyway!
Insurance Catch 22 Situation
Your insurance costs will remain high until you can get some driving experience, but you can’t get some driving experience because you can’t afford the high insurance costs! This is a terrible “catch 22” situation that has been hitting young drivers for decades. Older drivers who have just passed their driving test will find that their premiums are higher than others of the same or similar age, but certainly not to the extent that young drivers suffer. This younger sector of drivers is therefore being penalised for their lack of maturity, even though there are certain to be many 17 year olds who are much more mature in attitude and behaviour than their older counterparts.
How to reduce the cost of car insurance for a 17 year old driver
There are ways to reduce the cost of an insurance policy for a 17 year old driver, although some may hate the idea of these options. The first way to reduce the cost of insurance is to choose a policy that only covers you for driving during the day time, this is considered by insurance companies to be a much lower risk than driving during the night. Of course, this may not be convenient for many young drivers, for example, those who have work commitments that require them to drive during the night. Another way to reduce your insurance costs is to agree to have a “black box” fitted in your vehicle, this is known as “telematics insurance” and it will monitor how safely you drive, it may reduce your premium if you are found to be a safe and low risk driver. Be warned though, it can also increase your premium if the black box records that you are definitely NOT a safe driver!
Category One Insurance Group
There are a range of insurance groups to cover all makes and models of vehicles and they start at category one insurance group, category one is the lowest group and it is the cheapest, this is the group that a 17 year old driver should be aiming for to achieve the lowest insurance premium.
You will certainly need to choose the basic version with the smallest engine size if you want the lowest insurance premium, but this will also apply to any make and model of vehicle.
Best Cars for a 17 Year Old Driver
We have complied a list of the best cars for a 17 year old, taking into account the initial purchase price – or monthly payments, cost of insurance, how easy they are to drive, fuel economy, latest features and style. This guide should help even the hardest to please 17 year old decide which vehicle they will select for their first ever car.
Volkswagen Polo
This version of the Volkswagen Polo arrived in 2017 and, like all VW Polo’s, it has proved to be enormously popular with all age groups in the UK. This stylish and reliable small car is ideal for a 17 year old driver because it is very cheap to insure, although this does depend upon which version you opt for, as previously mentioned, you will need to opt for a basic model with the smallest engine size to achieve the lowest insurance premium.
The 2017 onwards version of the VW Polo has many models that sit within the category one insurance group, we recommend that you check them out online to see which one would be most suitable for your requirements.
The Volkswagen Polo is known for its reliability and build quality, it may look like a small car but once you’re inside it feels much bigger, it has a 3 seater rear bench seat so officially it can seat five, however, it would be a bit of a squeeze for five adults so we’ll just say that it can seat four adults in comfort and still have space for luggage or shopping. The VW Polo is easy to drive and park, cheap to run and you may even get a nice display screen for your Sat Nav, music, etc., depending upon which model you opt for of course.
Hyundai i10
Since its arrival in 2019, the Hyundai i10 has been a highly sought after small car, it is a very versatile and practical car that would suit a wide range of people, from a family of four, to a 17 year old driver who is just starting out in their first car.
The Hyundai i10 has five doors, this makes it a hatchback, which is a very popular style of car in the UK, the rear seats can split and fold, this gives you more boot space when required. This great little car has light controls and is easy to drive and park, it can seat four adults and you can also fit in a lot of kit in the boot, which is surprising large when you consider the size of the car.
The Hyundai i10 is a trendy looking runabout that is cheap to run, making it ideal for a 17 year old driver, it sits within the category one insurance group – although, as previously mentioned, this will depend upon which model you opt for.
Skoda Citigo
The 2012 version of the Skoda Citigo is a superb small car for a 17 year old driver, it certainly lives up to its name and is quite a nippy little car around town, if you’re heading out to the suburbs, you will find that the Citigo whizzes along quite quietly at faster speeds.
The Skoda Citigo is basically the same car as the Volkswagen Up and the SEAT Mii, good news for buyers of used Citigo’s as it is likely that you will find a car that is almost identical to the VW Up, at a cheaper price.
The Skoda Citigo may look like a very small car but once you’re inside it doesn’t feel small at all, the one litre models are available as three door or five door versions, making it a very versatile car indeed, particularly as both versions still sit within the category one insurance group.
There is plenty of space for four adults and the boot offers lots of space for luggage or shopping, with its good looks and economical motoring, the Skoda Citigo certainly ticks a lot of boxes for anyone seeking a car with low insurance costs.
Volkswagen Up
As previously mentioned, the Volkswagen Up, the Skoda Citigo and the SEAT Mii are all basically the same car, however, you will find that the VW Up is the most expensive of this trio. As with all Volkswagen vehicles, the VW Up is a reliable, well-built car and it will certainly have more “show off” value as far as status symbols go than the Skoda and the Seat.
This is another small car that does not feel small when you’re inside, it seats four adults reasonably comfortably and the rear glass hatch covers a good sized boot that will handle luggage or shopping with ease, valuable items can be hidden underneath the boot floor.
The Volkswagen Up has been a huge success for VW and its popularity has not diminished, it is suitable for a wide range of people, including 17 year old drivers. The VW Up has a cute and trendy appearance, it is easy to drive and park and economical to run, it also sits within the category one insurance group – depending upon which model you buy.
The VW Up is a stylish and sought after small car, it will hold its value well, something to bear in mind for when you feel you are ready to upgrade.
SEAT Mii
The 2012 model of the SEAT Mii is the last of the trio of small cars that are practically identical and this one is just as popular with young drivers as the other two. The SEAT Mii is not as expensive as the VW Up, which is a bonus point, it can seat four adults and the boot is larger than you would expect for such a small car, there is certainly room to carry a couple of suitcases.
The SEAT Mii, as with the other two cars in the trio, may look small on the outside but once inside it feels like a bigger car. As always, you will need to buy the smallest engine size to sit within that category one insurance group but this is still a nippy little car. The SEAT Mii is ideal for a 17 year old driver, it is easy to drive and its size helps to make parking a breeze, SEAT have quite a sporty reputation so this small car will have some “show off” value whilst still being cheap to insure.
Citroen C1
Citroen’s 2014 version of the C1 is part of another trio of small cars, this trio includes the Toyota Aygo and the Peugeot 108, they may differ on the outside but underneath they are basically the same. The Citroen C1 is a little cheaper to buy than the Toyota Aygo but, depending upon the model, you may still get an infotainment screen.
The Citroen C1 is another small car that is ideal for a 17 year old driver as it is cheap to run and insure, it is quite a nippy little car but it is still easy to drive and park, a perfect car for any new driver wishing to gain driving experience. The C1 can seat four adults and you might be able to squeeze in a small suitcase or a few shopping bags too.
The Citroen C1, unlike the other two small cars in this trio, sits within the category one insurance group, depending upon which model you decide to buy of course, for some reason, the Toyota Aygo and the Peugeot 108 are not included in the category one insurance group, even though they are basically the same car as the Citroen C1.
Nissan Micra
The Nissan Micra has remained enormously popular since its debut in 1982 and this popularity has continued with the 2017 version, this great little car is highly sought after right across the age range, including 17 year old drivers.
The Nissan Micra is not a city car, like the Toyota Aygo or the Skoda Citigo, etc., rather it is considered to be simply a small car, this is great because it means that it offers more interior space and five seats, not such a squeeze when travelling with adults on board, the boot space is also larger and will accommodate decent sized suitcases or more bags of shopping. A bonus is that all models of the Nissan Micra are equipped with air conditioning, something that will certainly be appreciated during the hot summer months.
This smart little car is stylish and nippy, it is easy to drive and park and, best of all, it sits within the category one insurance group, making it cheap to insure for young drivers, of course this depends upon which model you decide to buy.
Kia Picanto
The Kia Picanto is another great little city car, however, this small car has the benefit of five doors and five seats, although squeezing three adults in the rear might be stretching things a little, two adults will certainly be comfortable. The boot space isn’t huge, but will easily take a couple of small cases or a few bags of shopping, the rear seats fold down if you need to carry something larger.
The Picanto easy to drive and is a nippy, fuel efficient little car with great all round visibility, this really helps with manoeuvring into tight spaces when parking. The Kia Picanto is a great car for 17 year old drivers as it sits within the category one insurance group, as always this depends upon the model so make sure you check this out before you buy.
A great benefit of buying a Kia Picanto is that you will be covered by the Kia 7 year/100,000 mile warranty, this is extremely generous when compared to other car warranties on offer.
Vauxhall Corsa
The Vauxhall is another iconic small car that has been around for many years, it is highly popular and has fans from all age ranges, it is viewed by many young drivers as a trendy starter car.
The Corsa is available in three and five door models and its five seats can take four adults comfortably or five at a squeeze – the latter not being really suitable for a long journey. Boot space is relatively generous for a small car, it can accommodate a large suitcase or several bags of shopping, the rear seats fold but they don’t fold flat, not all models offer a 60/40 split.
The Vauxhall Corsa is a fuel efficient, nippy little car and some models even have an infotainment system, a great bonus! Depending upon which model you opt for, the Corsa sits within the category one insurance group, making it ideal for a 17 year old driver.
Important things to consider when buying a car
There are a great many things to consider when you are buying a car, whatever age group you fall into, however exciting it is, it can also be quite a daunting prospect for a 17 year driver.
Here are just a few things that you should think about before you take the plunge:
- Initial purchase price or monthly payments (deposit)
- Insurance costs
- Condition of car
- Warranty
- Fuel economy
- Safety features
- Size – suitability for driver
- Style
- Number of doors
- Number of seats
- Extra features, such as infotainment screen
As you can see, the cost of insurance is high on the list, we recommend that you always do your research before deciding upon which car you choose, seek advice from family and friends and check online to ensure that it sits within the category one insurance group – the most affordable for young, inexperienced drivers.
We wish you a lifetime of safe and happy motoring!