We've picked nine of the cheapest cars to insure for young drivers in Ireland that are currently available.
Car insurance is one of those things we all hope we never need, but it is mandatory in Ireland. Unfortunately, good insurance cover doesn't always come cheap, especially for young drivers, but there are things you can do to lower your insurance premiums, and one of the most effective steps you can take is choosing your car carefully.
Although insurance prices always seem to be rising in Ireland, some cars are still much cheaper to insure than others.
How to Choose a Car with Low Insurance Costs
And while it's obvious that a little Citroen is going to have lower premiums than a high-performance Porsche, other quirks can make a significant difference, too.
Generally speaking, cars with smaller engines are deemed by Irish insurers to be less of a risk, but that's not the only factor that's taken into consideration. The average cost of repair also feeds into the insurance premiums quoted.
But how do you choose a car that's going to be economical to insure? There are some helpful tips that can put you on the right track. For example, cars sold in the UK have so-called 'insurance groups', which give each car a rating between one and fifty. The lower the number, the cheaper a car will be to insure in the UK. Although these groups aren't formally used in Ireland, it still follows that cars in lower groups will generally cost less to insure on these shores, young driver or not.
Age is a consideration, too. Although a vehicle's age doesn't always directly impact insurance quotes, and older cars tend to be cheaper to buy and repair, they miss out on modern safety features that make a crash less likely and can be penalised by insurers as a result. Some Irish insurers, for example, will increase premiums on cars over 10 years old.
Meanwhile, there are some modern cars that have special safety systems designed specifically to help protect young drivers. Some Fords, for example, have the 'MyKey' feature that allows parents to limit young drivers' speed or restrict the audio system volume when they are driving. And that's before you consider the advantages of modern safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking that can stop the car automatically if the driver does not respond to a hazard in time.
You may notice that, while all the cars we've chosen below are reasonably modern, there are no purely electric options in there. That's partly because electric cars tend to be more powerful and more expensive than their combustion-engined equivalents at this end of the Irish market, but as electric vehicles become more common - and more affordable - we might see a few make the grade for young drivers to get insurance on. And with electric cars removing the manual gearbox, we might have a generation of young drivers who never even learn to drive a manual, combustion-engined car. But that's a question for the future.
With all that in mind, we've picked the top cars that you should be looking at if a young driver wants to keep their insurance premiums in check.
Best Cheap Cars for Insurance in Ireland
Citroen C1
- Engine size: 1.0-1.4 litres
- UK insurance group: 1-13
The Citroen C1 went out of production in 2022, having become a hugely popular small urban hatchback. Sharing so much with the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 107/108, it was a reliable little runaround with a chic design. Although it wasn't speedy or sporty, it was quite enjoyable to dash around town in, and it was perfectly suited to its task. Today, it makes for an entertaining, modern and well-equipped city car that's cheap to run and insure.
Read our Citroen C1 reviews
Read our Peugeot 108 reviews
Fiat Panda
- Engine size: 0.9-1.4 litres
- UK insurance group: 1-12
Small and quintessentially Italian, the Panda has been a hit with buyers, particularly in Europe, thanks to its versatility and low running costs. With all-wheel-drive and even high-performance versions on offer (ignore those to keep insurance prices down), the Panda has the ability to be all things to all people. It's decidedly Italian in its attitude, but cheap repairs mean insurance rates are low for something so characterful.
Ford Fiesta
- Engine size: 1.0-1.6 litres
- UK insurance group: 2-30
Ford no longer makes the Fiesta, but it's still a great small hatchback to own and to drive, and it can be very cheap to insure. Counter-intuitively, the 1.1-litre cars are less powerful than 1.0-litre models, and therefore often get the cheapest premiums, but as long as you steer clear of the more upmarket and more powerful models (such as the ST versions) no Fiesta will be especially costly to cover. This makes it one of the best first cars to insure in Ireland, especially for budget-conscious young drivers.
Hyundai i10
- Engine size: 1.0-1.25 litres
- UK insurance group: 1-12
The i10 is one of the best city cars on the Irish market, and it's ideal for keeping insurance prices down. Though its engines are small, the car is light, easy to drive and full of equipment, which will suit a young driver, while the reliability, solidity and manoeuvrability of older models is highly impressive. Practical and user-friendly, the i10 has become one of the best small cars you can buy either new or used.
SEAT Mii
- Engine size: 1.0 litre
- UK insurance group: 1-4
Under the skin, the SEAT Mii, Skoda Citigo and Volkswagen Up! are all essentially the same, but the SEAT came with a slightly younger, hipper attitude and slightly different styling. It was and still is a brilliant little city car that's solidly made and nice to drive, as well as offering some stylish and sporty trim levels to suit differing tastes. Yet with only 1.0-litre engines producing 60hp or 75hp, it's also a hugely efficient and incredibly cheap car to run and own.
Skoda Citigo
- Engine size: 1.0 litre
- UK insurance group: 1-4
Another sibling of the SEAT Mii and the VW Up!, the Skoda Citigo is perhaps the most grown-up of the three Volkswagen Group small hatchbacks. A really unassuming attitude marks it out from the crowd, while the little 1.0-litre three-cylinder engines on offer make it incredibly efficient and cheap to insure for young drivers. The practical little hatchback came in three- and five-door forms, and even the sportiest Monte Carlo version is fun but modestly powered, and therefore far from costly to run.
Skoda Fabia
- Engine size: 1.0-2.0 litres
- UK insurance group: 1-20
Although it's much larger than the Citigo, and one of the most practical cars on this list, the Skoda Fabia is still very cheap to run from both a fuel efficiency and an insurance perspective. But it was offered in both hatchback and estate forms, both of which are hugely spacious, and there was a 1.9-litre diesel RS performance option, although that isn't the cheapest model to insure in Ireland. Instead, there are plenty of well-equipped, efficient options that drive nicely, have plenty of space and make great compact hatchback buys.
Toyota Aygo
- Engine size: 1.0-1.4 litres
- UK insurance group: 1-9
After two generations, the Toyota Aygo has been replaced with the bigger Aygo X, but the original small hatchback is still a brilliant little urban runabout. Early cars looked a bit odd, but they were compact and dependable, while later models got a funkier, more modern design and a more solid interior. None of them were fast - and that was why they never cost that much to insure - but they make great first cars for young drivers.
Volkswagen Up!
- Engine size: 1.0 litre
- UK insurance group: 1-17
A great small car with lots of character and a surprisingly entertaining driving experience, the VW Up! shares much with the Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii, both of which are essentially the same car with different badges and bumpers. The Up! may not have all that much space inside, but it's practical for its size, and it was offered in three- and five-door forms.
Read our Volkswagen Up! reviews
Ask Us for Help Choosing the Right Model
Choosing the right car can make a massive difference to your insurance costs. These models are great starting points for young Irish drivers looking for affordable, reliable transport with reasonable premiums. Always compare quotes and consider models with good safety ratings to maximise value.
If you've read this through but could still do with a little one-on-one expert guidance, fear not, as CompleteCar.ie's Ask Us Anything service does just that, and it costs nothing at all other than the time it takes you to submit a question. Do that via the Ask Us Anything page and we'll get back to you with your answer as quickly as possible.