Insurance can be expensive – there’s no real way to get around it. As a legal requirement in the UK it can’t be avoided, but there are several ways to drive down costs when it comes to premiums.

The best way to do it is to choose a car which sits in a low insurance ‘band’. The lower the band, the lower the insurance cost. And if you’re a student looking to get out on the road this summer without forking out a small fortune, then this is good news. Let’s take a look at some of the best cars available which don’t break the bank when it comes to insurance.

Of course, insurance prices depend on many different factors, so we’ve looked at some of the cheapest cars to insure for various different vehicle budgets – so there should be something for everyone.

Cars under £1,000 – Volkswagen Fox


The little Fox replaced the Lupo – another popular car with students – bringing a little more in the way of practicality without losing its predecessor’s excellent value for money. It’s surprisingly spacious, but more importantly for this list it’s both cheap to run and cheap to insure.

That’s because the Fox, when fitted with a 1.2-litre engine, drops into Band 1 insurance – the lowest you can go.

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Cars under £2,500 – Citroen C1


Citroen knows a thing or two about making cheap and frugal small cars. The C1 is another great example of this, and as a result it’s a great option for students who are looking to get out on the road without paying too much.

Much like the Fox, the C1 sits in Band 1 insurance so it shouldn’t be too costly when it comes to premiums. Plus, it’s impressively cheap to run thanks to a claimed 62.8mpg.

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Cars under £5,000 – Smart ForTwo


Fancy going down a slightly alternative route? Enter the Smart ForTwo. The tiny little city car is ideal for nipping around town, and there’s even a convertible version for those who want more of a wind-in-your-hair experience.

There’s a bit of a trade-off – the Smart falls into Band 2 insurance, but it still shouldn’t cost the earth to insure.

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Cars under £7,500 – Vauxhall Corsa


At this price point, you’ll be able to nab a very smart 67-reg Vauxhall Corsa packed with tech and high-end features yet without adding to the car’s insurance group. It sits in Band 2, so insuring it shouldn’t prove to be too much of a headache for most.

This generation of Corsa looks sharp and stylish too, while the turbocharged 1.4-litre engine under the bonnet is so efficient that the car is actually exempt from London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) charges – an added bonus!

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Cars under £10,000 – Hyundai i10


If you’re looking for a hassle-free and low-cost option for under £10,000, then the Hyundai i10 is a real contender. It’s cheap to run and it looks great too – but at this price, you’ll be able to net a seriously low-mileage model, with some in the classifieds arriving with just a few thousand miles on the clock.

It sits in Band 2 for insurance too, so it ticks the boxes there. Practical and safe, the i10 also gets a five-year unlimited-mileage warranty which is transferable to new owners. It means that even if you buy used, you should be able to get at least a few years of manufacturer warranty cover.

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