Compare the best cars for students
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Best cars for students of 2024
With the cost of living crisis putting students off living away from home, as well as the number of places for them to stay not keeping up with demand, many students now commute to their place of study.
If you’re looking to save money, it’s a fantastic option, because you can pick up a tidy motor for less than the cost of a year’s rent. With the average cost of student accommodation equalling more than £5,000 per school year, we’ve put together a bunch of cars available for less than that.
We've selected cars that are affordable to buy, economical with fuel, and offer decent passenger space in a relatively small footprint, as parking around colleges and in university towns is often in short supply.
Some of these cars are also available with low-cost leasing options, so even accounting for the up-front payment, will get you in a brand-new car for less than a room in student halls.
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Although it’s not officially Britain’s cheapest new car anymore, the Dacia Sandero is still one of our favourite cheap cars. It’s by no means fancy, but the latest models actually look pretty stylish, and are available to lease for around £200 per month. And because of their low starting price, you can find some fairly recent models on the used market at bargain prices. They’re not exactly the coolest cars to climb out of in the university car park, but they are one of the most sensible.
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We’re keeping our sensible hats on for our next choice. The i10 isn’t particularly spacious inside, nor will it be the most comfortable companion if your uni commute takes in a lot of motorway driving, but it has a useful boot and looks great. More importantly, it can be leased for peanuts if you want a brand-new model, while the used market is full of fairly fresh examples for not too much cash.
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If it’s cool you want, may we introduce the SEAT Ibiza. It's tough to find anything more stylish at this price point on the new car market. It doesn’t just look good, it’s also fun to drive, which is just as important if you want to enjoy a long drive to class. Even if you don’t fancy taking advantage of the low-cost leasing, there are plenty of older examples available at a low price on the used market, with even previous generation models looking pretty smart.
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If you want your small car to be as much like a big car as possible, the Volkswagen Polo is your best bet. We’re big fans of the fact that it’s really spacious and comfortable for long drives, while also feeling posher than other cheap cars inside. The downside is that leasing a new one will cost a bit more than the cheapest cars here, but it’s far from extortionate. Used models also represent great value, and there are plenty to choose from.
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The Ford Fiesta is a hugely popular choice among younger drivers because it looks great, is cheap to run and fun to drive. Leasing deals aren’t fantastic when you look at what else you can get for the same or less, but there are loads of tempting options on the used market. You can find some high-spec, sporty models at affordable prices.
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If you’re looking for a fashionable uni car, the Mini hatchback is a brilliant choice. It’s a bit pricey when new, but you can find some handsome, well-specced older cars on the used market. Running costs will be a bit higher than most cars here, and they don’t have the best reliability record, but take a punt and you’ll have a slick, stylish interior and one of the most fun small car driving experiences around.
The Nissan Leaf is a bit of a left-field choice for this list – and it won’t work for everyone. The leasing prices are a touch high, but if you’re able to charge at home you might find the fuel savings offset the higher cost. If you’re looking at cheap, used models, you’ll be sniffing around early Leafs, which don’t have a great range – less than 80 miles in the real world. So only go down this route if you won’t have to rely on pricey public charge points.
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Whether or not the Toyota Yaris can be considered cool depends entirely on whether you’re the sort of person who thinks fuel economy and reliability are sexy. There are literally dozens of us, honest. Even if you don’t, the latest Yaris actually looks pretty good and is decent to drive, and offsets its higher leasing cost with excellent fuel economy. You can get a cheaper, older Yaris within our £5,000 budget, but they’re even less exciting than newer versions. They’re still very unlikely to go wrong, though.
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The Vauxhall Corsa is Britain’s best-selling car, and for good reason. The latest model looks good and is reasonably priced for its size. It might look like one of the pricier options in this list, but leasing costs won’t set your wallet on fire if you really want the latest model. The Corsa’s ubiquity means the best deals are found in the used market, though. Whichever model you go for, you can be sure it’ll be cheap to fuel, cheap to insure, and cheap to fix if things go wrong.
The Citroen C3 is in the fight to be the least expensive car in the UK, which is quite remarkable because it looks great and is really comfortable to drive. It’s far from exciting, but if your commute is a long one, the C3 is a bit like cruising along in your living room armchair. Older models within our budget aren’t quite so funky-looking, but they’re just as comfy and cheap to run.
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