The best used cars for young drivers with a budget of £5000

If you ask new drivers what they want from a first car, chances are that their priorities won't necessarily tally with the real world.

A good car for a young driver needs to be safe, economical and affordable. Typically, however, a young driver might want something with sprightly performance, looks good and lets them stream music from their smartphone to the stereo.

We have prioritised the more practical purchase considerations, although there’s still a healthy crop of stylish metal on the list.

We've worked on a budget of around £5000. All the cars achieve a minimum of four stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests, and are no higher than insurance group three (out of 50).

1. Seat Ibiza (2008-)

The Ibiza is stylish, has lots of standard equipment and it rides comfortably. Euro NCAP gave it the full five stars and the 1.2-litre petrol engine puts it in insurance group three. That said, it can feel a little underpowered on motorways. The three-door versions look great, although access to the rear seats can be an issue. Check that there's the optional auxiliary plug in front of the gearlever for playing music through your phone, while air-con appears from SE trim level up. Prices start from around £3500, but the best cars cost from £4000.

2. Citroen C1 / Peugeot 107 / Toyota Aygo (2005-2014)

If plush isn't a priority, the city car cousins from Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota have plenty going for them. It is now 10 years since the range went on sale, but despite this the styling still looks very sharp. For the purposes of refinement, we prefer the 1.0-litre petrol to the rarer 1.4-litre diesels; both average more than 60mpg, so there is little economy advantage to be gained. All models are insurance group three or below, have a four-star Euro NCAP rating and an auxiliary port for playing back music. Look hard and you'll find air-con fitted to posher models. Early ones can be yours for less than £2k, but check for starting issues and a soggy boot (a sure sign of rain ingress).

3. Vauxhall Corsa (2006-2014)

The Corsa feels pretty grown up compared to many rival superminis. It's quite big for a small car and comfortable as a result. It's safe too, having the maximum Euro NCAP score of five stars. There are plenty of used examples to choose from; most 1.0-litre petrol models are group two insurance, but a couple of early examples even fit into the cheapest group one. There should be a Corsa for all budgets, with prices starting from a little over £3500. Watch out for the asthmatic performance from the smallest engines, sombre interiors and try to find a car that'll let you play music from your smartphone.

4. Volkswagen Fox (2005-2011)

Although not loved when new, because of a perceived dearth of dynamic and interior quality, history has judged the Fox rather more kindly. While undoubtedly less charming than the charismatic Lupo, it ages well, has group one insurance for the 1.0-litre engine (even the 1.4-litre is group three), a four-star Euro NCAP rating and is cheap to run. It's also reliable – in 2013 it placed ninth and was the highest placed German car in our reliability survey. The biggest downside is that it's not that cheap to buy, although only the best creep over the £4000 mark.