The 2019 Volkswagen Golf is the most suitable car for first-time drivers, according to a report by car insurance experts from Uswitch.com.

It scores 9.70 out of 10 in the new driver suitability index and awarded a safety rating of 8.69 out of 10 during crash tests, as well as a reliability rating of 8.95 out of 10.

The study analysed 20 popular vehicles for first-time drivers using crash test safety ratings, technical inspection faults, car recall data and insurance quotes for first-time drivers.

New driver suitability index

Rank

Make

Model

Year

Cheapest insurance quote *

Safety rating /10

Reliability rating /10

Overall new driver suitability score /10

1.

VW

Golf

2019

£2,664

8.69

8.95

9.70

2.

VW

Polo

2017

£2,734

6.97

10.00

9.33

3.

Mazda

Mazda2

2015

£2,925

5.79

8.95

8.10

4.

Ford

Fiesta

2017

£2,384

4.74

9.47

7.81

5.

Hyundai

i20

2015

£2,043

5.13

7.89

7.16

6=

Vauxhall

Astra

2015

£3,355

7.11

5.26

6.80

6=

Vauxhall

Corsa

2019

£2,217

5.53

6.84

6.80

7.

Skoda

Fabia

2014

£2,322

4.48

6.84

6.22

8.

Skoda

Octavia

2019

£3,147

8.16

2.63

5.93

9.

Honda

Civic

2017

£3,051

6.58

3.68

5.64

10.

SEAT

Ibiza

2017

£2,384

5.79

4.21

5.50

Source: Uswitch.com

Time for a round

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf is the most suitable car for first-time drivers, scoring 9.7 out of 10 in Uswitch.com’s new driver suitability index.

It has a high safety score too (8.69 out of 10), top of all vehicles analysed, scoring full points for its protection of all critical body areas.

There’s also a score of 8.95 out of 10 for reliability, and a serious defect rate of just 3.8%.

For newer drivers, the most affordable annual insurance quote for a 2019 Golf with personal accident cover is £2,664.

No holes

Volkswagen continues to dominate the rankings with the 2017 Polo in second place.

The 2017 VW Polo scores 9.3 out of 10 in the index, with the highest reliability rating (10/10).

With the fourth-highest safety rating in the top 10 (6.97/10), it is outperformed only by the VW Golf (8.69/10), the Skoda Octavia (8.16/10), and the Vauxhall Astra (7.11/10).

The most affordable car insurance quote for a newer driver with a 2017 VW Polo would cost 2.5% more than the 2019 Golf, at an annual cost of £2,734.

Three for two

In third place is the 2015 Mazda2 scoring 8.1 out of 10 on the index.

It has a score of 8.95 out of 10 for reliability, 5.79 out of 10 for safety, the Mazda2 outranks the 2017 Ford Fiesta in fourth place with an 18% higher score for protection during crash tests.

Newer drivers looking to insure a 2015 Mazda2 can expect to pay £2,925 annually for the most affordable car insurance quote available.

Made for the job

Volkswagen is the most suitable car manufacturer for first-time drivers, based on the above ranking.

The VW Polo, in particular, received the highest reliability score of all the vehicles analysed in the top 10. Both models (Polo and Golf) also earned high marks for their performance in crash tests.

Although Volkswagen vehicles are well-suited for first-time drivers, new drivers need to be prepared for higher annual insurance rates compared to some other car brands. For instance, the most affordable annual insurance quote a new driver can find for a 2017 Polo is £2,734, which is 31% higher than what they would pay to insure a comparable supermini model, such as the 2018 Fiat Panda (£1,860).

Vauxhall and Skoda also stand out as suitable car manufacturers for first-time drivers. The 2015 Astra and the 2019 Corsa share sixth place. The Skoda Fabia and  Octavia take seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Covering all bases

Leoni Moninska at Uswitch.com car insurance, says that “choosing the right car and insurance as a new driver is a big decision”.

“Car insurance is one of the biggest cost considerations for new drivers,” says Moninska.

“Thankfully, you have some control over your insurance costs, and you can keep them as low as possible by choosing a car that’s cheap to insure. Cars are grouped in categories from 1-50 based on how expensive they are to insure (with 1 being the cheapest). You can learn more about car insurance groups here.

“If you are a young driver, one way to reduce your costs would be to add a named driver to the policy. You may consider yourself a safe driver, but insurers will group you into a high-risk category if you have recently passed your test, are under 25, or have previous claims or convictions. A responsible and experienced named driver can help lower your quote.”

 For more information, visit the Uswitch.com car insurance statistics page.