The winner of this year’s FirstCar and Adrian Flux’s ‘Win a car’ 2022-23 prize draw is 19-year-old Grace Taylor from Huddersfield.

Grace was randomly selected from the 54,494 entrants who entered the annual prize. Throughout the year 1,093 instant win prizes had been won, but the star prize was a brand-new electric car, a Fiat 500E Action, worth £23,835.

Unbelievable

Grace’s parents were in on the secret handover. They managed to get Grace down to Adrian Flux’s headquarters in Kings Lynn, for the handover.

FirstCar’s TikTok star Keanan was there to welcome her and gave Grace the surprise of her life.

“I was just in complete shock really, I can’t believe it,” said Miss Taylor, who works in a pub restaurant.

“It’s amazing, it’s such a great feeling. I’m really happy and I just can’t kind of believe it’s real. I wasn’t expecting it.”

Confused

Grace vaguely remembered entering the competition at the time. “I was shocked when I got the phone call about the dashcam and winning that. But I never even thought about winning the top prize or anything.

She was confused about why they had to travel quite so far to pick up the dashcam she’d won.

“My mum just said they needed some publicity for it and she just basically convinced me by saying ‘oh we’re going to have a day out’ and I just kind of went along with it.

“I’m looking forward to driving to some of the towns and cities on little day trips and stuff near Huddersfield. I might go to Meadowhall or something.”

Surprise surprise

The competition winner passed her test 10 months ago and has been driving a Suzuki Swift.

She has used FirstCar to aid her journey from L-plates to getting on the road. The publisher creates a series of content in print and online that serves as a helpful resource for learner and young drivers.

Her delighted mother Clare, travelled over 130 miles by train and then taxi to collect the car. It was a great relief she’d managed to keep the huge win a secret.

“It was difficult as I’m one of those people that can’t keep secrets,” said Mrs Taylor, who nearly had her cover blown when a DVLA logbook turned up to her address ahead of the press call.

“When they said ‘we want it to be a surprise’ I thought: ‘You’ve just told the worst person in the world, you should have told my husband’. But I did it because, obviously, what a thrill for her, what a surprise. If she would have known, it wouldn’t have been the same.

“It was difficult because she kept saying: ‘Why have we got to go all the way to King’s Lynn just for a dashcam, why can’t they post it?’ In the end I just said: ‘They want some publicity to show that people are winning the prizes. It’s a day off work, we’ll have a day out and she fell for it’.

“I was anxious really because I kept thinking ‘I hope she doesn’t ask me too many questions’. If somebody asks me something to my face, I’m not very good at lying.”

The mother really didn’t want too many questions. “I was tired because we’d been up since 5.30am and we had to get the train. Luckily she was reading and I was reading and it didn’t happen.”

Unlocking a positive future

Mrs Taylor drove the new car some of the way home before changing seats. The “lovely little driver who has really come on” had to wait just a little longer to get behind the wheel.

The winner’s mum added: “It was fantastic. You want the best for your children. Grace has had it hard with Covid because she was the years that were affected with her GCSEs and A-levels.

“Her college years were horrible, there was no sort of social things going on. It was a really miserable time. I think this is really going to give her a boost and help her to think that there are good things that happen.”

Miss Taylor was handed her keys by Grant Varnham, business development manager at Adrian Flux, who was on hand to enjoy the moment alongside Keanan Lloyd-Adams, a FirstCar brand ambassador.

Time to enter again

Another car, this time a Ford Fiesta along with 2,043 other prizes are now up for grabs in the next 2023-24 prize draw. Entry is free at www.firstcar.co.uk/win.