Wanted - a car with high seating for a learner/new driver

wazza

A friend of mine is disabled. Her daughter wishes to learn to drive, she has turned 18. Friend can't insure her on her motability car because she is under 21 and a learner. Her lease will be ending in around 5 months time.

Her plan is for her daughter to have a proper driving lesson from a qualified person. She wants to buy a car to replace her motability car and she can also use it to teach her daughter to drive.

Due to her disability she is looking for a car with high seating. With the daughter being 18 the car needs to be cheap to insure. Prefer a petrol because of mainly local driving and cheaper long term maintenance costs.

I have suggested Ford C-Max 1.6 petrol, Zafira 1.6. I would personally go for Mazda 5 1.8 but don't know how easy it is to insure a 18 year old on it.

Was wondering if anyone knows a 5/7seater with high seats which is cheap to insure. There is only 4 members in the family.

Thanks

Ebe_Scrooge

In terms of checking insurance, the easiest thing is to go to the Meercat site or similar, and do an actual quote for the cars you're considering. This will give you a realistic idea of costs.

Of the cars you've mentioned, I can only speak for the Zafira, having owned one. A lot of people rubbish them, but to be honest I've had no issues. The flex seating is good, and the boot is large in "5 seat" mode ( I don't know if your friend uses a wheelchair, but there's plenty of space for one in the boot if needed ). The 1.6 is a bit underpowered, but if you're only doing short journeys it shouldn't be a problem. And you're right to choose petrol over diesel for short-journey, round-town usage.

Finally, if you have a look on WhatCar, you can find reviews for any car, together with lists of known weaknesses / faults etc., which is handy to know when checking a car out.

Hope this helps.

Horizon81

The Toyota Verso-S with the 1.33 VVTi engine seems to be low insurance (group 8 out of 50).

forgotmyname

C-Max wont be that cheap.

Does your friend have any no claims to use? Adding a newly passed driver to the insurance could add a couple of thousand to the premium.

Then there is the risk of them having an accident and wiping out any no claims the parent had.

aileth

My first car when passing was a 51 plate banger A-Class. High seating and cost me less than a grand for my first year's insurance. Get rid as soon as it starts any issues though as it costs a mint to repair.

oldtoolie

Citroen Berlingo for a new or used car. Used car: Suzuki Wagon R or old shape Vauxhall Agila are the same car. I just bought a Suzuki Wagon R and like it a lot. Very roomy for a small car.

DigForVictory

At a Ford dealer, ask them to dial a Modeo seat up as high as it will go & give it a try?
Stupendous boot space & loads of secondhands so spares/parts a doddle.

chrisw

Nissan Note 1.4 petrol 2006 to 2013 model. High up seating position, small dimensions but huge inside, pretty reliable and good value for money. Very popular for people with mobility problems.

wazza

forgotmyname wrote: »

C-Max wont be that cheap.

Does your friend have any no claims to use? Adding a newly passed driver to the insurance could add a couple of thousand to the premium.

Then there is the risk of them having an accident and wiping out any no claims the parent had.

Due to being on the motability scheme for years she has no NCB. Hopefully a letter from her insurers stating her clean record might help.

wazza

aileth wrote: »

My first car when passing was a 51 plate banger A-Class. High seating and cost me less than a grand for my first year's insurance. Get rid as soon as it starts any issues though as it costs a mint to repair.

She needs something with a larger boot space

wazza

oldtoolie wrote: »

Citroen Berlingo for a new or used car. Used car: Suzuki Wagon R or old shape Vauxhall Agila are the same car. I just bought a Suzuki Wagon R and like it a lot. Very roomy for a small car.

Daughter will not be seen in a Berlingo. Vaux/Suzuki mentioned are too small. Might look at meriva. She wants a larger boot space