Heading off to university is arguably the most exciting time of your entire life, and for a variety of reasons. You’re about to embark on a mission to acquire skills and qualifications that will most likely shape your entire future. You’re about to start living away from the parental home for the first time, finally giving you the freedom to truly do what you want. And, you’re about to meet a whole bunch of new people, all from different backgrounds, but all of whom share the same common goal and enthusiasm as you. Doesn’t get much better than that, does it?
However, student life isn’t all house parties and student unions the whole time: it comes with some hardships, too. Money is often tight, meaning you’re not always sure where your next tin of beans or bottle of Lambrini is coming from, so you don’t need any unnecessary drains on your income. You’re also faced with the logistical problem of having to move back home at the end of every semester, taking all your worldly belongings with you, and then a few weeks later at the beginning of the new semester, carting it all back again, perhaps with a long motorway drive in the middle. If nothing else, you’d look a bit silly carrying your lava lamp and Che Guevara poster on public transport.
That is why buying a car can be a really appealing option for a lot of students, provided it is the right car, that is. It solves your logistical problems, it makes getting to classes easier, it enhances your feeling of freedom on a day-to-day basis, and if you choose wisely, it does not have to take up too much of your precious spending money, either on the car itself or related costs such as car insurance and road tax.
Best Cars for Students 2024
- What Makes a Great Student Car?
- Dacia Logan MCV (2013-2020)
- Honda Jazz (2001-)
- Toyota Yaris (1999-)
- Kia Rio Mk3 (2011-2023)
- Ford Fiesta Mk7 (2008-2018)
What Makes a Great Student Car?
So, what makes a great student car? Most critically, it needs to be cheap. Really cheap. The cheaper the better. That way, not only will you have more funds available for partying, but you are also less likely to care too much if it gets scratched or pranged when it’s parked up outside your student digs.
It also needs to have very low running costs. That means choosing a car that makes the most out of every single drop of fuel you put in to give maximum fuel efficiency, giving you plenty of miles per gallon, or mpg. A good student car will also not cost you too much in road tax, or sit in a high insurance group, the latter being of particularly critical importance to young drivers, for whom insurance costs are often unfeasibly high.
Now, the fact is that choosing a car that minimises purchase prices and running costs usually means choosing a small car such as a supermini or city car. Handily, this will also have the added benefit of making the car easier to manoeuvre for relatively inexperienced young drivers. However, it’s not quite as helpful with the task of moving all of your possessions between your parental home and halls-of-residence, or with ferrying around all the new friends you’ve made. So, it is important to choose a car that really makes the most of its limited space (hence why a small estate or a car with a hatchback boot can be useful).
As well as finding a car with low insurance payments and cheap road tax, you’ll also want it to be a reliable car. Not only do you want to avoid being stuck at the side of the road on your way to an exam, but you also don’t want to be spending even more money on getting it fixed, or getting it through its MOT. And, because students are often young (or if you’re a little more mature, you’re probably still young-at-heart), then a bit of style and a decent stereo wouldn’t go amiss, either. Admittedly, a full touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto might be a stretch, particularly on entry-level models, but some of our recommendations will at least have Bluetooth so you can connect your phone for music and calls.
That is a lot of boxes to check, so where do you begin your search for these reliable, affordable cars? Well, wonder no more. While there are plenty of small cars available on the used market - such as the Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Clio, Fiat 500, Volkswagen Polo, MINI, Skoda Citigo, Nissan Pixo, Hyundai i10, Citroen C1, Peugeot 108, Toyota Aygo and Volkswagen Up - here at CarGurus we have come up with what we believe are the five best cars for college students or new drivers. That means you can simply make your choice, get it bought, and then move on and enjoy your university life. And to make life even easier, you can search for great deals on all our chosen cars, all at once, right here. Happy shopping!
Dacia Logan MCV (2013-2020)
As a new car, the Dacia Logan MCV was one of the cheapest cars it is possible to buy, and although resale values are actually surprisingly strong, prices are also incredibly low on the used car market. And while equivalent money would only normally get you a teeny city car, with the Logan, you get a roomy estate car with a boot that is bigger than the one you get in a BMW 5 Series Touring, a massive executive wagon that costs around four times the price. That will be perfect for carting your belongings between home and uni, and all in a car with a footprint that is not much bigger than that of a regular Dacia Sandero supermini. And, being so cheap to begin with, you will probably get a newer example of the Logan than you would if you went for one of its rivals, which should help on the reliability front. It’s a little short on safety features for a modern car, and has fairly poor safety ratings as a result, but probably still safer in a smash than older cars.
Dacia Logan MCV Review
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Honda Jazz (2001-)
Reliability is a big reason why the Honda Jazz makes our list. The reputation Honda has in this area is the envy of the motor industry, and the Jazz is one of its most consistent performers, so you can be confident that if it is maintained properly (which is also pretty affordable to do), it will give you years of trouble-free motoring. That should be the case even if you go for a reasonably elderly example, and doing so will keep your purchase prices down. The boxy body and clever rear seats make this one of the roomiest and most versatile cars of its type, so it has all the practicality bases covered. Fuel economy is decent across the range, but if you can afford to buy it and your university or college is in a city-centre location, then choosing the Jazz Hybrid could really pay dividends.
Honda Jazz Review
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Toyota Yaris (1999-)
The appeal of the Yaris is actually very similar to that of the Jazz. First, if any car company can hold a candle to Honda when it comes to reliability, then Toyota is it. Second, maintaining your Yaris is likely to be very affordable, and doing so regularly and rigorously should mean that your car stays utterly dependable. Third, the Yaris has a boxy body that delivers an impressive amount of interior space (although the seats are not as cleverly designed as the Honda's), yet its compact dimensions also help make it easy and fuss-free to drive. Prices start very low indeed, and although it will cost you a bit more to buy initially, you again have the choice of a hybrid version with the Yaris, helping you to keep fuel costs down.
Toyota Yaris Review
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Kia Rio Mk3 (2011-2023)
There are many reasons why the Rio makes this list, but there is one above all others. Like all Kias, the Rio comes with an incredibly generous manufacturer warranty that lasts for seven years or 100,000 miles, whichever limit comes first. That warranty is also fully transferrable between owners, which means that even if you buy an affordable used example, then provided those parameters are met, you’ll still have some cover left. That gives you plenty of peace of mind that you are unlikely to get stuck with expensive repair bills. The other reasons the Rio makes this list of first cars? It is affordable to buy and run, it is reasonably roomy inside without being too big (like the Kia Ceed) or too small (like the Kia Picanto) on the road, it is nice and easy to drive, it looks good and it comes with a decent amount of equipment (including air conditioning and alloy wheels on most models). Job done.
Kia Rio Review
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Ford Fiesta Mk6 (2008-2018)
The Fiesta might look like the odd one out of this group. It is not a particularly roomy choice in the supermini class (although it does fine on that score), it does not have a particularly dazzling reliability reputation (although again, it does fine), and compared with rivals, prices are not particularly low (but once more, they are fine). However, what earns this particular Fiesta a place on this list is that it was the best-selling car in the UK when it was new, and as a result, there are virtually countless examples available on the used market in a wide variety of trim levels, meaning that buyers can pretty much pay as little or as much as they want for a secondhand one. It is a very stylish option, which will be very important to some buyers, and it is also the most comfortable and most engaging car of its type to drive. If you really want to enjoy your car as well as it being a workhorse, the Fiesta will make you smile every single day. Go for a model with the 1.0-litre Ecoboost petrol engine and you will have a car that feels surprisingly sporty while still being easy to drive.
Ford Fiesta Mk6 Review
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