How to choose your first car
Buying your first car requires you to be realistic! The one you want may be out of your reach. So it’s time to get realistic with your budget and stick to it! Even if the bank of mum and dad is helping out, it’s pretty likely they won’t be able to finance a new car, along with the costly insurance.
Above all, they will want you to be driving a safe and reliable car that will help you get more experience on the road before you have something sporty!
Buying your first car – the checklist
- Make a shortlist of the cars you want to consider
- Get insurance quotes for every car on your shortlist
- Rewrite your shortlist because your first choices were too expensive to insure
- Of the cars you can insure, work out which is the best for you
- Go to see cars you like in person, make sure they’re in a suitable condition and take them out for a test drive
- Buy a car and enjoy the freedom!
Cost of the car, insurance and tax
Let’s say you’ve saved up money and you’ve got £5,000 to spend on a first car. That’ll need to cover the cost of the car and insurance, and possibly a year’s road tax as well. Insurance is going to take a big chunk out of your available funds – depending on the car you pick and where you live, the cost of insurance is likely to be over £1,500 for the first year and may well be significantly more.
Cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 are taxed based on their emissions, with many small cars falling into a tax band that only costs £20-40 a year – and some costing nothing to tax!
However, as with insurance, you can pay your car tax in monthly instalments, which may not make finding a cheap-to-tax car a top priority.
New, nearly new or used?
Most first-time buyers will be going for a used car, although if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a brand-new car, you’ll get the reassurance of a manufacturer’s warranty. But if you’re looking at new cars, also look at nearly new cars – these will be much cheaper than a brand-new car fresh out of the factory and still with a manufacturer’s warranty. However, even used cars tend to come with some level of warranty cover if you buy from a reputable dealer. And you can usually add an extended warranty for extra peace of mind.
Mileage and condition
Cars are built to drive tens of thousands of miles if you keep up with routine maintenance and servicing. So don’t immediately look past high-mileage cars – more important is the service history of the car and the overall condition. A high-mile car that comes with a binder full of servicing receipts is going to be a safer bet than a low-mileage car that’s been neglected.
Find out the registration plate number of the car you’re looking at, then run it through the government’s free MOT history checker to see its past results and if there are any glaring faults that may not have been rectified. Make sure to take the car out for a test drive before you commit to buy. Try to buy a car with as much MOT left as possible – or demand that the dealer puts the car through an MOT test if it’s soon to expire.
Car features
What will make your life easier or more convenient while you’re driving? Maybe a reversing camera is a must-have, or maybe you need Bluetooth (or Apple CarPlay/Android Auto) for phone connectivity while you’re in the car. Draw up a list of features you’d like and that’ll make it easier to find the car for you. We’d recommend getting a car with air conditioning – not only to keep cool in summer, but to quickly clear foggy windows in wet weather too. Luckily almost all modern cars come with A/C.
Safety
Generally, modern cars are much, much safer than equivalent cars from the 1990s or 2000s. Cars are crash-tested by Euro NCAP and given a star rating, with percentage scores in four categories including adult occupant protection and pedestrian protection.
Modern cars might also feature a host of active and passive driver assistance technology. Some features you might find include:
- Auto emergency braking – this detects if you’re about to collide with something in front of you. A noticeable warning on the dashboard is followed by the car applying the brakes for you
- Blind-spot monitoring – a system that monitors the areas behind and to the side of the car. You’ll get a warning in the wing mirror if there’s a car in your blind spot
- Lane-keep assist – a system that ‘reads’ the lines on the road and warns you when you’re straying out of your lane. Some systems will tug the steering wheel to nudge you back into lane
- TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) – it measures the amount of air in your tyres and warns you when the pressure in a tyre drops below the level you set
Remember all the running costs which include:
- Road tax. Unless you’re buying an electric car, one older than 1973, or one that sits in band A in the Vehicle Excise Duty, then you’ll have to pay!
- MOT test. Any car older than three years has to have an annual MOT test to check and maintain its roadworthiness.
- Car insurance. This can be really expensive, especially if you’re under 25 years old.
- Fuel. Depending on how much driving you’ll do, this isn’t cheap!
- General maintenance. Don’t forget that there’s a legal tyre tread limit that you must adhere to, or face a fine and points on your licence.
Now you know what sort of budget you have, where do you buy from?
Many people choose to use recommendations from friends or family as to where to buy a car.
You can go to car dealerships who will always have a wide range of used cars. You could even check your local area for private sales using AutoTrader, or even attend an auction.
Perhaps the most important advice is to make sure you have someone you trust to help advise you if the car is good value for money!
Now, what car do you buy?
Remember, you’re sticking to that budget, right? Smaller engine sizes can work out much cheaper, and petrol cars tend to be cheaper than diesel.
You’ll also pay extra if you want an automatic car, so make sure you only have one if REALLY need to.
Auto Express regularly review the top ten best first cars for new drivers, and this is what they suggest for 2019:
1. Volkswagen up!/Skoda Citigo/SEAT Mii
2. Ford Fiesta
3. Kia Picanto
4. SEAT Ibiza
5. Volkswagen Polo
6. Hyundai i10
7. Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 108/Citroen C1
8. Dacia Sandero
9. Suzuki Baleno
10. Vauxhall Viva
What to look for when buying your first car
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- Tyres – Check the tyre pressure, tread & condition of all 4 tyres
- Rust – Surface rust is fine on underbody components, but you don’t want any structural rust or bodywork rust.
- Damp – Check the boot carpet and floor areas for any sign of water damage.
- Electrics – Check all the cars features such as the lights, radio, mirror adjustors and parking sensors if fitted.
- Air Conditioning – If fitted, check if the A/C blows cold.
- Warning Lights – Make sure no warning lights stay on once the engine is started.
- Common problems – Every car will have common issues, so research these beforehand and ask to see paperwork for work completed.
For example, if the car needs a timing belt chain every X thousand miles, work out if it should have been done already.
Where to buy a first car
We’d recommend buying a car from a reputable car garage – whether that’s a small local one or a larger national chain of stores. You get much more protection buying from a dealer than from buying from a private buyer, as well as incentives like a free warranty. It’s always best to book a test drive and not simply turn up, and remember to bring your driving licence with you. We’d recommend bringing a friend or family member for a second opinion, too. Once you’re happy with the car and have decided to buy it, you’ll need to do some paperwork. The salesperson will guide you through this, and show you how to tax the car before you drive it away. Some stores offer same-day driveaway, or you may need to pay a deposit – part of the car’s value – and then pay the balance when you go back to collect the car.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for personalised advice on both purchasing your first car and preparing for your driving test. Our 5Day teams are here to help you navigate this exciting new chapter with ease and confidence.