# The 17 Best First Cars for a New Driver

> Insurance premiums, repair bills and the car a seventeen-year-old actually wants. Rarely the same vehicle.

*By YPB Team · Published August 23, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-17-best-first-cars-for-a-new-driver*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Volvo 240** — score 1000/1000
   The old advice — a heavy Swedish brick with famously good crash structure.
2. **Toyota Corolla** — score 927/1000
   The best-selling car in history, chosen by learners for the same reason as everyone else.
3. **Honda Civic** — score 877/1000
   Cheap to insure, cheap to fix, and almost impossible to kill.
4. **Toyota Prius** — score 800/1000
   Fuel costs low enough that a student can afford to keep driving it.
5. **Toyota Camry** — score 709/1000
   Bigger than a learner needs and more reliable than almost anything else.
6. **Ford Mustang** — score 600/1000
   The car most teenagers actually want, and the one insurers price accordingly.
7. **Mini Cooper** — score 600/1000
   Small and fun, though repairs cost more than the badge suggests.
8. **Nissan Versa** — score 600/1000
   Usually the cheapest new car on sale, with a full set of modern airbags.
9. **Chevrolet Malibu** — score 600/1000
   A plain mid-size saloon, which is a compliment in this company.
10. **Volkswagen Golf** — score 466/1000
   Solid, common and small enough to park without drama.
11. **Ford Fiesta** — score 466/1000
   A small hatchback with light controls and low running costs.
12. **Ford Focus** — score 466/1000
   A common hatchback with parts on every shelf in the country.
13. **Honda Fit** — score 300/1000
   A tiny footprint outside and a genuinely useful boot inside.
14. **Hyundai Elantra** — score 300/1000
   A long warranty and a low sticker price, which is most of what a first car needs.
15. **Kia Soul** — score 300/1000
   Boxy, visible from the driver's seat and easy to judge in a car park.
16. **Jeep Wrangler** — score 300/1000
   Popular with new drivers and unforgiving of the mistakes they make.
17. **Subaru Impreza** — score 300/1000
   All-wheel drive as standard, which matters where winters are real.

Tags: brands, cars