10 Best P-Plater Friendly Cars 2024

There’s far more than a price tag consideration when tossing up your best P-Plater-friendly car options, with safety tech, fuel efficiency, running costs and practicality making a huge difference after the initial purchase.

Join us as we discover what makes for a P-plater-friendly car and provide you with a list of ten of our favourite options for those hitting the road for the first time.

Toyota Corolla

Arguably the king of the small car segment, the Toyota Corolla offers a smooth and user-friendly driving experience that is backed by a healthy safety equipment list for the base model.

Behind the wheel, the Corolla is simple to drive and offers both hatchback and sedan body shapes and Toyota’s incredibly fuel-efficient hybrid tech if you can stretch the budget a little.

For those wanting a little extra ride height, the Toyota Corolla Cross offers the same platform with a slightly elevated seating position for better visibility and confidence on the road.

• Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, hybrid available

• Fuel Economy: 6.0L/100km, 4.0L/100km in hybrid

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wired

• Boot Spce: 333 - 470L (hatch vs sedan)

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

Hyundai i30

Hyundai is no stranger to a great value package perfect for young drivers, with the impressively refined i30 making for a comfortable option that is perfect for P-Platers and the added bonus of a new hybrid engine.

Hyundai offers the i30 platform as a hatchback and sedan, both of which provide excellent interior space and practicality with healthy boot volumes and a particularly attractive equipment list for the price.

• Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, hybrid available

• Fuel Economy: 7.3.0L/100km, 3.9L/100km in hybrid

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wireless

• Boot Spce: 395 - 474L (hatch vs sedan)

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

Suzuki Swift

The Suzuki Swift is a vehicle that proves P-Plate-friendly cars don’t have to be boring thanks to its eager personality, agile handling and undeniable value proposition.

Thanks to a recent safety equipment upgrade in all but the base variant, the Suzuki Swift now offers an attractive safety package atop its charming nature and exceptional fuel efficiency that helps to keep running costs nice and low.

• Engine: 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 4.6L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 7.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wired

• Boot Spce: 265 - 579L

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Four-star base model, five-star for rest of range

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

Kia Cerato

The Kia Cerato is a great option for P-Platers looking to hit the ground running with a value-packed sedan and hatchback range that comes backed by the company’s outstanding warranty program.

With decent fuel economy figures, a reasonably spacious interior and seven years' worth of capped-price servicing, the Cerato offers long-term peace of mind and affordable running costs down the line.

You’ll want to make sure you’re ticking the box on Kia’s safety pack to get a healthy range of active safety equipment list and the full five-star ANCAP safety rating to keep insurance affordable.

• Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 7.4L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wireless

• Boot Spce: 428 - 502L (hatch vs sedan)

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star (with safety pack)

• Warranty: Seven-year/unlimited-kilometre

MG ZS

The MG ZS is a mighty impressive value proposition for P-Platers looking for an affordable, feature-packed compact SUV.

The ZS platform is great for zipping around the city and navigating tight car spaces, offers very reasonable fuel efficiency while maintaining one of the most jam-packed equipment lists for the price.

• Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 7.1L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wired

• Boot Spce: 395L

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Four-star

• Warranty: Seven-year/unlimited-kilometre

Subaru Impreza

If you’re looking for an adventurous, reasonably affordable P-Plate car with the bonus of a confidence-inspiring all-wheel drive system, the latest Impreza is certainly worth a closer look.

Fresh off the back of a recent update, the Impreza comes bundled with a bunch of entertainment and safety technology, while the suspension package underneath gives it far more versatility than your average hatchback.

If you’re looking for some more ground clearance, the latest Subaru Crosstrek is another great option, though it comes at a slight price premium.

• Engine: 2.0-litre boxer four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 7.5L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 11.6-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wireless

• Boot Spce: 291 - 883L

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Unrated

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

Hyundai Venue

The Hyundai Venue directly addresses one of the biggest drawbacks of the small SUV segment, offering buyers a decent amount of practicality that won’t leave you wishing for more interior space.

With reasonable price tags across the range, the Venue stacks up as a rock-solid option for P-Platers that is well-mannered around town, reasonable fuel economy figures and a lifetime capped-price servicing that helps to keep ownership costs low.

• Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 7.2L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wireless

• Boot Spce: 355L

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Four-star

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

Kia Stonic

Kia remains one of the leading manufacturers for P-Plate drivers with affordable members of the range like the Stonic, which offers an extremely well-priced compact SUV package.

While it’s not a game-changer in the small SUV space, the Stonic’s sheer affordability and inclusion of decent entertainment and safety technology make it a must-have on any shortlist for drivers new to the road.

• Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 6.7L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wireless

• Boot Spce: 352L

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Five-star

• Warranty: Seven-year/unlimited-kilometre

Mazda CX-3

With its charming styling package, agile handling and recent technology upgrades, the Mazda CX-3 remains one of the leading options in the compact SUV segment for P-Platers.

Mazda is one of the leaders in terms of interior packaging, offering a lovely layout, even in the base model, while ticking all the important boxes of fuel efficiency, a confident ride quality and a healthy amount of safety gear as standard.

• Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 7.6L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wired

• Boot Spce: 393L

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Expired five-star

• Warranty: Five-year/unlimited-kilometre

Mitsubishi ASX

Mitsubishi’s most affordable member of the lineup stands as one of the best for P-Platers hitting the road thanks to the ASX’s decent levels of practicality and outstanding warranty coverage.

With a range accessible to most budgets, the Mitsubishi ASX doesn’t skimp out on interior space and technology while maintaining ten-years of capped-price servicing and Australia’s leading warranty that extends out to a decade when serviced within the dealer network.

• Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol

• Fuel Economy: 7.1L/100km

• Infotainment Size: 8.0-inches

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto: Wired

• Boot Spce: 395L

• ANCAP Safety Rating: Four-star

• Warranty: up to ten years/200,000-kilometres 

What Makes a Car P-Plater Friendly?

Several things make a car perfect for a P-Plater, including some of the obvious things like avoiding high-powered engines that are off-limits for P-Plate drivers; these include:

• Active Safety Features: autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alerts help to mitigate avoidable accidents and even reduce your insurance premiums.

• User-friendliness around town: a vehicle with lightweight steering and a narrow footprint means it’s easy to park, navigate traffic and offers a less stressful driving experience around town.

• Visibility: Confidence on the road stems from a great view of your surroundings, be sure to keep visibility in mind when test driving.

• Long Warranty Coverage: You’ve spent all that money - why not opt for a car with a long warranty program for peace of mind?

• Responsive Steering: Responsive cars help drivers learn how the car interacts with the road and how to react quickly when things go wrong.

• Fuel Efficiency: Keep your fuel bills low with a fuel-efficient vehicle.

• ANCAP Ratings: Be sure to check safety ratings when shopping around for a P-Plate-friendly car; these days, a five-star rating is a must-have for young drivers.

• Parking Sensors: Avoid simple bumps while parking with the help of parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

Ten More P-Plate Friendly Cars For Your Consideration

• Kia Picanto
• Mazda 3
• Hyundai Kona
• Toyota Yaris
• Kia Seltos
• Toyota Yaris Cross
• Citroen C3
• GWM Haval Jolion
• Mazda 2
• Volkswagen T-Cross

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If you’re tossing up your best options for an affordable P-Plate-friendly car, be sure to reach out to one of our car-buying experts who can help with your search and find the best possible price.