What's a good first car for a new driver?

What makes a car a good first car?

Small, simple and easy to insure beats fast and flash every time. For a new driver the things that matter are a modest engine, light steering, good visibility, parts that are cheap and everywhere, and an honest MOT history. Four doors help if you will be carrying friends or kit; a smaller car is far easier to park and to live with on narrow lanes. Fashion and badge come a long way behind insurance, tax and condition, and a car that is simple to fix is a car you will still be driving in three years.

Should I insure the car before I buy it?

Yes — a car must be insured before it is driven on a public road, and that includes the drive home. So get a quote on the exact registration before you commit to anything, because quotes for the same money can differ wildly between two cars that look alike on the forecourt. Do that while you can still change your mind, not on the morning you are due to collect it. If you would rather we brought the car to you, we deliver free within 20 miles of Plas Acton on weekdays in hourly slots, checked, valeted and fuelled before it leaves — see delivery. The insurance still has to be in place first.

How much engine does a new driver need?

Less than most new drivers think. A small petrol engine will keep up with everything on the road around Wrexham, costs less to insure, and will not punish a clutch that is still being learned. A bigger engine mostly buys you cost. If you are choosing between two pedals and three, automatic or manual goes through what each is like to learn on and to own.

Which first car is cheapest to tax?

That depends on when it was first registered, not on how small it looks. A car first registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 is taxed by its CO2 emissions band, so a frugal small car of that age can sit in a very low band. A car registered from 1 April 2017 pays a standard yearly rate instead, with an extra charge for five years if its list price was over the threshold. Check the band on the car itself — what makes a used car cheap to tax explains how the bands work. And remember the tax does not transfer with the car: as the new keeper you must tax it before you drive it on a public road, which you can do straight away online using the V5C reference.

What does the MOT history tell a first-time buyer?

It tells you how the car has been treated, which is more useful than its age. Anyone can check a car's MOT history free on GOV.UK with the registration: every test result, the advisories, the failures and the mileage recorded at each test. Read it for patterns rather than single entries — the same advisory three years running, or mileage that barely moves, is worth a question. In England and Wales a car needs its first MOT by the third anniversary of registration and then one every year, so most first cars will have a long record to read. Every one of our car pages old enough to have been tested shows that DVSA history test by test with the mileage at each test, and how to check a used car's MOT history shows you how to read it.

What should I check on the test drive?

Check the boring things, because they are the expensive ones. A checklist that works for a first car:

• Cold start: watch the dashboard and note any light that stays on.
• Steering: does it pull to one side on a straight, level road?
• Brakes: firm, even, no shudder through the pedal.
• Tyres: tread left, and all four a matching, sensible brand.
• Gearchange: smooth into every gear, including reverse.
• Electrics: windows, heater, blower, wipers, lights, radio.
• Paperwork: V5C, service record, keys — ideally two.

What to look for on a used car test drive and what to check when you view a used car go through it properly, and questions to ask when buying a used car gives you the things to say out loud.

Can I hold a car while I sort out insurance?

Yes, and for a new driver this is the useful bit: a reservation holds the car for fourteen days. Inside those fourteen days you can cancel for any reason and the fee is refunded in full, and if you go ahead it comes off the price. That gives you time to get quotes on that exact car, talk to whoever is helping you buy it, and sleep on it — without someone else driving it away in the meantime. How reserving works has the detail.

What does a ONECARS car have behind it?

Every car is checked on 34 points by ONEFIX, our own workshop on the same site at Plas Acton, Wrexham, and the whole list is published at how we check our cars. Where the check leaves work to do, our system will not let the car be handed over until ONEFIX has put it right. Each car page carries the photographs, the full spec and the MOT history, so a first-time buyer can do the homework calmly at home instead of under pressure on a forecourt. There is no admin fee either: the price shown is the price paid.

What happens if something goes wrong in the first few weeks?

Every car comes with a free three-month warranty on the engine and gearbox, up to 2,500 miles, with the repairs done by ONEFIX on the same site, and longer paid cover is available — what our warranty covers sets out exactly what is included. After that, ONEFIX next door carries on servicing, repairing and MOTing the car for as long as you own it. For a first car that is the part worth having: one site, one workshop, the people who checked the car still looking after it.

Where should I start looking?

Start with the small, sensible cars on used cars and work out your insurance from there. Two to look at now: the 2010 Volkswagen Polo 1.2 at £2,995, about as straightforward as a first car gets, and the 2011 MINI One 1.6 at £2,495 if you want something with a bit more character. We are at Plas Acton Garage, 282 Chester Road, Wrexham LL12 8DU, with a second forecourt at Ruyton near Shrewsbury, open Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Saturday 10 to 4 for viewings by appointment. Bring whoever is helping you decide — get in touch or ring the office on 01978 356983.