Suggestions for a small car for new teenage driver?
- Thread starter Hades
- Start date
Caporegime
I think it is largely dependant on the type of crash you get involved in.
Low speed pretty much everything modern is safe. I wouldn't want to roll down a motorway in an SUV, which is what seems to happen to them at high speed lol
My daughter had a Fiat 500 for her first couple of years. Her school car park was full of them - it was obviously part of the teenage girl starter kit car. Insurance costs were surprisingly ...not as excessive as expected. 1200 quid year 1, with a black box. This year (year 3 for her insurance wise) and we're replacing the Fiat 500 with an Audi A1. Insurance is about 500 quid. Considering we live fairly close to Tower Bridge I don't think that's too shabby.
Can has been very reliable and cheap to run. I had some safety concerns with it, but then I suspect she could drive a hummer and I'd still have the same concerns.
Can has been very reliable and cheap to run. I had some safety concerns with it, but then I suspect she could drive a hummer and I'd still have the same concerns.
Caporegime
Your daughter is the girl from the car memes, who has a Fiat 500 and then replaces it with an Audi A1!
Can you ask her what the thought process there is, and why she chose those particular models? For science?
Can you ask her what the thought process there is, and why she chose those particular models? For science?
Our 13 plate Picanto has been pretty reliable, don't get the 3 pot if you live anywhere hilly though it really struggles with gradients.
Yaris (reliable) and Fiesta (cheap to fix and pretty reliable) should be plenty of choice out there.
Left field choice if you can charge up at home a Citroen C-Zero / Peugeot Ion / Mitsubishi I-Meiv, deffo small and should be ok for around 40-50 miles it can rapid charge but best for short journeys
Yaris (reliable) and Fiesta (cheap to fix and pretty reliable) should be plenty of choice out there.
Left field choice if you can charge up at home a Citroen C-Zero / Peugeot Ion / Mitsubishi I-Meiv, deffo small and should be ok for around 40-50 miles it can rapid charge but best for short journeys
Your daughter is the girl from the car memes, who has a Fiat 500 and then replaces it with an Audi A1!
Can you ask her what the thought process there is, and why she chose those particular models? For science?
Ha, yes! It's been my running joke for a bit..... Her mom has an Arbarth 500 so I think that's where the initial 500 thought came from. The A1 I'm not sure tbh. It was between that and a Mini, and after being in the mini she didn't like the layout & tech. As you say the A1 seems the natural progression so I suspect a lot of that is down to what her friend's have.
Soldato
No it doesn't.
Also you better pray the small car is never involved in an accident and forget about overtaking - well anything, so be prepared to stuck behind some slow moving vehicles etc.
I would get a larger car due to the fact it would hold up much better in the event of an accident, crash a small tin can car and the outlook is not good
just dont crash it....
Modern small cars are very good in crashes. Also I drove small power cars years. They aren't as bad as you make out, lorrys etc aren't really a problem. If they were very difficult to drive they wouldn't be as popular as they are.
Caporegime
I overtook loads of stuff in my 54HP Polo and my 42HP Nippa, you just need a run up, and a clear line of sight. Most of the time there either isn't enough space or its not worth bothering though! 
Safety wise, most modern small cars are very good. Size isn't the be all and end all.
Safety wise, most modern small cars are very good. Size isn't the be all and end all.
My 75hp shopping cart is suprisingly quick up until about 40 mph. But after that it really does run out of puff. Getting to motorway speed feels like a struggle
But being under 1 ton it's really chuckable. No traction control either (which is forced on modern eco cars), so you can drive it like a proper chav.
But being under 1 ton it's really chuckable. No traction control either (which is forced on modern eco cars), so you can drive it like a proper chav.
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