I think if you can afford a post-2012 car then to be honest you can't go wrong with most options out there. Not sure about which country your from but if you're from the UK:
- If you live near a metropolitan area, especially London, pay attention to ULEZ and its reqs. Its likely other cities like Manchester/Birmingham might mirror ULEZ in the future and quite a lot of cars, especially inexpensive diesels (my friend has a Seat Leon 1.6) that might just miss the reqs by only a little bit.
- As
@Efan has said a lot of hatchbacks in that era actually share a base/chassis so it more comes down to affordability, style, and features/creature comforts that you'd like.
- If you're likely to be a designated driver for any friends that are bus wankers then maybe consider a 4/5-door as opposed to the more stylish 2/3-doors, will just make your life a hell of a lot easier and practical.
- Even if you're learning in manual and pass in a manual, if you don't plan on doing a lot of motorway driving or there's a lot of small roads/stop & start/traffic in your area then perhaps consider spending the extra for an an automatic for QoL.
- If you do get an automatic do not buy a Corsa as the gearboxes are dog.
Apart from the ones mentioned above by others I would also recommend taking a look at the KIA RIO - pretty good value if you're willing to have a fruity-looking interior.
