FirstCar is the leading publisher in the new driver market with over two million magazines published every year. Along with other resources, the aim is to help educate young drivers on learning to drive and road safety. This means these annual awards are both an important marker of young driver attitudes, but gongs highly sought after by businesses and brands.

Like so many awards over the last year, the pandemic forced the annual event to be re-imagined as a digital-only. It didn’t hamper the voting. Over 38,000 new drivers participated, and this was balanced against the views of an expert judging panel.

Driving Means Cars

The Renault Clio won the coveted New Car of the Year. David Motton, the FirstCar editor and chairman of the judging panel, said: ‘’The Renault Clio is a worthy winner, being one of the safest first cars you can buy. Not only does it score the maximum five stars from the safety gurus at Euro NCAP, every car has autonomous emergency braking. DAB and Bluetooth are standard on all Clio models, and low fuel bills and insurance premiums mean new drivers can run the Clio on a tight budget. It’s a first car any new driver would be proud to own.”

“We’re immensely pleased,” commented Vincent Tourette, managing director, Groupe Renault UK. “For over 30 years the Clio has been at the forefront of stylish supermini design and the latest generation epitomises how the model delivers a drive that is as safe as it is engaging, while also providing owners with optimum value and advanced features that are often reserved for more expensive cars.”

The Hyundai i20 won the title of ‘Used Car of the Year’, and described as “simple to drive” and “very practical” by David Motton. “Most importantly, this is a car you can trust, with strong scores in reliability surveys, solid safety standards, and the reassurance of a five-year warranty.’’

Not Just Four Wheels

Other winners include:

Driving Test Success – Driving Theory Test 4 in 1 Kit won ‘App of the Year’. It is the number one selling app in the UK for the third year running. With the attractive ‘Pass Guarantee’, it counts millions of successful candidates in its continuing success story.

Meanwhile, RED Driving School won the ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ for their ‘Priority Pass Voucher Scheme. This allowed existing pupils priority over diary and test bookings once lockdown ended – loyalty rewarded.

Nextbase won ‘Product of the Year’ with their latest, highly acclaimed 622GW 4K Dashcam.

The ‘Young Driver Influencer of the Year’ title was taken by Jack Massey Welsh. He started out talking about Minecraft in 2013, but now has over one million followers for his ‘JackSucksAtLife’ YouTube channel.

‘Most Wanted Used Car’ was the MINI Hatch, while the Audi A1 won ‘Most Wanted New Car’.

You can see more  by viewing the FirstCar Awards video here.