Cheapest and Most Expensive Cars For Learners

Here’s how to save some money as a learner driver according to research

Whether you’re 17 or 45, being a learner driver is a punishing experience. The stress of learning the roads, memorising the theory test answers, paying hundreds of pounds to instructors and getting the short end of things when it comes to car insurance.

Although it seems like the world may be against you whilst learning to drive, there are things you can do to mitigate the stress of the whole experience and one of those things is choosing the right car.

There’s a lot to consider when choosing a car to learn with the cost of insurance, fuel, maintenance, tax and the cost to purchase it/monthly repayment costs. Fortunately, Moneybarn has done all the hard work for you by researching the 20 most popular cars in the UK and calculating the total annual cost for learner drivers.

If you know a learner driver who is looking to save money on their insurance policy, we would recommend visiting Performance Direct. Their specialist learner driver insurance policies are tailored to those on provisional licences and aim to offer the most competitive price possible.

The top 3 results for the cheapest cars for learner drivers were as follows:

Vauxhall Corsa

A tried and true moderately sized hatchback, the Corsa takes number 1 position thanks to its low cost for insurance and finance repayments. Costing £6,411 annually including fuel, insurance and repayment, it’s no wonder why so many instructors choose to use a Corsa to teach their students.

Renault Clio

Costing £6,999 annually on average, the Clio isn’t far behind in second place. Yet another popular hatchback for learner drivers in the UK, the Clio offers a slightly more refined interior over the Corsa but some would argue a Corsa would be more reliable.

Vauxhall Astra

As a slightly bigger, more family-oriented version of the Corsa, we’re surprised to see this model competing with the smaller hatchbacks. At roughly £7,038 per year, the cost of running an Astra puts it in 3rd place.

As for the most expensive cars to learn in, of the 20 most popular cars in the UK, they were the Range Rover, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4, with an average cost of £31,173, £14,485 and £14,069 respectively. Yikes!

As with any study, the findings will have their limitations. For instance, there are many great cars for learner drivers that are not in the top 20 most popular cars in the UK. Also, car prices are based off a 3-year loan at 9.9% APR using the median from HonestJohn used car prices.

Let us know your thoughts on the matter, in the comments below.

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Research provided by Moneybarn.com