The Best Cars for Teenagers

Despite its compact size, the Volkswagen Polo offers a surprising amount of space in the cabin, making it comfortable to drive and ride in. The boot is also spacious, offering 351 litres of room to put all your stuff in. Teenagers will no doubt be happy with the car’s exterior and interior, as with a premium build quality, the Polo certainly looks the part and it’s also well-priced and cheap to run. There’s a lot of tech and safety kit available too and the entry level trim comes with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), air conditioning and electric front windows.

Like the Volkswagen Polo, the Seat Ibiza has a boot that defies its compact size, providing 355 litres of space. You’ll find that ethos of defying its size continues into the cabin too, with current models offering greater leg and headroom. With that extra space, the Seat Ibiza is one of the comfier small cars on the market. It’s a stylish vehicle too, with good build quality and low running costs. Note that the entry level model isn’t that well-equipped, so it’s worth paying a little extra for a higher spec trim.

One of Britain’s most popular small cars, the Ford Fiesta is versatile, sprightly and great fun to drive. It’s also good value for money, coming well-equipped as standard. Even with the entry level model, you’ll get a DAB radio, 8-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, USB sockets and a Thatcham alarm system. Fiestas also come fitted with useful safety tech, like electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes and seven airbags. Whilst the interior of the car is comfortable and quiet, the Ford Fiesta isn’t as spacious as other cars on this list. Nevertheless, there’s adequate room for adults in the front and back, as well as a decent 290-litre boot.

The Skoda Citigo topped our top 10 list of The Best Budget Cars for First-Time Buyers. It’s a great car that performs well. It also has a relatively low starting price, an excellent safety record and a spacious cabin that’ll seat four adults comfortably. You’ll find the Citigo a nimble little motor that’s easy to park, manoeuvre and drive, making it an ideal choice for teens. The car is closely related to the Volkswagen Up and the Seat Mii, but offered at a lower price – another selling point. Also, the car looks striking, and is available in a range colours.

The Volkswagen Up! is slightly more expensive than the Citigo, which is the only reason it sits one place behind. After all, it was Volkswagen who supplied Skoda with the platform for the Citigo in the first place. In other words, the Up is also an excellent car with a high safety rating. It’s cheap to run and there’s a good selection of economical engines, including an electric model, although that does bump up the initial starting price. If you like the Citigo and the Up, be sure to check out the Seat Mii as well. The Seat Mii has the same architecture and offers more of the same, but with a slightly sportier twist. The only reason it’s not included on this list is to make room for different cars not built on the same platform.

Slightly more expensive than other mid-table cars on this list, the Peugeot 208 still makes a great car for teenagers given its low running costs and high safety record. It’s also one of the most stylish vehicles in this top 10. The 208’s standard trim level also comes with decent equipment too, bagging you rear LED lights, cruise control, air conditioning and a touchscreen entertainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s worth checking out the next level Allure trim as well, as it adds useful tech like rear parking sensors and automatic wipers and headlights, although of course these features bump the price up a little.

Offering a cross between an SUV and a compact city car, the Suzuki Ignis has an exciting and distinctive style that looks rugged and capable. It competes well against favourites too, like the Skoda Citigo, Volkswagen Up and Toyota Aygo. For teens, the car is light and agile to handle, which makes for a fun and involved driving experience. Although, it must be said the ride can be quite noisy. However, the Suzuki Ignis is a spacious car, seating four adults comfortably. Opt for the optional safety package, which gives the car five stars out of five in Euro NCAP tests. Unfortunately without it, the car only scored three stars.

A popular city car with lots of good reviews to back it up, the Hyundai i10 is compact, with excellent manoeuvrability. And despite its small stature, the car is surprisingly spacious and comfortable, too. There’s plenty of room for three adults in the back and the 252-litre boot offers lots of room for getting comfy during trips out. You can also find brilliant deals on new and older models, with insurance and servicing costs proving low as well. One of the few downsides to the Hyundai i10 is its four star safety rating by Euro NCAP, but other than that it’s a terrific little car.

The Peugeot 108 is a cost effective city car that’s a great little runabout for teenagers and first-time buyers. It’s relatively cheap to buy and run. However, the entry level model is only available as a three-door and it’s not particularly well-equipped either, so it’s worth upgrading to the Active or Allure trim. Arguably, the Allure model offers the best value for money as it comes with useful features like a reversing camera, keyless entry and auto headlights, as well as a DAB radio, Bluetooth, USB ports and air conditioning. One potential issue to note: the Peugeot 108 only scored four stars out of five in Euro NCAP safety tests.

The unusual look of the Toyota Aygo might not be to everyone’s taste but one thing’s for sure, it’s a nippy little car that’s good to drive and very cheap to run. Closely related to the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108, the Aygo is available as a three or five-door. Both these variations are very compact vehicles which is part of what makes the Aygo a good city car for teenagers. However, if you’re on the taller side, you may find the cabin a little cramped (especially in the back). The 168-litre boot space of this model is nowhere near as good as those of its rivals. The standard model of the Aygo also only scored three stars in Euro NCAP tests (four with the optional safety pack). Fans of the Aygo and Peugeot 108 should check out the Citroen C1, as it stands on a par with its two relatives.