Compare the best cheap first cars
High quality cheap first and learner cars from rated and reviewed dealers
Best cheap first cars of 2022
When you’re buying your first car, budget is everything so you want to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Here’s our recommendations for the best cheap cars for first-time buyers.
1. Dacia Sandero
carwow price from
£135* / month
(£12,252)
For a hatchback of this size, nothing’s better than a Dacia Sandero. Put it this way, to get a comparable car from Ford or VW, you’re going to have to spend around £4,000 to £5,000 extra. Can’t be beat for value.
2. Volkswagen Polo
carwow price from
£168* / month
(£17,911)
An expensive cheap option, if you catch our drift, but the Polo will have your back in other ways. It’s cheap to run, reliable, impressively safe, and you’ll never have trouble selling it on. Value for money isn’t just about purchase price, after all.
3. Hyundai i10
carwow price from
£160* / month
(£12,547)
Possibly not as cheap as it should be, but the little i10 still manages to represent a lot of car for the money. It feels more grown up to drive than its price and size suggest, and that standard unlimited mileage, five-year warranty makes the high-ish price tag worth it.
4. Volkswagen Up
carwow price from
£197* / month
(£13,811)
An aging design, but still a cracking little car — the Up is arguably still VW’s most stylish current model and will cost you buttons to run and insure. I’ll be reliable, too.
5. Ford Fiesta
carwow price from
£262* / month
(£17,587)
Cheaper to buy than a Volkswagen Polo, but as with so many new cars, the Fiesta is starting to look a touch pricey. Still, you get a lot of standard kit for your cash (including air conditioning and an eight-inch touchscreen) and the 1.1 engine is super-economical.
6. Vauxhall Corsa
carwow price from
£176* / month
(£16,028)
Fractionally more affordable than the basic Fiesta, and arguably the better-looking car of the two, the Corsa scores highly with its fuel-sipping 1.2-litre petrol engines, and solid build quality. Not the most exciting thing, but that’s not the point, is it?
7. Skoda Fabia
carwow price from
£229* / month
(£16,783)
Another car that’s slightly more expensive than it ought to be, but the new Fabia makes up for that with a super-stylish cabin and a boot that’s as big as what you get in a Golf. Refined to drive, too, and with Skoda’s reliability it’ll do you for years to come.
8. Kia Picanto
carwow price from
£176* / month
(£11,567)
The cheapest car here to insure (some versions dip into the lowest Group 1 for insurance) and helpfully more affordable than its Hyundai cousin. The Picanto is tiny inside and out, but it’s perfect for zipping around town, and that long warranty will have you sleeping easily at night.
9. Citroen C3
carwow price from
£172* / month
(£12,755)
Astonishingly, you can currently get a basic C3 for less than the price of an Up, i10, or even a Dacia Sandero. You don’t get a lot for your money — no touchscreens here, but you do at least get manual air conditioning — and it’s an older design, but who could argue with that price tag?
10. Toyota Aygo X
carwow price from
£189* / month
(£14,682)
It’s a shame that Toyota had to turn the Aygo into a crossover to keep buyers interested, but we do rather like this new Aygo X’s chunky styling. Typical Toyota build quality means that it should run forever, and the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine burns less fuel than a camping stove.
Browse all cars for first time drivers
Advice about cheap first cars
Cheap first cars FAQs
Other first cars