If you’ve got teenage kids, they’re going to want to learn to drive before you know it. If you don’t want them taking your lovely new Mercedes-Benz for a quick spin, and we’re pretty sure you don’t, then buying them their own car is going to be top of your to-do list.
As a parent, you want your kids to be safe on the road, so buying a quality vehicle through a novated lease is a great option. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that the car they’re zipping around in is keeping them protected, and you can save 10 per cent of the total cost as well! Brand-new cars are safer than older models because of modern technology, so investing in new is a sound idea.
The four options below are perfect for different types of driver, and once they’re out on their own, you won’t be stressing so much!
1) Toyota Corolla
This is the classic first car of many an Australian teenager – except most only buy second-hand, run-down models from the mid-90s. With a brand-new Corolla bought through a novated lease, your kids will be surrounded by seven airbags, have a reversing camera as standard, automatic emergency brake signal and hill-start assist control (perfect for learner drivers). These combine to give the Toyota Corolla a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
The Corolla is a small car, too, so it’s easy to park and cheap to run. The perfect first car for any learner driver. The manual Corolla uses 6.7 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, the automatic only 6.1 litres, and the hybrid an impressive 4.1 litres.
2) Volkswagen Polo
A slight step up from the Toyota Corolla is the Volkswagen Polo. This has more aggressive styling than the Corolla, but is still a small hatchback. It’s an iconic Volkswagen, from top to bottom. Standard safety features of the Polo include six airbags, electronic brake-force distribution, traction control and multi-collision braking technology. If the Polo senses a collision is imminent, it will automatically slow the car down so that damage can be minimised as much as possible. That’s the sort of assurance parents want when their kids are still learning the ropes!
The fuel economy in the Polo is also very good – the manual manages 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres, and the seven-speed DSG gearbox improves to 5.7 litres. For cash-strapped students, those are going to be enticing figures. It also means that all those road trips they’ll go on when they’re fully licenced drivers will be cheap! As a parent, you won’t be worried that your kids are spending all their money on the car.
3) Mazda CX-3
The Mazda CX-3 is a different sort of car to the previous models. The Corolla and Polo are both small hatchbacks, but this is a small SUV. The CX-3 is perfect for those kids who play every sport in the book, and need to cram all of their gear in at once. A cricket bag, horse riding gear, footy boots, hockey bag and even a set of golf clubs could all fit in this car together.
This is also a great car for longer trips, so if the majority of the driving your kids will do is out-of-town, or on the highways, the CX-3 could be the best option. If you’ve ever taught a young person to drive, the following safety features will stand out as vital to you:
- Lane departure warning system.
- Rear cross traffic alert, for reversing in carparks.
- Advanced blind-spot monitoring.
- Rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
- Hill-launch assist.
- A rigid body with SRS airbags.
These all give the Mazda CX-3 a five-star ANCAP safety rating. It’s a super cool car, so your kids will love every second behind the wheel.
4) Holden Colorado
As a ute, this might seem an odd choice for a learner driver. However, if you live on a farm, or your kids have aspirations to be tradespeople, extreme sports enthusiasts or even just owning lots of dogs, the Holden Colorado is a fantastic option.
Just because it’s a ute doesn’t mean it’s any less safe than the other cars, either. It still has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, lane departure warning and a reversing camera. It also comes equipped with an advanced forward collision alert system, which uses a high-quality camera mounted on the windscreen to monitor traffic movements on the road ahead. If something happens on the road that requires action, the car will alert the driver using the heads-up display.
The 2.8-litre Duramax diesel engine is more costly to run than the above cars, however it is likely to last longer because of the sturdier construction of diesel blocks. The crew-cab four-wheel-drive option achieves fuel economy of 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres. As far as four-wheel-drive utes go, that’s hard to beat.
These are fantastic cars for learner drivers. Don’t believe us? Try them out for yourself, and then get in touch with Alliance Leasing.
