What is the best small hatch to buy for my grand-daughter?
Asked by Barney
What's the best small hatch back to buy? I'm considering buying one for my grand-daughter.
Answered by CarsGuide
16 Jan 2024Without a doubt the best car for an inexperienced driver is the one with as many safety features and as high a safety score as you can afford. With that in mind, newer is better as these features trickle down from more expensive makes and models with cheaper cars usually the last to receive them.
As a minimum, you'd want to make sure any car for your grand-daughter has stability control, autonomous emergency braking and an air-bag for every seating position (which means full-length curtain air-bags as well as front and side bags). A reversing camera is also a good idea, but look also for lane-keeping warning and/or assist, and rear cross-traffic alert.
There's a website at howsafeisyourcar.com.au which is a great resource for safety ratings and explanations of what safety features do what. Long after the car's performance, reputation and what colour it is seem important, safety will still be the most important attribute.