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Hi Simon,

OK, for that kind of budget you have a wealth of options, new and used. How about a new MINI Cooper S 2.0-litre? Massive fun to drive, affordable to run (it'll do 50mpg and costs just €290 a year to tax) and they're really well built. Better yet, a brand new one starts at €27k so you have plenty left over for insurance, extras and servicing.

Not practical enough? How about the best hot hatch around at the moment then? The Volkswagen Golf GTI? Your budget just about gets a new one, but it'll be pretty basic. Better to go for nearly-new; get one with a bit of spec and make sure it has the optional Performance Pack fitted - it turns a brilliant car into a gob-smacking one.

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Hi John,

A lot. Sorry, but that’s just the very harsh truth for you. If you’re a new driver, or worse are aged under 30, you’re going to pay an absolute fortune. If you can, trade down to a 1.0-litre car as that will help a little and definitely find yourself a good insurance broker to help you find the best possible deal.

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Hi Eoin,

Go for the Corolla. Its long term reliability prospects are better than those of the Polo, it'll be far more comfortable on the motorway and barely any more expensive to fuel and tax.

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Hi Cinta,

Sorry, we're not a comparisons site. You're 17 but you don't say whether you have a full licence or a provisional, nor whether you have any penalty points or any other details about yourself. The only way to find out is to start wearing out the phone lines and the internet cables by searching and shopping around all the major providers. And then get yourself put on your dad's insurance just like we all did...

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Hi Nicola,

The best we can suggest is to have a good long ring around and a trawl through t'internet I'm afraid. Clearly, a car with GT in the title and 140 horses under the hood is going to flash alarm bells with any insurer when you give them your age. Quote Devil seem to be a good starting point for young driver insurance these days, but with a car that grunty you're going to be getting big quotes wherever you go, especially as you're still on a learner licence.

So, shopping around, lots, is really your only option. Either that or trade in the Golf GT and get a 1.0 Micra...

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Hi Lee,

You've got to keep the engine size down, basically, if you want cheap insurance, but we would also suggest getting something that's good to drive, simply because exposure to good vehicle dynamics early on makes better drivers of us all. So, probably the best balance is to go for a Ford Fiesta 1.25. There are loads of them around and they're cheap to run, decently reliable and very safe. It would also be worth tracking down a Suzuki Swift 1.3, as they're fab to drive and close to indestructible.

However, if even those engine sizes are running the insurance bill up too high, then you need to think  smaller and go down to a 1.0-litre engine. In that case, I'd suggest either a Toyota Aygo (or a mechanically identical Citroen C1 or Peugeot 107) or, if the budget will stretch, a Volkswagen up!, Skoda Citigo or SEAT Mii.

What do you think?

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Hi Sean,

Well, any insurance company is going to load any male driver under 30 with a hefty premium, and if they're going for a BMW, any BMW, then that premium will be stacked higher still. Perhaps it would be better to seek out a version of the 1 Series that doesn't specifically have the word 'Sport' in its name? The SE model is just as good to drive and look at and there's no actually major dynamic benefit to having the Sport badge on the car.

Or, if the insurance is still working out too steep, why not consider a MINI? A One D would be pretty much as much fun to drive as the 1 Series, cheaper to run and insure and still has that BMW-style handling (front-wheel drive notwithstanding). Could be a better car to drive until he's past 30 and into the sunlit uplands of cheaper insurance.

What do you think?

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Hi Michael,

Well, it kind of depends on the car. If you mean something along the lines of a Hyundai i10 or even a Peugeot 208 (ok, so that one's a 1.2 but still...) then the answer is not much. Fuel economy should work out at around 50mpg depending on how you drive; emissions should be under 120g/km; and insurance should be dirt cheap.

If you're talking about an older model, the waters are a bit muddier. Smaller engines generally mean lower running costs but there are cars out there with underpowered smaller engines, and you have to spend so much time ragging them to keep up with the flow of traffic that your fuel consumption goes through the roof.

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Hi Gary,

Very, very hard to go wrong with a Golf for your starter car. Cheap to buy and maintain, but if you get a nice one, clean it and care for it, it'll look every bit as classy and desirable as a brand new one. The 1.4 has all the performance of a slow moving glacier, but that's probably why the insurance is so cheap. It's also worth having a look for a nice 1.4-litre MINI One, if only for the sheer fun of the thing, or if you wanted to be really, really sensible (and shave even more off the insurance) you could track down a 1.0-litre Toyota Yaris.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Kal,

Right, you need to be aiming for an engine under 1.0 litres to keep the insurance costs as low as possible. If you're buying new, how about a Volkswagen up! or a Hyundai i10? Both excellent, both very safe. If you're buying used, stretch the insurance budget to a 1.2-litre engine and track down a nice, well cared for Nissan Micra - safe, easy to drive and ultra-reliable.

What do you think?