It’s a daunting moment for any parent – the realisation your child is ready to hit the road in their first car.
A huge moment of independence that can come at a huge financial cost, for both the parents and the child.
Whether you’ve had money set aside for them or they’re earning their way with part-time work, driving at a young age is anything but cheap.
Beyond purchasing the vehicle, insurance costs are unlikely to come cheaply.
With so much to consider, it can be an overwhelming time when choosing your child’s first car, but following these helpful tips will help you on your way.
Consider car leasing
If you’re nervous about the prospect of your children driving around in ageing, unreliable cars, you’ll want to get them behind the wheel of something new and safe.
Car leasing is one of the most cost-effective methods of driving a brand-new car without breaking the bank.
Choose from any make and model, flexible lease terms and the resulting monthly payments can be really affordable. You can even include maintenance plans within your monthly payments, so nobody has to fork out huge sums of money for annual services or unexpected repairs.
While they won’t ever own the vehicle, they will be driving a new vehicle, kitted out with the latest safety features and any reliability concerns you might have can be satisfied.
Research Euro NCAP safety scores
On the theme of reliability, take the time to research a vehicle’s Euro NCAP safety score.
The European New Car Assessment Programme is a serious of rigorous car tests that determine a vehicle’s safety based on real-life scenarios.
Each vehicle is then given a subsequent rating out of five, with the highest score being five stars of out of five. The reports outline important information like standard safety equipment and videos of the tests; important information that could help you choose between one vehicle or another.
Take them for a test drive
Once you’ve whittled down your new car shortlist, take the time to visit your local dealership and experience the cars first hand.
Depending on their age, your child may need to be accompanied on a test drive. However, this is a fantastic opportunity to understand what they might be driving on the road.
It’s not uncommon for learner drivers to do their lessons and tests in brand-new cars, so their first vehicle could be something of a reality check after learning to drive in something new and shiny.
Get insurance quotes first
Depending on your model choice, insurance is likely to be the largest upfront payment your child will have to contend with.
However, there could be some large disparities between insurance costs depending on the type of car they go for.
To get the biggest bang for your buck, compare different insurance quotes before you settle on a car. The difference between them could be a deciding factor in which vehicle to choose.
The last thing you want is to find the car of their dreams and realise the alternative would’ve been considerably cheaper to insure.
