One in five parents pay towards child's first car, poll shows

'It’s so important to get that first car purchase right, especially when it comes to buying the safest, most reliable car you can for the money'

Cars are prepared for distribution at a Ford factory on January 13, 2015 in Dagenham, England. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

British parents spend an average of £3,410 on their child’s first car, according to a new poll.

The survey of 2,000 parents of 16- to 21-year-olds found that one in six helped their children to pay for their first vehicle, contributing an average of 45 per cent to the total cost.

A total of 16 per cent paid the full amount while 44 per cent helped with the cost of their child’s car insurance.

One quarter paid the road tax, while one fifth contributed towards petrol and diesel.

The London parents surveyed put the most money towards their children’s car, parting with an average of £4,351.

“It’s amazing to see just what parents are prepared to spend on their children so they can experience the independence of driving," said Keith Adams, editor of Parkers.co.uk, which commissioned the survey. “Parents obviously want their kids to be safe when out on the roads alone so we know researching for the perfect first-time vehicle is a lengthy and often confusing process.”

One eighth of those polled, however, said they did not plan to help their child buy their first car in any way, with the top reason being because they could not afford it.

One third want to encourage their youngster to make their own decisions about money and four in 10 believe children need to learn to save for the things they want.

Almost half of respondents contributed to their child’s driving lessons and more than one third paid for every lesson.

Mr Adams added: “It’s so important to get that first car purchase right, especially when it comes to buying the safest, most reliable car you can for the money. Avoiding stolen cars or those with a bad history is also of paramount importance. Buying a car can be stressful enough – more so if it’s for a loved one, so it’s so important to make sure that you’ve bought yourself a good one."

SWNS