The real cost of a first car — and the number nobody mentionsCars · 5 minute readThe car is the cheap part. Insurance, tax, MOT, tyres and fuel decide whether you can actually keep it on the road.A first car looks affordable right up to the moment you add up the year. The purchase price is one number. The cost of keeping it legal and moving is another, and for a young driver the second number is bigger.The costs that arrive every year

Insurance — for a driver under 25 this is the largest single cost, priced on the car, your postcode, your mileage and your record.

Vehicle tax — charged on the vehicle, not the driver, and it does not transfer when the car is sold.

MOT — annual from the car's third birthday, and it is the failures that cost you.

Servicing and tyres — the two things that turn a cheap car into an expensive one.

Fuel — the cost you feel weekly, and the one that responds to how you drive.

What moves your insuranceThe insurance group of the car matters more than the badge. A smaller engine, a lower group and a car that is cheap to repair all pull the quote down. Black box policies trade a lower premium for being monitored, which suits some drivers and not others.The number nobody mentionsWork out the monthly cost of running the car before you buy it, not after. Add insurance, tax, fuel, servicing and tyres, divide by twelve, and compare that figure to your monthly income. That is the real price of the car.Get an insurance quote for the exact registration plate before you buy anything. It takes minutes, and it has stopped more bad purchases than any amount of advice.More free articles about money, work and business are at The Next Generation Blog.

Let's Play Business — LPB Deepcar Learning Centre, Deepcar, Sheffield. Contact: anna@letsplaybusiness.co.uk