THESE are the three most reliable cars you can buy and insure for under £5,000 – and they’re perfect for beginner drivers.
Newly-qualified motorists are often slapped with huge insurance bills, but cover is cheaper for a handful of car makes.
Independent Advisor Car Insurance expert Connor Campbell said drivers should keep an eye out for cars in a low insurance band.
He told the Express: “Every car belongs to an insurance group, numbered one to 50, that’ll make it more or less expensive to insure.
“Cars that fall into the lower groups are less expensive to insure than those in the higher groups.
“When shopping around for a second hand car, try and find one in a lower insurance group in order to keep the cost of your cover down.”
The best car for new drivers is the fourth-generation Nissan Micra, built from 2010 to 2020.
An average new driver without a no-claims bonus would be charged £2,758 per year for cover on a Micra, Connor said.
The Micra is Nissan’s smallest model and not much of a looker – but most used models sell for under £2,000.
Another good choice for beginners is the fourth-generation Vauxhall Corsa, built between 2006 and 2014.
Independent Advisor Car Insurance said used Corsa models sell for around £2,000 – and cover costs about the same as for a Micra.
The third most reliable car for new drivers is the Renault Megane, which you can buy and insure for just shy of £5,000.
THESE are the top ten cheapest cars for new drivers, ranked by the combined price of the car and insurance:
CAR insurance is an essential cost that you hope to never use but will need to cover the costs of theft or damage to your vehicle.
It’s a legal requirement to have car insurance, and going without it could land you with a £300 fine, six penalty points on your licence and even a criminal conviction.
But there are several ways to slash your premiums.
Pay upfront
Insurers give you the choice of paying for insurance monthly or upfront.
Paying monthly spreads the cost of your cover but the insurer adds interest charges which means the average motorist pays around ten per cent more overall.
If you pay for your car insurance annually you don’t pay any interest.
A typical motorist can save up to £225 a year by paying in one go, according to comparison site MoneySuperMarket.
Increase your excess
The excess is what you agree to pay each time you need to make a claim on your policy.
You can usually choose your own excess when setting up a policy and it can be as low as £100 and as high as £500 or more.
The higher your excess, the lower your premium and vice versa.
This means you could bring the cost of your insurance down by agreeing to pay more if you do need to make a claim.
But before you hike your excess, make sure you would be able to pay in the event that you do need to make a claim.
Tweak your job
Certain jobs are seen as more risky than others for insurance purposes.
Making small but accurate changes to your job title can save you money.
For example, swapping your role from “chef” to “caterer” can save you £20, comparison site GoCompare found.
And changing your role from “fast food delivery driver” to “delivery driver” could save you £40.
But lying about your job could invalidate your policy so make sure any changes are legitimate and accurate.
Shop around
Not all comparison sites have the same range of insurers so to get the best price it’s a good idea to check two or three from Go Compare, Comparethemarket, MoneySupermarket and Confused.com.
Insurer Direct Line is also not on comparison sites so check its prices directly.
You can also get a free cash bonus by going via a cashback site such as Topcashback or Quidco.
Save the date
Renewing your car insurance sooner rather than later could save you some cash.
New cover becomes more expensive the closer you get to the renewal date.
But you can buy your car insurance up to 29 days before the policy start date and ‘lock in’ the price you’re quoted on that day.
A typical driver can save up to £265 buying new cover at least 27 days before their current policy ends, according to Go Compare.
