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Whether you’ve passed your driving test or not, choosing your first car is always an exciting time. But it can come with it’s ups and downs. 

We’re sharing our top tips on what to look for when choosing your first car. 

Though this may seem like a fairly generic tip, we strongly suggest shopping around the different dealerships, eBay, AutoTrader and Gumtree alike. From here you’re likely to find a decent bargain or at least have a rough idea of a price range for the cars you do like the look of. 

When you find a few cars you like, note them down...this helps later on.

This can be done before and/or after shopping around. Always look for the most practical cars when choosing your first car, let’s be honest a Range Rover is unlikely to be your first car (the insurance premiums alone would be through the roof!). 

So if you’re planning to research after you’ve had a shop around, look into the cars you’ve found to discover what the fuel consumption is, road tax and likely insurance will be. Plus a handy tip is to see how reliable they are, although the car may look nice on the outside, if they’re going to breakdown every 2 weeks it’s going to be a costly endeavor!

You can check insurance on sites such as confused.com, Compare The Market and MoneySuperMarket. 

If you’re new to driving, a small car is likely to be the best first car. Why? Because they’re often easier to drive, cheaper to run and purchase, plus they’re less likely to be overwhelming! 

Our tip picks for smaller cars are: 

Sure there are many others, but these are reliable and usually can be purchased for a good price if you can find one that’s a little older than the current year of the registration plate.

Often if funds can be stretched, new cars are a great investment. They come with warranties, servicing, no MOTs for the first three years and many other benefits too. 

You don’t always have to choose a ‘brand new’ car. There are other ways to purchase a new vehicle and still have all the great benefits that come with it. Many dealerships sell their ex-demonstrators and offer nearly-new cars too that are likely to have ~1,000 - 5,000 miles on the clock. It’s always an option to consider especially if you would prefer to have all the warranties in place. 

If you have any tips on choosing your first car, let us know on social media and we’ll share them!