by Andrew from Marmalade.co.uk
When you’re a student-parent, you need things in your life to run smoothly. If you’re working all day, have class in the evenings, need to run your kids around from here to there, you don’t have time for a car that’s always crapping out on you. Having a reliable car only helps you better manage everything that’s on your plate. Choosing the best cars for young drivers’ means considering a range of factors, from fuel efficiency to cabin space. Here’s what you should keep in mind if you’re looking for a new car.
Fuel Efficiency
You may be tempted to choose a car based on top speed or style. While natural, it’s better to avoid indulging this tendency. A fast car doesn’t impress anyone in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and a sleek exterior is less attractive the tenth time the driver bumps his or head on the ceiling. Fuel economy is less exciting but much more important. Economical cars like the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo or Suzuki Swift can achieve fuel economies in the 45-48 mpg range, a welcome trait in a world of rising fuel prices.
Repair Costs
A car’s sticker price isn’t the only source of expense. Repair costs over the life of the vehicle can mount up quickly if the car isn’t reliable. Checking comparison sites for average repair costs will help you get a picture of possible future maintenance bills. Small cars like the Fiat 500, Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2 show have a high reliability index, meaning that they tend to have lower average maintenance costs in addition to having generally good fuel efficiency.
Insurance
Young drivers tend to pay higher insurance costs compared to more experienced motorists, so it’s important not to compound this by choosing a car in a low insurance group. Car insurance groups divide vehicles by the perceived risk of insuring them; high group numbers tend to indicate high-performance sports cars and similar vehicles, which have very high insurance payments. Fortunately, most inexpensive small cars tend to be in low insurance groups: for instance, the Volkswagen Polo is in insurance group 2, while the Ford Fiesta is in group 3.
Size
Although some newer universities occupy edge-of-town sites with plentiful parking, these are far from the norm. If you’re going to be battling with traffic and parking in a congested university city, a small car is the only smart choice.
Cabin Comfort
On a long journey, cabin comfort will make a big difference. If you can, then, test out the car to make sure that visibility is good and the seats won’t lead to an aching back on a long drive.
Space
Can you fit your car seat in the back of the car? More than one? Will your children need more room as they get older? What about your friends? Will you all fit in the car on a girl’s night out?
Choosing the right car for a young driver means taking a wide variety of different factors into account, but making the right choice can save time, money and stress in the long term.
Andrew has always had a passion for cars and enjoys finding the best way to bring the fun into driving. When he isn’t at car shows, he can be found taking his dog on walks and going on long road trips.
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