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Best Cars for Older Drivers

With a wide variety of vehicles available, we offer plenty of tips and key features to help identify the best cars for older drivers.

Best Cars for Older Drivers
Daisy Cliff

Published: 04 December 2024

Updated: 04 December 2024

Read time: 5 minutes

As you get older, your confidence can sometimes take a knock, making us a little more wary on the roads. This can make the latest sports car perhaps no longer feel like your first choice, and something more practical, a little more tempting.

As an older driver, certain cars may be better suited to your needs. With technology developments and many makes and models to choose from, we’ve collated our top picks.

These include:

Comfortable Cars

Driving long distances to meet up with friends or family or heading on a staycation, your car needs to be comfortable, even more so if you struggle with any pain. A little more on the luxurious side, there are plenty of ideas for cars that are known to place extra emphasis on comfort.

Mercedes-Benz GLA

The Mercedes-Benz GLA is the perfect option if you’re looking for a little added luxury to your drive. With comfort being at the forefront of design, features include heated seats, spacious interior, robust infotainment functions and even a panoramic sunroof as an optional extra.

Audi Q5

Audi Q5

The second Audi on our list is the Audi Q5, this is a similar size to the Mercedes-Benz GLA so it may become a question of brand preference! The Q5 features include a reversing camera, lane departure warning, and Audi side assist to alert you if there’s anything in your blind spot. The cabin is roomy with plenty of space for 4 adults with decent head and legroom, the seats are lumbar adjustable and come in standard leather although there are upholstery upgrades available too.

Volkswagen Golf

Designed with excellent lumbar support and cushioning, the Volkswagen Golf ensures a relaxed driving experience even on longer journeys. The adjustable seating position allows for easy customisation, while its spacious cabin provides ample legroom and headroom. Additionally, the Golf’s seat height and wide door openings make getting in and out of the car hassle-free delivering an overall smooth, enjoyable ride.

Volkswagen Golf

There are even more ideas for comfortable cars in our blog post on comfortable cars for everyday travel.

Small Cars

For pootling around town, you need a car to be nimble, have a tight turning circle, easy handling and where possible, reversing cameras too. Take a look at our picks for the best small cars for older drivers.

SEAT Ibiza

SEAT Ibiza

Another popular choice with older drivers, with light and smooth steering and excellent visibility is the SEAT Ibiza - a super driveable car for all ages. Being on the smaller size the Ibiza is perfect for local drives and for squeezing into tighter spots in city centres.

CUPRA Born

The second on the list of small cars for older drivers is from SEAT’s close relation, CUPRA. With its inception only in 2019, CUPRA is still a relatively new player in the world of automotive, but don’t let that hold you back, these future-first fully electric vehicles have the performance credentials to match. In 2024, the CUPRA Born won Autocar’s best electric car and has continued to win over a legion of fans with its compact size, tight turning circle and sharp handling.

CUPRA Born

Automatic Cars

Driving an automatic for the first time can feel a little strange, especially if you’ve been driving a manual all your life. It takes a while to get used to the pedals and the lack of gear stick – but once you’ve mastered it, you may never look back!

Take a look at some of the best automatic cars on the market for older drivers.

Mini Hatch

Mini Hatch

Whilst you may be lower down than an SUV, this iconic car is a solid drive with easy manoeuvrability, and better yet, it’s automatic too! There are plenty of features which make the Mini Hatch fun to drive, from parking assist to touchscreen infotainment system, this compact car makes city or town driving easy.

Audi A3

The Audi A3 is known for its versatility, with many different versions to consider including sportback, saloon or cabriolet, however one thing is consistent – you can expect luxury and refinement. Audi’s reliability and five-star

Euro NCAP safety rating makes it a perfect choice for older drivers looking for luxury, comfort and safety too. The fact that the Audi A3 comes in either manual or automatic, is an added bonus!

Audi A3

 

For more ideas, read our blog post on the best automatic cars for new drivers.

Assistance features to consider

When looking for a new car, today’s technology brings plenty of opportunities to make driving easier and more comfortable for the older drivers or those who struggle with arthritis.

A few features to look out for include:

  • Parking assistance – this could include parking sensors, reverse cameras and even parking assist features that take the hard work out of parallel parking.
  • Automatic boot – opening a boot at the touch of a button is the feature you never knew you needed. Ladened with bags, letting the dog out of the boot or want to avoid over-exerting yourself, an automatic boot is a nifty assistance feature for all.
  • Cruise-control – whilst this feature has been around for a long time, its usability is perfect for older drivers too. Keeping a steady pace on motorways takes the pressure off a little and allows you to keep your eyes on the road and mirrors.

There are plenty of options out there for older drivers, and we hope to have given you some food for thought! Ready to start browsing for your next vehicle? Speak with one of our friendly team or head to your local dealership.

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Representative finance example: Personal Contract Purchase (PCP)

Representative APR%
9.90% APR 		 First Payment
£249.71		 46 Monthly
payments of
£249.71		 Optional final
payment
£9,090.00		 On the road
price
£20,000.00		 Term of
agreement
48 months		 Customer deposit
£4,000.00
Amount of credit
£16,000.00		 Cost of credit
£4,826.37		 Annual mileage
5,000		 Excess mileage
8.4p		 Total amount
payable
£24,836.37		 Fixed rate of
interest
9.90%