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Best first car revealed by expert mechanics as compact hatchback with its own touchscreen – and costs less than £5,000

Best first car revealed by expert mechanics as compact hatchback with its own touchscreen – and costs less than £5,000

The Irish Sun30-04-2025

THE best first car has been revealed by experts as a compact hatchback with its own touchscreen - for under £5,000.
Newly qualified drivers will likely be counting the pennies when it comes to their first car - in-part due to already high insurance costs.
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2
Experts have recommended the Peugeot 108 as the perfect first car
Credit: Alamy
2
It can go from 0-62mph in 13.8 seconds and has a top speed of just under 100mph
Credit: Alamy
So the Peugeot 108 may well be the perfect option, according to YouTuber @MotorBodies.
"This Peugeot 108 right here. That's the one."
The Peugeot 108 is ideal for those prioritising price over
power
- with its 1-litre engine producing just 72bhp.
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It can go from 0-62mph in 13.8 seconds - with a top speed of just under 100mph.
@MotorBodies also recommended the Toyota Aygo or Kia Picanto - similarly small-engined vehicles that are cheap to both buy and run.
"These are all basically the same cars," the YouTuber added.
"These cars here are only a 1.0 litre so they are cheap on insurance and on fuel.
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"And if you ever get in a ding then parts are really cheap to replace. Pick a car up like this for easily under £5k.
"In my
opinion
, this is the best first car to get."
The 10 cheap cars to buy and drive into London to beat the £21.50 a day T-Charge
Last year,
Matt Watson, the Chief Content Officer at
, an online marketplace for new and used cars,
Speaking to The Sun, he said: "Buying your
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"It needs to be in the lowest insurance group to have a chance of returning an affordable quote, while also being easy to drive, practical enough for your needs and cheap to run.
"Finding a car that's good value, safe, and not so desperately uncool that your friends insist on still taking the bus are also pretty important factors to consider.
"The good
news
is that there are lots of cars that can fit
the bill
, with a little bit of online research.
"There are great condition options for less than £5,000, making an affordable entry point to the world of car ownership."
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Top of his list was the Vauxhall Corsa, which he said was "as unthreatening to a new driver as a kitten is to a mountain lion".
Matt
pointed to a 2015 1.4-litre example with 70,920 miles on the clock for smack bang on the £5,000 budget.
Also among his recommendations were the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio and Kia Picanto.

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