A simple guide to buying your first car in Ireland

Published on 28 April, 2026

Here are our quick tips for what you need to do and the best choices for your first car

Overview

There will be little in your life that’s more exciting than taking those first steps to get yourself on the road and into your first car. Obviously, there are some legal and financial hurdles in the way, but here are our quick tips for what you need to do and the best choices for your first car…

1. Getting your licence

Seventeen is the minimum age at which you can start driving on the public road in Ireland, although there are some good courses for under-17s which are on private tracks, such as at Mondello Park in Kildare, and these are great for giving you a first taste of controlling a car and learning the basics of driving.

The real first step to getting on the road is to pass your theory test, which can be done online via the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and which you’ll need to do before even applying for your learner’s permit.

Once you’ve passed the theory test, the next thing you’ll need to do is apply — and it will have to be in person, as it’s your first licence - at your local branch of the National Driver Licensing Service (NDLS - there’s a full list of all their offices on the website). You’ll need some paperwork for this including a National Public Services card, a verified MyGov.ie ID and proof of address which will usually be a bank statement or a mobile phone bill with your name on it and with your current address, which will have to be less than six months old. You’ll also need photographic ID and, potentially, a medical cert or doctor’s note if you need to wear glasses or contacts when driving.

Done all that? Congratulations! You’re ready to start learning…

2. Practise, practise…

Once you have your learner’s permit, you can’t just head off into the sunset. All of your driving must be done with a suitable passenger, who will have to be fully licensed themselves for at least two years. If you don’t stick to this rule, and you’re stopped by the Gardai, they can seize your car on the spot. You also need to remember to display your L-plates and remember too that learner and novice drivers have a legal blood alcohol limit that’s half the level of fully licensed drivers. So really, just don’t drink at all before driving. It’s the safest bet. Oh, and you also have a lower threshold of penalty points - just seven - before you can be disqualified and the entire process starts again.

As well as practising with a relative or friend in the car with you, you’ll also have to take at least 12 professional lessons - called Essential Driver Training - from an accredited instructor. And 12 is the minimum number; if this is your first time driving, it’s worth having as many lessons as possible before taking your test.

3. Taking the test

The driving test isn’t as hard as you think it is - you just have to concentrate, remember the rules of the road and make sure you demonstrate to the tester that you’re paying full attention to your speed, your mirrors and the environment all around the car. Do that, and you should fly through. Just remember to book well in advance — test waiting lists have come down, but there can still be substantial waiting times - and that the test costs €85 each time you take it.

To sit the test in your own car, or one that you’ve been allowed to drive by a relative, you’ll need to make sure that the tax and NCT are in date, and that your L-plates are correctly displayed. You’ll also need to have a fully licensed driver accompany you to the test and be on hand to accompany you home just in case you fail.

When you pass, you’ll be given a certificate of competency, so it’s back to the NDLS office to convert that into a full licence, and also to stop on the way and pick up some ’N’ (for novice) plates to replace the L-plates. These have to stay on the car for two full years, and during that time you’ll still be subject to the lower alcohol and penalty point thresholds that you were while you were a learner driver. Still, you’re fully licensed now, and assuming that you’ve been learning to drive using your parents’ car (as so many of us do), it’s now time to start picking your own wheels…

4. Choosing the right first car

There are three basic rules here: keep it cheap, keep it reliable and keep it small. We mean small especially in terms of the engine size, as although passing your test means that your insurance risk drops considerably, the sad fact is that young drivers are still considered a liability by insurers, and so your first couple of premiums will be sky-high.

To help keep those down, it’s important to stick to smaller-engined cars, of around 1.0-1.2 litres capacity, and make sure you avoid anything that’s overtly sporty. You could consider getting a ‘black box’ telematics system fitted that monitors your driving, which can land you a substantial discount — and many insurers are now requiring that such systems are fitted for younger drivers — but if you can, it’s better to do it the old fashioned way, and earn cheaper insurance by proving yourself to be a good driver and racking up no-claims discounts.

Where should you look for your first car? Why right here on CarsIreland, of course. Go to our search engine and you’ll find what you need. Search by price or by engine size and you’ll find plenty of good first cars.

Our recommendations? Well, on the day this piece is being written we found a 2007 Toyota Yaris, with a 1.0-litre engine, for just €1,750. That will be dependable. Just beware of the age when it comes to insurance - some insurers baulk at older cars these days.

How about something more recent? We found a 2016 Dacia Logan 1.2 for €1,950. It’s hardly exciting, but the Logan is super-practical with a massive boot, so you could use it as an ersatz camper (throw in an inflatable mattress and a sleeping bag) for your favourite music festival.

How about something unusual? There’s a teeny-tiny Toyota iQ up for €2,950 with a 1.0-litre engine and a cabin that seats three in comfort and four at a pinch. It’s a bit of a burgeoning design classic and will be super-cheap to run.

Or for something with a bit of real Italian style, there’s a Fiat 500 in basic 1.2 Pop form - no car is cuter - for €3,700. These Polish-built Fiats are pretty reliable.

Or, for something with exceptional quality and ultra-low running costs, there’s the Skoda Citigo, with a 1.0-litre engine, for €3,950.

Any of those would make an idea first car, and you’ll find hundreds more like them on CarsIreland, so why not have a browse while you’re waiting for your NDLS appointment?
 

Shane O'Donoghue

Shane grew up in his dad’s garage in Cork, sparking a lifelong love of cars. After studying engineering in the UK, he turned to motoring journalism in the late 1990s. He now runs CompleteCar.ie and a motoring editorial agency, writing for top outlets like CarsIreland and Carzone.