The Best Cars for Older Drivers

Available as a hatchback, a saloon or a convertible, the Audi A3 comes with a refined, spacious and comfortable interior. In other words, it carries all the hallmarks of an Audi. It’s also kitted out with clever technology, such as a parking assist to help guide you into those tight spots. You even get a camera and radar system that alerts you to approaching hazards and responds accordingly. In addition, there’s the excellent Audi Quattro all-wheel drive system for top traction, whatever the weather. Opt for the convertible and you can make the most of sunny days throughout your retirement.

The Skoda Rapid is a well-priced hatchback that’s disguised with appealing saloon looks. The interior is spacious, the layout simple and the build-quality solid. Get behind the wheel and you’ll find the Rapid is nippier than its saloon styling and much more in-line with its name. It’s not a particularly fast car, but it is easy to drive with good fuel economy. One of the biggest standouts of this model is its proven reliability record – this makes it a good used car option, often proving good value for money.

The subcompact Ford Fiesta is known for its reliability, safety features and ease of driving. Yet just because it’s easy, it doesn’t mean it’s not fun. In fact, it’s a great small car and a class-leader. Its handling is precise and the acceleration is agile, making it nice to manoeuvre. Despite being a small car, the interior is actually pretty spacious and rather comfortable too. Best of all, it offers a decent range of engines and good fuel economy. It even comes with useful equipment like rear parking sensors. There’s a reason why the Ford Fiesta is one Britain’s most popular cars.

If you prefer a smaller car, the Toyota Yaris is a supermini that hides a lot of room inside its little frame. You’ll have plenty of leg and headspace, and the front seats are high and supportive. Whilst it’s not the most engaging to drive, the controls are clear and intuitive. As standard, the new Yaris comes equipped with a smart pre-collision system, a lane departure alert and road sign assist that reads signs and displays key information. Like the Skoda Rapid, it also has a brilliant reliability record (in fact, it’s a class-leader in that domain). All of this makes the Yaris good value for money, whether buying new or used.

The Volvo XC40 is a multi award-winning car that parked itself comfortably in first place in our list of The Best Cars in the World: 2018 and here it is again in first place – and for good reasons too. The XC40 has an astonishing Euro NCAP safety score and lots of useful driver assistance systems. Also, its slightly smaller frame (compared to the equally impressive XC60) makes it easier to manoeuvre. The car is spacious, comfortable and easy to drive. In addition, its wide doors make it easy to get in and out, and its higher driving position gives you great command and visibility over the road.

The Suzuki Ignis is a dinky SUV that offers a small car body with the big features of an SUV. Because of its compact design, it’s quite an agile drive that handles with nimble aplomb. You get the high seats and commanding view of the road as an SUV and, as a smaller car, it’s also fairly low to the ground – making it very easy to get in and out. You can also select a 4×4 model for extra traction and control in adverse weather. For the best value, it’s worth opting for the mid-level SZ-T trim. It’s well-equipped as standard with useful features, such as electrically adjustable mirrors, automatic headlamps, a rear parking camera and a brake assist function. Just note, to get the car’s 5-star Euro NCAP rating, you’ll have to pay for the optional safety package.

The Skoda Karoq is a great car that uses the Volkswagen Group’s excellent MQB platform. As you’d expect, the cabin is very spacious, with lots of legroom and headroom. The doors open wide for easy access and the seats are comfortable, too. As the driver, you’ll never have to readjust your seat, as it comes with electric memory that remembers your preferred seating position. You get other useful features for your money too, from a rear parking camera to a sat nav. Also typical of the Skoda brand, are the neat, practical touches dotted throughout the car, such as an umbrella holder and a folding tow bar.

Also available as an electric model, the Hyundai Kona is a crossover SUV that provides the protective bulk of a sports utility vehicle with smaller city car-type dimensions. The car’s fairly low to the ground for easy access, the windscreen, windows, and wing mirrors are nice and big, and the high seats give a good view of the road ahead. Best of all, it comes with smart driver assistance technology to make everyday driving even easier (and a lot safer). You get useful features like autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian recognition, a lane keeping assist system, blind spot detection and rear-cross traffic alerts.

Available as a coupe, a saloon or an estate model, the Volkswagen Passat is a solid choice for older drivers. We’d recommend the saloon body type over the others, as it has a high-class, comfortable interior. There are also generous storage compartments, making it a practical choice. Like other top cars on this list, the Passat comes kitted with clever tech, from pedestrian monitoring that alerts the driver and brakes automatically if they don’t react, to a view system that allows the driver to see the entire area surrounding their vehicle.

Some would argue sports cars are for the young, but they’d be absolutely wrong. The wisdom that comes from experience means that sports cars are ideal for older drivers. Not least, because raw power may not be the chief concern, but rather the overall performance – the true merit of a sports car. Naturally, the Jaguar F-Type is recommended. It’s stylish inside and out, the cabin’s cosy and comfortable and it’s also a lot of fun to drive. Add to that winning mix an extensive list of driver assists that come as standard (even in the entry-level model) and you have a car worth spending your retirement funds on!