If you have the ability, the right instructor to get driving lessons from, and the patience during the theory and practice tests, learning to drive is exceptionally fun and rewarding.

For many new drivers, one of the first choices they will be eagerly looking forward to making is choosing their first car, and there is a lot that will go into that decision.

Beyond these practical considerations, certain car models are inherently more practical than others, whether due to being too demanding or simply not being conventional enough for someone who can legally drive but still needs time to develop their skills.

Any Performance Hatchback

From the Ford Focus ST to the Mazdaspeed3, Honda Civic Type-R or Abarth 500, high-performance versions of a conventional hatchback are deceptively dangerous.

Whilst they typically have the safety equipment of their slower, safer, cheaper versions, they often have more sensitive handling profiles that can cause them to either understeer or oversteer.

This can typically be handled by an experienced driver, but it is typically just different enough to put a new driver in more danger than they should be, for the same reasons they should not buy a Porsche 911 Turbo, which infamously had such an unusual set of handling characteristics that it became known for causing accidents.

Volkswagen Beetle

There is a lot of danger in having too much power, and many obviously unsuitable sports cars are simply too powerful and too sensitive for a new driver to safely control.

However, the Volkswagen Beetle has the opposite issue of being far too slow to be safe, at least if you plan on driving outside of built-up areas.

Whilst an experienced driver can adapt to the limits of 50 horsepower and navigating traffic when overtaking is impossible, a new driver is still learning the tenets of defensive driving, and whilst slower can seem better, this is not always the case.