A good cheap reliable car for a college student in the UK?

i agree, stay away from prius. do you have a corolla or similar?

then again, if you don't care, you could probably get a great deal on a vdub diesel. but that would negate the repair parameter.

 

While the Prius is very reliable, when it DOES need repairs they can easily add up to 4500 euros. I would recommend a Corolla.

 

Depends where she'll be staying, how much driving she'll be doing, what the internship is for - some occupations are a red flag to some insurance companies, and also whether she can drive a manual/stick shift. About 70% of UK cars are manual!! and that percentage increases massively in small cars - automatics are mainly found in larger cars.

Car insurance in the UK for young or inexperienced drivers can be very expensive, read £thousands. It's gone up 18% in the last year alone. The UK is the whiplash claim capital of Europe and the law mandates that the minimum liability coverage on a car insurance policy is £20Million ($30million), so put two and two together.

Car insurance for young drivers | AA

That's the background. In the UK cars are given an insurance rating by the insurance industry, so a very small 1 litre car may have a group rating of 2/50. A Prius is about 12/50 and a Tesla 50/50. It's based on repair costs, safety, historic accident frequency etc. To complicate it, the insurance rating is a guide and some insurers will put some cars in lower or higher brackets when they quote. It's not just the model of car that is rated, but the exact model. A Ford Focus might be a group 10 but a sporty version a group 30. Oh, and she must have a standard car and NOT modify it with ANYTHING or it will invalidate her insurance. Some insurers will cover modified cars but it will add cost and complication which she won't need a this time.

Back to the question. Which car? She'd want to stick to a European (inc Ford & Vauxhall/GM) or locally built Japanese car. Avoid anything that may be interesting or fun. A Prius will be too big for an inexperienced driver in the UK as parking spaces are rare and tight. A basic version of any of the following would be worth a look for her. ALWAYS get her to check with a reputatble insurer BEFORE she buys the car just incase she inadvertantly looks at a higher rated model (see above). She'll need the licence plate number for an insurance quote.

Ford KA, Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Fiat 500, VW Polo, Nissan Micra, Peugeot 106, Renault Clio, Citroen C1, Mini (but not the sporty ones), Toyota Aygo.

The five cheapest cars for teens to insure – and what they actually drive - Telegraph

Cheaper cars to insure: popular cars for young drivers - ingenie®
Car insurance for young female drivers - ingenie®
Motor Insurance | Cheap Motor Insurance Quotes | Endsleigh

You'll note there's nothing from Honda. They only offer the Jazz/Fit as their smallest car and it's Japanese built, so expensive to insure. The UK built Civic is quite large for the UK streets and not that cheap to insure either. Also, and contrary to the advice above, avoid the Toyota Auris (our Corolla). Probably too big or too expensive to insure.

Hope that helps!?!?

 

London? Forget it, seriously. Insurance for an inexperienced driver will be horrific, parking a nightmare and driving there is challenging even for myself and I thought I was experienced. She would be better using the excellent buses, cabs, a bicycle and the tube/subways, and if she needs a car - rent/hire one.

The streets are narrow and very congested, speed cameras abound as do junction and traffic light cameras. Jay walking is not a crime and pedestrians have right of way - and they know it. There will be parking fees just to park outside her house (in many places) and offstreet parking is rare. Imagine the most congested parts of New York and then narrow the streets and restrict the parking.

Let her have that list of small cars I gave. They will be about the cheapest to insure, but remember there is annual car tax that can be upto £500 a year, though probably about £100 give or take for those cars. Petrol is $8 a US gallon. A car in the UK or Europe is an expensive proposition, a car in London is a liability.

Sorry.

Hope she enjoys her time here though. I'm sure she will.

ps, I forgot to add. Cars over 3 years old need an annual Government safety and emissions test. Any serious corrosion rust or rot will result in a fail and need expensive repair. Loose suspension parts or worn anything is a fail and needs repair. It can prove expensive for older cars to be kept on the road, especially with the salt that's used on the roads in winter. A car isn't a cheap thing over here.

What's checked in an MOT? - Halfords Autocentres

Run a car with an expired safety certificate (MOT) and the insurance is invalidated. Having no insurance is a criminal offence. See how it escalates.

 

They do but they're highly regulated and don't want to lose their licence if they had too many complaints.

Re leasing. Some manufacturers will include free insurance if you buy/lease one of their cars;

Fiat 500 i-Deal offers young drivers a new car, comprehensive insurance and routine servicing for three years, all for just £239 per month
Just Add Fuel® | Peugeot Offers
Ford Young Driver Insurance | UK

It might appear expensive but could be cheaper overall? The Fiats appear popular with younger women. Warranties in the UK can be quite comprehensive, with many offering 5 or 7 years of protection.

Cars are more expensive here than the US. We have 20% vat/sales tax included which puts up costs significantly. Maybe a lease is the way to go?

Oh, and what about an electric car? Don't immediately discount it. The deals on the Renault Zoe are amazing and you can almost lease the car for the monthly cost of petrol in a traditional car. Electric cars don't pay any car tax, they're automatic and get free access into central London (with some parking benefits there too).

Latest offers

Renault Zoe Hatchback (12) Review | Parkers

Brand new car, £995 deposit, 2 year lease, £89car+ £80 battery lease (depending on mileage) per month, no fuel costs and the above benefits. They're almost giving them away. Actually I think they are!

 

About that but it's just central London rather than all of London. You really really don't want to drive right into the center of London! lol.

But yes, electric cars are exempt from this daily charge, though they do need to be registered for 12 months access and it costs about £25 to do this.

 

Their daughter may very well be required to go into the CCZ. It's the center of central London and includes all the big posh houses, but also universities and Harley Street etc.


Congestion Charge zone - Transport for London

 

$30 million??? we have 2 million, but is up pose it's the premium that's most important. it does, however, sound quite expensive.

 

Nah. Click the link which had the CCZ area on a google map. Then zoom out and there is a motorway (M25) that goes around London and you'll then see the CCZ area is very small. It's maybe a few square miles in a city of 10 million.

 

And I've not yet mentioned the severe penalties for drink driving, mainly because I'm sure your daughter wouldn't ever consider drink/drunk driving. The penalties are severe and any reading over the legal limit will result in a minimum 12 month driving ban as well as it being a criminal offence. It doesn't do job prospects much good and very often results in losing your job.

Cause an accident whilst over the limit and you're in big trouble. Injure or kill someone whilst drunk and it's pretty much guaranteed you'll be spending time away at her Majesty's pleasure. At Her Majesty's pleasure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Drink-driving penalties - GOV.UK

Once you get your licence back after a drink driving conviction, good luck finding insurance in future. You'll need it.

 

Almost. I'm from Denmark, so if anyone has questions regarding importing a Lexus to Denmark, then I will gladly talk at length about the futility

The low end cheap car market in the UK is not that different from here. I looked into it when I was trying to get a job there last year. They have far more Fords and Vauxhall (Opel) than what you see in Denmark .
The best trick I know when buying used is to take the car to a mechanic before purchasing. You should also check with insurance as there's hefty differences in premiums based on who you are, where you live, and what kind of car you drive.

If you just want the running costs really, really low, then a used Yaris is hard to beat. We have a 1.0 in the family with almost 400000km on the clock without any unforeseen repairs. Peugeot 107/108, and Citroën C1 are the most solid French cars you can get.

Edit
I first now saw that we are talking about something near London. Have you looked into some of the new car sharing services? London and cars don't really mix.