The excitement of just passing your driving test is often tempered by the realisation of the sky high insurance costs for young drivers, but new research has revealed which motors are the best to buy for lowest first year insurance.

There should be no surprises that superminis, rather than sports cars, are the motors which will provide the best car insurance quotes for rookie drivers.

The Volkswagen UP is the car with the lowest average first-year insurance cost according to Local Driving School, with a first year average cost of £1,483. The Citroen C1 is next on the list, followed by the Hyundai I10, the Ford KA and the Toyota Aygo - all of which are small, compact, and perfect starter cars for most young drivers.

At the other end of the spectrum, and if you want to start out with a BMW 1 Series then you will pay more than double in insurance than the Volkswagen UP, with a premium starting at £3,552 on average. And where Volkswagen leads the way in low quotes, their Polo and Golf, two cars which many would love to start their driving life out in, are both expensively high to own for a newly qualified driver.

“Car insurance is all about risk - with the popularity of the VW Polo, insurers also see lots of accidents and claims for this model, which result in higher insurance costs. Certain trim levels and specifications can also change the insurance group of a car dramatically,” said Claire Davies at Local Driving School.

“To avoid any costly surprises, check insurance quotes on the exact model you’re looking at before buying, and compare this to similar models with different specifications.

"The smallest details can massively change the quoted price from these averages. We also recommend checking the safety ratings of the cars you’re comparing - a high safety rating should be an important consideration in any purchase.”

Cars with the lowest first-year insurance costs

Volkswagen UP - £1,483 per year
Citroen C1 - £1,623 per year
Hyundai I10 - £1,627 per year
Ford KA - £1,650 per year
Toyota Aygo - £1,755 per year

Highest first-year insurance costs

BMW 1 Series - £3,552 per year
Volkswagen Polo - £3,077 per year
Volkswagen Golf - £2,873 per year
Ford Focus - £2,845 per year
Mini Cooper - £2,844 per year

Sell or part ex your car today