Which car is best for daily use?

Which car is best for daily use?

Since all road users have very specific needs and requirements when it comes to their personal mobility, answering the question of which car is best for daily use becomes difficult. Instead of applying a 'one size fits all' approach to answering the question, we have instead come up with a range of attributes that nearly all cars considered to be good daily drivers share.

1. Automatic gearbox

While there are many well-sorted manual gearboxes out there, there is no denying the increase in the popularity of automatics. The reason is simple, in all low-speed urban traffic scenarios, in which many of us find ourselves daily, the ease of an automatic makes the commute more relaxing and fuss-free. Couple the ease of use with the rapid development of automatics in recent years and we no longer have the sluggish, inefficient autos of the past.

2. A good airconditioning system

At AutoTrader, we are privileged to drive all of the latest vehicles that enter the market and from our experience, not all vehicle airconditioning and ventilation systems are made equal. A good daily driver should have an aircon that blows ice cold on a sweltering summer day and heats the interior of the car quickly on a cold winter day.

3. Bluetooth/smartphone connectivity

As a daily driver, by definition, you will be spending a bit of time in these vehicles, meaning that the likelihood of you needing to take a phone call or make use of your phone's GPS or music streaming services increases. With Bluetooth, these functions can be carried out safely, while more advanced systems with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto would be ideal.

4. Space proportional to needs

The space a person requires from their vehicle depends entirely on the size of their family, how many people are in the vehicle at a given time and what they carry in their vehicle that relates to their occupation, hobby or family needs. Essentially, how good a car is as a daily driver when referring to practicality depends on the end user's needs.

5. Efficiency

 

6. Insurance and servicing costs

Since this car will be in daily use, the insurance premium the driver pays will be relatively high as the risk profile increases the more a car is used, meaning a car deemed low risk in terms of hijacking, theft and accidents will ultimately be cheaper to insure. Similarly, a product with a low part pricing basket and that is easy to maintain will be cheaper to service and therefore more financially viable as a daily driver.