And those lucky enough to get a new - or new to them - set of wheels will be frantically searching for the best deals on a furious pocket rocket while their parents search for something a little more safe and reliable.

Well, in the interests of a happy medium, autodealer has done all of the homework for you and produced a list of its Top 10 Student Cars. Many hours pouring over pricelists, spec sheets and various internet sites has resulted in a list that should suit just about any taste and pocket.

Using strictly scientific methods, we have steered away from subjective aspects such as styling, street cred and personal likes and dislikes. All cars were judged on a strict set of criteria that involved five categories we believe make up the perfect student car.

The first of these categories was price. Only cars under R150 000 were deemed eligible and points were awarded out of 10 on a sliding scale, ranging from one point for cars between R140 000 and R150 000, to 10 points for cars from R50 000 to R60 000. Needless to say, there weren’t any that fell in the bottom bracket.

The category deemed second most important for a student, perhaps not in their eyes but in the eyes of their parents, was safety. This score was based purely on crash-test data. Those scoring five stars gained 10 points while we assumed that those manufacturers failing to take part in crash-testing also failed to score.

Of importance to students (perhaps not their parents) is the performance of their cars. However, we believe that a bit of extra oomph is just as capable of getting one out of a sticky situation as into one. Therefore, again using a sliding scale, we scored all eligible cars based on their power to weight ratio - a clear indication of a car’s capabilities.

In contrast to performance, fuel consumption should be close to every student’s heart and a score out of 10 was given based on all cars’ ability to sip rather than gulp.

Lastly, to balance out the price category, we took into account the cars’ list of features. Two points each were awarded for having, as standard equipment, aircon, power-windows, a CD/radio, remote central locking (only one point if not remote) and adjustable steering (one point each for rake and reach).

All of this led us to our Top 10 and, with nothing to choose between the two, congratulations must go to the Hyundai i20 1.4 and Peugeot 107 X-Line for being at the top of their respective games.

Model (Points)

1) Hyundai i20 1.4 (35)
Peugeot 107 X-Line 1.0 5-door (35)
3) Daihatsu Sirion 1.3 (34)
4) Hyundai i10 1.1 GLS Manual (33)
5) Suzuki Swift 1.5 GL (31)
6) Renault Twingo 1.2 Dynamique (30)
7) Peugeot 207 XL 1.4 3-door (29)
8) Hyundai Getz 1.4 GL Manual (28)
9) Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Active 3-door (26)
10) Toyota Yaris T1 3-door (26)

Its bigger engined brother is a Car of the Year Finalist, so Hyundai has obviously done something right with the i20. It happens to have the second largest engine in the Top 10, but also carries the heftiest price tag at R149 990. That said, it’s still a lot of car for the money and has the edge where performance, handling and sheer size are concerned. As usual, it carries a class-leading warranty and service plan and is a great buy if your budget allows.

At R124 900, Peugeot’s 107 X-line is pretty well priced and having scored four stars in its safety tests will no doubt prove a popular car for the safety conscious student. With its 998cc mill, it’s said to sip just 4.5 litres of fuel per 100km which will be a huge bonus to any student. Its 50kW motor translates to 60.24kW per ton, given its 830kg mass, so acceleration from 0-100km/h comes up in just under 14 seconds. Standard equipment includes aircon, central locking and CD/Radio, while dual airbags, ABS and stability control are provided too. There’s no maintenance plan, however, so budget carefully for services.

You can’t go wrong with this fine vehicle given that Toyota owns a large chunk of Daihatsu, which no doubt passed down plenty of technology and design to the Sirion and other models. Price counted slightly against it at R134 995 but you do get 1298cc engine and 64kW for your hard earned cash, along with a 75 000km service plan. Boasting a top speed of 180km/h, along with central locking, dual airbags, ABS and aircon, there’s nothing wrong with the Sirion. Safety wise it boasts a four star safety rating although its 4.4 litre per 100km claim seems a tad optimistic.

The i10 is like an upmarket Atoz, with a far more refined drive and more aesthetically pleasing interior. Its ride quality and handling are very good and one is easily fooled into thinking it is a bigger car than what it is. Parking duties are highly simplified by its compact dimensions and its steering and clutch are light in feel, making the i10 extremely easy to drive. Another feather in its cap is its claimed consumption, which is said to equate to a measly 4.8 litres per 100km.

Launched nearly two years ago, the Swift has been a huge hit for the returning Suzuki Auto. The Swift was one of two Car of the Year Finalists last year and is continuing to sell well, despite significant price increases. Specification is good and the styling and interior are also out of the top drawer. It has the largest engine in this group, which means performance is right up there with the best. It has street cred by the bucket load, while its size means comfortable seating for four youngsters. It will set you back R141 900, though.

Renault’s resurgence in South Africa has culminated in a plethora of new models just waiting to be snapped up. The Twingo is the company’s smallest car and boasts all the attributes of a vehicle of this size: low fuel consumption and emissions, easy to drive and park and, of course, that French flair missing in its competitors. It’s definitely one of the funkiest in the group and is bound to strike a stylistic chord. Standard specification betters many of the others in this top ten, too.

Peugeot did well to get two vehicles into our top ten but the 207 lost out on price thanks to its R141 850 price tag, although a five star rating gets thrown in. It also lost out in the power stakes at 47,5kW per ton, but made that up by offering the usual array of standard equipment in line with the other competitors listed in this section. An absence of stability control pushed it further down the listings as did a lack of service plan.

Probably the oldest in this survey and the third from the Korean marque to crack our nod, which simply proves that Hyundai is spot on when it comes to pricing and value for money. Getz is yet another pleasant commuter and at R127 900 is again good value but its slips up when it comes to consumption with its claimed 8.0 litres per 100km usage while  a passenger airbag and ABS are missing too. It still boasts all the other creature comforts along with a generous 3 year/50 000km service plan.

The Italian car making giant slips into the top ten courtesy of its Grande Punto city slicker. Improved quality, particularly where assembly is concerned means this Fiat is worth considering. If that’s not enough, then it’s pleasant styling, and chic interior may just make up your mind for you. After sales service remains a thorny issue though – we can only hope Fiat’s promises to improve it are bearing fruit.

The world’s largest carmaker takes spot number ten with its Tazz replacement Yaris. The Yaris has been a huge success story and the T1 demonstrates perfectly why. Its fantastic engine note, cute looks and reliable image make it an ideal student car worth banking on. Resale price is also pretty good and we love the two-tone interior. Boot space is a little small though.