Hi Sophie,

The usual rules of first-car ownership are: keep it simple, low power and preferably manual, so you can learn clutch control. You can always migrate to an automatic later in life. Most people prefer hatchbacks as first cars, but there’s nothing against picking a saloon or crossover if you’d rather have something a bit more substantial. Good city cars and superminis are always worth consideration, so look at the Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208, Hyundai i10, Toyota Aygo, Skoda Citigo (or Fabia) and the SEAT Ibiza. All of these are very popular cars, so there’s a huge range of good-value used examples for you to look at. Have fun choosing!