My wife's experience of the driving test and buying her car on a PCP

DRIVING TEST
My wife had never driven in her home country. Her first time behind the wheel was in the UK. When we came to the UK on a work visa , I started working in Slough , we took driving lessons. Unfrotnately she did not pass in her first attempt and I passed in my third attempt. She then got busy with other things ( PLAB , baby , etc) and then decided to try again after 3 years when I was working in Scarborough as a ST3 trainee. 

She had to give her theory test again as it had expired. 
Her driving instructor in Scarborough was amazing. He helped her identity her weak points and made her work on them in a very nice way. She has almost ready for her test but then covid happened. She was confident enough to pass but because of the pandemic all tests were cancelled. 
Unfortunately we had to relocate to Beverley in August and my wife got a test date after our move out date- in Scarborough. Her driving instructor suggested she should give her test in Scarborough as she was already used to the roads which she would be tested on.

He also suggested that she would need lessons a day before and then an hour before her driving test .
She then took a lesson for 4 hours a day before the test and an hour prior to the test.
And she passed! 

These are a few tips :

CHOOSING YOUR INSTRUCTOR 
Always look for approved instructors:
https://www.gov.uk/find-driving-schools-and-lessons

You will know whether your instructor is good or not after a lesson or 

2. Do not continue taking lessons if you think you are not learning or you find the instructor too strict which is impairing your ability to learn.

A good instructor will help you work on your weakness in a constructive manner you should feel confident after each lesson. 

TEST DAY

Take lessons a day before the test and then an hour before the test.

Give the test in the same town you have taken lessons in. Even if you relocate, it is worth giving the test in the same town if convenient ( Scarborough is an hours drive from Beverley and I had taken annual leaves on the day she had a 4 hour lesson and on her test day)
Its a game of nerves. The more nervous you are , the more likely you're to make mistakes.
It comes down to luck as well. The examiners are strict and their assessments are correct but it all depends on how you perform on the day.
Do not take it to heart if you fail. It is very depressing especially when you are looking forward to becoming independent and keep working. Remember I passed in the third attempt !

BUYING A CAR
When my wife passed her test , the driving instructor suggested that she should get a small car similar in size to what she had learnt in and practiced in.
The car we had (Audi A6 - https://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/2019/09/my-experience-of-buying-car-on-pcp-deal.html)  was slightly big and hence difficult to drive around Beverley- with narrow streets for a new driver. It took me some time to get used to it as well when I bought it hence the best option was to go for another car which was smaller but safe and not prone to breakdowns. 

We sat down and looked at our finances and had the following options:
1.Get an Audi E tron from NHS Fleets solutions
Pros
This car costs 60,000 GBP on cash but thorough NHS fleets it would cost 245 GBP per month with 0 GBP deposit and this included insurance as well. This was a bargain buy! 
Cons
It is a big car ! As we already have an Audi A6, we don't need a second big car. My wife felt uncomfortable driving a big car as her first car. Her driving instructor also suggested that she should go for a small car. 

There are not enough charging points for now and we are living in a rented accomodation where getting a charging point installed could be a problem ( we did not ask the landlord though).

2.Get a mid sized family hatchback like a VW golf, audi A3, vaxhuall astra.
Pros
These are lovely cars and are very popular.
Cons
We already owned an Audi A3 from 2016 to 2019.
The PCP deals we were getting on these were not worth it - with a 4,000 GBP deposit and around 200 to 250 GBP deposit for a 4 year PCP.


3.A small car like a VW polo , Vaxhuall corsa , Toyota Yaris , Peugeot 108, Citroën C1.

We started looking on autotrader and put in the following filters:
Automatic 
Monthly budget upto 150 GBP 
Deposit of 2000 GBP 

5 door 

Upto 3 year old 

Maximum milage- 20,000 miles 

We found some good options like 

- Toyota Aygo 

- Citroen C1 

- Vaxhuall Corsa 

Out of these , the Vaxhuall Corsa appealed to us the most for the following reasons:
Very popular among new drivers in the UK
Well specced- met all our requirments : Auto, had android auto ( with screen mirroring)- which would serve as navigation, 16,000 miles driven 
Cheap to insure hence met our budget ( less than 50 GBP a month!)
Manufacturer warranty for a year 
Available at an official dealership
Small , easy to maintain
2 years only hence we could upgrade to a bigger car once she was more comfortable.

I called the dealership and tried to negotiate the price. Given that the cash price was around 9,500 GBP, there was very little to negotiate - but he did manage to bring the monhtly PCP down from  the advertised proce of 155 GBP to 144 GBP a month. Once we were happy with everything ( ie finances, car condition in pictures), I paid a 99 GBP holding fees to take the car off the market. 

We drove to the dealership the following day, test drove the car and liked it.  We decided to finalize the deal there. I signed the paperwork after going through everything again and the salesperson said that they would do a credit check and let us know if we are eligible for a PCP deal. 

The following morning, I recieved confirmation that it had gone through and was sent the finance deal - which mentioned a price of 138.67 GBP a month! I called the dealership and confirmed that the monthly PCP had gone down after my credit check ( I am not sure how true this is). 

Because the dealership was a 2 hour drive from where I live, we decided that the safest option for my wife is if the car is home delivered rather than her driving it on the motorway for 2 hours with me in the other car. 

The car was home delivered in 5 working days. 

Finances 

100 GBP holding deposit to take the car off the market
1900 GBP deposit
138 GBP a month
44 GBP a month for insurance ( me as the main driver and my wife as the secondary driver )
For 2 years

Ownership
The car is financed under my name as I am the only one who is working 

The insurance is under my name with my wife as an additional driver. 

Plan after 2 years 
To walk into any dealership, use this car as a part exchange for a bigger car. 

Pros of this deal
We got a small safe car under warranty.
Just 2 years old
Well specced.
Low monthly costs
Cons
By the end of the deal, we will have to either pay a balloon payment to keep the car, part exchange it at any dealership ( not the same one we bought it from ) or just return the car - we have done this with our previous car ( Audi A3 ) and didn't face any issues when part exchanging for an Audi A6 halfway through our deal ( ie 75% through the PCP deal - the point where we reached zero equity.)

2000 deposit and 138 a month for a small hatchback may sound excessive - but we had our reasons : we wanted a PCP deal for 2 years only, approved used , 2 years old car, automatic, less than 20, 000 miles driven, deposit of 2000 GBP , less than 150 a month on PCP . At that time ( ie September, 2020) we could not find a car ( other than a Toyota Aygo ) which was approved used.

TIPS:

Always go for a small car as your first car. The roads in the UK are narrow and it is not easy to drive a big car in town unless you are a bit more experienced ( which takes a few months) 

When seraching on autotrader, check the dealerships where the car is located. Try to go for an official dealership as they usually offer warranty, do their point checks, usually sell cars which are realiable and will not break down ( hence they are called approved used vehicles). 

Avoid private garages and dealerships espcially if you are going for a PCP deal.

ALWAYS email first and negotiate the price via phone. There is no point going to a dealership and wasting your time if you are not sure what you want. This is why there are so many websites which give you a detailed review of all cars. 

ALWAYS test drive the car before finalizing the deal. 

You may be asked to pay the holding deposit to take the car off the market - if it meets your requirements , then you can pay the holding deposit. This is usually refundable anyway - but always confirm this. 

If you feel that you will be confident in a few months to upgrade to a bigger car, go for a 2 year PCP deal : some dealerships do offer a 2 year PCP making it easier for you to part exchange the car/ return it when you are 18 months or so into the PCP deal ( or whatever point you reach zero equity). 

Make sure you get the right specifications - android auto is as good as an inbuilt navigation so do consider this. 

Always test drive the car before finalizing anything. 

Future plans: 

To add my wife to the insurance of our Audi A6 once she is confident. 
Once she gets comfortable on this small car , we will return the car at the end of the deal and buy a bigger car on a PCP deal.