For many of us, our first car certainly wasn’t anything with that intoxicating new car smell.
Perhaps it was a hand-me-down from the parents or an older sibling, or a cheap beater purchased with money saved up by working at Coles or McDonald’s.
Some kids are privileged enough, however, to have something new for their first car. So, for those folks who would be inclined to splash out on a new car for their child, here are the models the members of CarExpert’s Australian and New Zealand teams would recommend.
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Alborz Fallah, Founder
Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86
I have two boys that will soon need a new car and, while I spend hours randomly looking through Bangle-era BMWs thinking how cool an old 5 Series would be, the best new car for them would have to be something compact and manual.
I told my kids their first car has to be manual and they agreed. I think you’re doing your kids a disservice by picking an automatic. Yes they may never need a manual licence but, actually, learning to drive a manual gives them the knowledge to understand the mechanics of a car. The engine speeds, gearing and how to be a safer driver by paying far more attention to driving than an automatic requires.
With that in mind, it’s hard to go past a Toyota GR86 or Subaru BRZ for that reason, and if Mazda makes the MX-5 a little less feminine I would consider it too.
MORE: Explore the Subaru BRZ showroom
MORE: Explore the Toyota GR86 showroom
Marton Pettendy, Managing Editor
Kia K4 Hatch S with safety pack
I had the same three prerequisites when it came time for all three of my kids to hit the road: safety, reliability, and cost of ownership.
And a new or near-new small car from a Japanese or Korean auto brand – rather than a micro car or light car, let alone an SUV or a ute – delivers the best combination of them.
Of the many choices in the mainstream small-car market, the new Kia K4 Hatch ticks the most boxes, thanks to its strong safety suite, pleasing efficiency, seven-year warranty, and low circa-$32,000 starting price.
But for a relatively affordable $34,190 plus on-road costs, you also get a great small hatch with a safety pack that adds important equipment including a digital instrument cluster and the latest generation of autonomous emergency braking tech.
Before any of my kids hit the road, however, all of them rode dirt bikes and drove a variety of farm machinery off-road for several years, forcing them not only to handle a manual, but to practice vehicle control and develop spatial awareness before entering the cut and thrust of defensive driving on public roads.
MORE: Explore the Kia K4 showroom
Matthew Hansen, Editor (New Zealand)
Suzuki Swift
My brain instantly went straight to a first-generation Nissan Leaf. Preferably one that’s been around the block. Slow, so very little chance of generating speeding tickets. A short range, so their potential drive loop is limited. Deeply uncool, so good for building a bit of character into the little tyke.
But we’re talking about new cars of course. And nobody does small, cheap cars better than Suzuki.
A lovable Jimny is a splendid idea, and the Swift Sport is also an excellent budget performance car – while it remains on sale, that is. The Swift Sport I owned as my first car certainly served me very well.
But I reckon you don’t necessarily even need the ‘big block’ Sport to have fun in a Swift. So instead, I’d opt for the base Swift Hybrid manual. It’s not going to give a Honda Civic Type R a run for its money, but combined with the latest lightweight and endlessly chuckable Swift platform it’s still a bundle of laughs if you want it to be.
Aside from great chassis balance and steering feel, the Swift is also a very logical pick. Parts will be plentiful for when the kid inevitably creases it on the neighbour’s fence too. And while it might be a very mild hybrid, that system helps it achieve a super-economical 3.8L/100km. Insurance should be as cheap as anything else in this weight division as well.
Some will consider the Swift’s three-star safety rating from ANCAP to be a bit of a red flag. But remember, that rating was achieved quite recently. Most other cars in this class with a higher rating achieved it during less stringent times. In some cases those ratings have expired altogether.
MORE: Explore the Suzuki Swift showroom
William Stopford, News Editor
Renault Duster
I’m glad my first car was a manual, and I never for a second considered just getting my auto licence.
That’s just because I was given the old family car, which had a manual transmission… along with faded paint, missing wheel covers and a giant key scratch.
I think learning to drive in a manual helps make you a better driver and gives you a better understanding of how a car works. So, while I’m much too young to have a kid of driving age in 2026, for this hypothetical I’d want this imaginary kid to have a manual.
I’d also want the car to have what I consider to be the essential safety tech (autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert). It should be relatively substantial in size, affordable, and not so powerful that they get any silly ideas, but also not be so uninspiring that they’re turned off cars.
Wow, after adding these criteria, the number of vehicles drops. The manual transmission requirement alone whittles the list down dramatically.
There are no manual Mazda 3s anymore, or non-N Hyundai i30s or non-GR Toyota Corollas. Even the manual Kia Sportage that clung to life for so long, against all odds, is now dead. It’s a shame, because that would have been a good choice given it’s slow and solid.
So here I’m left to compromise on my manual requirement, or shell out $36,490 before on-road costs on a Renault Duster Techno 4×4.
Lucky kid.
MORE: Explore the Renault Duster showroom
James Wong, Marketplace Editor
Kia Picanto manual
We’re very privileged to drive a lot of cars in this line of work, but even after hopping out of something that commands six figures, there’s a lot to be said about back-to-basics motoring, especially when it comes to buying your very first car.
I’ve always been an advocate for buying the newest and safest car you can afford, not just for the niceties but to protect you with warranty and roadside assistance in case things go wrong; visibility on service costs over the first few years of ownership; and ensuring you have as much active safety tech on-board to help you in that one moment you really need it – again, something that new drivers may not realise they need.
The Kia Picanto manual remains one of the cheapest new cars on sale, and offers a simple and cost-effective drivetrain that teaches the basics of driving while also offering all of the brand’s latest infotainment and safety tech so you don’t feel out-of-date.
Even if your kids venture out of the city often, the Picanto is more than capable of a road trip – I was being overtaken in Spain at 130km/h by many of these, sometimes with two child seats in the back. And while it doesn’t have a lot of grunt, it’ll teach you to merge or overtake when it’s safe, and not just rely on a turbo or an automatic transmission cheat code to get you out of trouble.
The only thing that might make me shop elsewhere – ie: spend more money – is the fact the Picanto’s four-star ANCAP safety rating is now out of date. Perhaps an entry-level Toyota Yaris, VW Polo or Kia K4 (with Safety Pack) could be the go if you must have a current five-star ANCAP rating.
MORE: Explore the Kia Picanto showroom
Ben Zachariah, Road Test Editor
Renault Duster
There are some people who are car nerds, and there are some people who are driving nerds. In a Venn diagram, there’s a pretty big crossover between the two, and probably most of us here at CarExpert land smack bang in the middle.
That’s why most of us value the ability to drive a manual – making the Kia Picanto easily the most logical choice. It’s fun, reputable, inexpensive, and manual.
But one of the things I loved doing most as a freshly minted young driver – and I still love doing – is jumping into my car and heading away. Sometimes with people, sometimes on my own, often without any particular destination in mind. And that sense of freedom and adventure is something I would want to pass on to the next generation. It is, in my opinion, one of the true joys of driving.
Which has me giving my kid a Renault Duster. A rad little soft-roader with all-wheel drive, mild-hybrid technology, and a manual transmission – with a design that wouldn’t embarrass them if they went to pick up their date. It may only have a three-star safety rating from ANCAP, but that’s still plenty safe, and probably the equivalent of a 15-star rating from when I was their age.
While I value ADAS and all-wheel drive from a safety perspective – and love that AWD will get them into the bush or to a remote beach – I firmly believe the driver is the most important safety feature. Which means comprehensive driver education, both at home and with professionals at the track, must accompany any car with a bow on top.
MORE: Explore the Renault Duster showroom
Josh Nevett, Deputy Marketplace Editor
Kia Picanto manual
I’d have three priorities when buying a first car for my theoretical child: safety, value, and a manual transmission.
The first two criteria are relatively self-explanatory, but the third probably requires a little more explanation. After all, there aren’t many new manual cars to choose from these days, nor are there many young drivers with the ability to drive them.
However, I maintain that three-pedal proficiency is an important life skill, and the process of learning to drive manual encourages the learner to focus on the task at hand, rather than their TikTok feed. It teaches the art of mechanical sympathy, too.
So, with that as a non-negotiable, the shortlist shrinks to include just three models: the Kia Picanto, Hyundai Venue, and Suzuki Swift. And, of those three, the Picanto is my clear winner.
Not only is Kia’s micro-hatch the cheapest of the bunch, but it also comes with plenty of modern safety kit and a long warranty. There isn’t much room in the cabin for teenage shenanigans, either.
To sweeten the deal, I’m happy to stretch to the top-spec GT-Line for an additional $1800 – some dad I am!
MORE: Explore the Kia Picanto showroom
Damion Smy, Deputy News Editor
Toyota Hilux manual cab/chassis
It’s rear-drive, relatively slow, will help build skills – parking and patience – and will be worth something no matter how badly it’s treated afterwards.
It would also mean they have no excuse to remain living at home, as they can use it to move out.
MORE: Explore the Toyota HiLux showroom
Dave Kavermann, Motoring Journalist (New Zealand)
Suzuki Swift Sport
“Back in my day we had three pedals and pure anxiety at every intersection,” is what I’d say to little Dave or Davina as I throw them the keys to a brand-new Suzuki Swift Sport manual.
As they’re mine, I hope these hypothetical kids would have been riding dirt bikes for a few years before reaching driving age, so they’ll know how a gearbox works. And even before that, I’d like to spend time helping them get acquainted with a steering wheel, just like I experienced sitting on my dad’s lap while he drove me around an empty carpark at 10km/h.
That is still my fondest memory behind the wheel. It makes me smile far more than driving a McLaren, Ferrari or Lamborghini for the first time. It proves cars aren’t about spec sheets – they’re about the stories and memories that can only be created by spending time in a car with other people.
So why a Suzuki Swift Sport? Well, I think it’s the perfect car to introduce them to on-road driving, create those memories and hopefully spark an enjoyment of motoring. If they’re having a bad day and I’m not there, I hope some turbo noises cheer them up (an airbox upgrade would happen very quickly – though the stock exhaust would stay, of course).
It also has the right amount of safety tech to keep mum happy. It’s economical enough for them to pay for their own fuel and has just enough performance to excite without breaking every speed limit in the country.
If they’re heading away on an adventure, they have enough space for mates and some gear. Never underestimate how much you can fit in a Swift. Until you’ve tried it, you won’t understand. I moved house twice with my old Swift and it remains one of my best purchases.
And if they didn’t like it? They can buy their own car – probably some automatic SUV thing – and I’ll have a Suzuki Swift Sport again.
Win-win.
MORE: Explore the Suzuki Swift showroom
Max Davies, Marketplace Journalist
Mazda 3 G20 Pure hatch
I’m the youngest member of the CarExpert editorial team, and while that disqualifies me from offering any legitimate parenting advice, I can vividly remember the process of finding my first car.
My only two criteria were (a), it had to be manual and (b), it had to be a hatchback. That landed me in a six-year-old Subaru Impreza hatch, which we picked up for a stonking deal and went on to serve me faultlessly in the years that followed.
Unfortunately, nothing like that really exists these days. The Impreza has lost its manual and now costs more than $33,000, and while the Picanto manual is a decent contender in its own right, it’s a little too small and not very powerful. I therefore couldn’t confidently send my child into battle on Australia’s highways in one.
So that leaves me searching within the requisite criteria: safe (obviously), affordable (I’m not rich), and reliable (I’m not a mechanic). That leaves me to choose the base Mazda 3 G20 Pure hatch, which is practical enough for a P-plater, not entirely boring to drive, and has been around long enough to have shaken out any major mechanical gremlins.
The only hang-ups are that it’s auto-only and costs $31,610 before on-roads, but insurance isn’t awful at $2353 yearly with a $1000 excess – that’s with a dad-aged person as the main driver, of course.
This generation of Mazda 3 also had a five-star ANCAP rating before it expired at the end of 2025, and I wouldn’t be upset driving it on occasion. If it had to be a new car, that’s good enough for me.
MORE: Explore the Mazda 3 showroom
Sean Lander, Video Producer
Skoda Kamiq
As far as I know, I don’t have any little Seans running around out there, but if my adolescence did deliver a surprise, it would be getting close to the time where they are getting ready to start driving.
I was fortunate enough to start my driving journey in Falcons, and that quite literally saved my life when I rolled a car at the tender age of 17.
To that end, and given I grew up in the country and that’s exactly where I would want my kids growing up, I would not be buying some small hatchback for them to run around in. I want something that is SUV-like, or as close to a Falcon as possible.
I initially looked at a Subaru Impreza, but with an insurance average of nearly $3000 per year (with myself as the main driver and my imaginary child as the secondary driver), it was ruled out pretty quickly.
I then shuffled to a Subaru Crosstrek, which came with a much more palatable quote closer to $2200. That sounded pretty good. The Crosstrek is slow, safe and has plenty of space for teenagers to do teenage things in without breaking the sound barrier. Both of these quotes were at agreed value and a $1000 excess for me (more for Junior).
But I wasn’t done yet. I input a Skoda Kamiq into the calculator, which returned a similarly priced quote, within $200 depending on the insurer. So I am left with two pretty good options.
I then worked on the service pricing. The Subaru comes in at around $2442 over five years with capped-price servicing. The Skoda is $2590. Again, very similar.
The Skoda, however, is significantly better on fuel, has a nicer interior and, personally, I think looks better. So here we are.
My money, my child, I would be putting them in a Skoda Kamiq 85TSI. It’s not very fast but it’s not super-expensive at $33,990 drive-away. I would be happy to drive it and, most importantly, it is a well-built, safe car that I would be comfortable sending my child off into the world in.
If all else fails, I’ll buy a low-mileage Falcon.
