Study finds most popular — and cheapest to insure — car for young drivers
Corsa hits the spot for Gen Z
THE VAUXHALL Corsa is the most popular car among young drivers, according to a report by MoneySuperMarket.
The website analysed more than 7m quotes made by its customers between April 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020 in order to find the most popular cars among 17 to 19 year-olds, as well as the price of insuring them.
The Corsa was also found to be the most popular car in the same study last year. The newest iteration of the hatchback certainly struck a chord with the 18-year old daughter of Lisa Hogan, Jeremy Clarkson’s partner — the teenager was allowed to whizz around the Sunday Times columnist’s farm in the supermini, which in Clarkson’s review he called “peppier and more eager” than its competitor, the Renault Clio.
“She will certainly be the first person in human history to say that her only true happiness for a long time was a brown 1.2-litre Vauxhall Corsa,” he wrote.
Second in the rankings was the Ford Fiesta, the best-selling car in the UK last year. In third was the Volkswagen Polo.
The average price of insuring a 17 to 19 year-old (on a fully comprehensive policy) on any of the top three cars was more than £900. The Corsa cost £939 and the Fiesta £980, while the Polo came in cheapest at £909.
| Rank | Make and model | Average cost of a fully comprehensive policy for a driver aged 17-19 | Average cost of a fully comprehensive policy for a driver aged 20+ | £ difference between ages | % difference between ages |
| 1 | Vauxhall Corsa | £939 | £565 | £374 | 66% |
| 2 | Ford Fiesta | £980 | £463 | £937 | 112% |
| 3 | Volkswagen Polo | £909 | £534 | £375 | 70% |
| 4 | Renault Clio | £772 | £495 | £277 | 56% |
| 5 | Fiat 500 | £682 | £405 | £277 | 68% |
| 6 | Volkswagen Golf | £1,656 | £530 | £1,126 | 213% |
| 7 | Seat Ibiza | £1,117 | £543 | £574 | 106% |
| 8 | Ford Ka | £633 | £409 | £224 | 55% |
| 9 | Vauxhall Astra | £1,571 | £526 | £1,045 | 199% |
| 10 | Fiat Punto | £905 | £584 | £321 | 55% |
Of the top 10 most popular cars among Gen Z drivers, the least expensive to insure proved to be the Ford Ka city car, closely followed by the ever-fashionable Fiat 500. To insure a 17 to 19 year-old on a fully comprehensive policy in a Ford Ka costs just £633, rising to £682 in the Fiat 500. However, they’re only eighth and fifth respectively in terms of the cars choose to drive.
The newest generation of the Fiat 500, now available to order in the UK, still has cutesy looks but is likely to chime even more with younger drivers, as it comes only as a pure-electric car. The pricetag on the initial “La Prima” editions is likely to put the showroom-fresh models out of reach of most first-time drivers, though, at £26,995.
If you’re a parent looking for a car for your child, safety will doubtless weigh on your mind. The Renault Clio, which is the fourth most popular Gen Z car, was called “best in class” in the supermini category by Euro NCAP, an organisation that rates the safety of new cars.
Despite Clarkson’s belief that the Corsa is peppier, the TV presenter still raved about the new Clio, saying it could be “the first French car in years you’d actually want to buy”. It also costs a reasonable £772 to insure a 17 to 19 year old on one, according to MoneySuperMarket. A happy compromise between desirability and cost, perhaps? Though it’s also worth consdering a car not mentioned on this list: the new Peugeot 208 shares the same underpinnings as the Corsa, and like the Corsa is available in petrol, diesel or electric forms.
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