Nissan Note Review for Young Drivers (2006-2017): Insurance, Running Costs and What to Avoid

Who is this car for?

The Note suits a new driver who wants space, good visibility, cheap insurance and doesn't mind driving an old-person car.

"We've had a 2006 Nissan Note as kid transport for three years. It's no frills, no nonsense. Never had a single issue with it, other than a couple of dead headlamp bulbs. Great space inside, huge boot with the back seats down. It's a f***ing dull car, there's no escaping that but for a family with two toddlers, it's been great."

For the insurance logic behind buying an unfashionable car on purpose, read our why Fiestas are so expensive to insure guide.

The two generations: E11 vs E12

There are two Notes on the UK used market and they're quite different cars.

The E12 is the one to aim for: lower insurance, the option of active safety kit and better economy. The E11 is excellent value and the one to choose if you need an automatic (its old 4-speed auto is more reliable than the E12's CVT).

Driving and performance

Nobody buys a Note to enjoy the drive and that's a good thing for a parent. The engines are low power so they don't go that fast.

E11 (2006-2013)

The 1.4 petrol (88bhp) is the best option of this generation: no turbo, simple and cheap to fix. The 1.6 (110bhp) is the only one that came with an automatic, a 4-speed torque converter that's slow but mechanically durable and will pass 120,000 miles on basic fluid changes. The 1.5 dCi diesel is torquey and economical but not sensible for short young-driver journeys.

E12 (2013-2017)

The 1.2 three-cylinder (80bhp) is the cheapest to insure. The supercharged 1.2 DIG-S (98bhp) feels quicker and is still cheap to tax and insure. The 1.2 takes about 13.7 seconds to reach 62mph, so motorway slip roads need planning, but that modest pace is a safety feature for a 17 year old, not a problem.

Whichever you pick, the Note leans in corners and is affected by side winds because it's a tall car. The steering is light, which makes parking easy. Check for driver comfort relative to the steering wheel - weirdly the steering column only adjusts for tilt, not reach.

"There's too much body roll when going down a country road and it's also susceptible to side winds because it's a tall car. The steering is light for easy parking but it's precise enough on faster roads."

Technology and interior

The high roof and the 60/40 split sliding rear seat (160mm of travel on upper trims) let you trade legroom for boot space on demand. Some of the Micras have this feature as well. Slide the back seat all the way back and there's massive leg room (good for passengers on a long journey); slide it forward and the boot grows to 411 litres with the seats still up and up to 1,465 litres folded. The rear doors open to almost 90 degrees, which makes loading a child seat or bulky kit easy if you ever need to do this.

"If you push the thing right back, you'll find yourself with an enormous 639mm of knee room - more even than you'd get in a huge BMW 7 Series luxury saloon."

On the E11 the dashboard is plain and there's no smartphone support. On the E12, the entry-level Visia trim is basic, but the mid Acenta Premium and top Tekna trims add Nissan's Safety Shield: a 360-degree Around View Monitor built from four cameras, blind-spot warning in the mirrors, lane-departure alert and moving-object detection when reversing.

Safety

Both generations scored 4 stars at Euro NCAP, one short of the top mark.

The E12 (2013 test) scored 86% adult occupant, 82% child occupant, 58% pedestrian and 70% safety assist. The passenger cell held up well in the frontal crash and child protection was excellent (full marks for the 18-month and 3-year dummies on the rear ISOFIX points). The reason it missed 5 stars was whiplash: the head restraints scored a weak 2.6 out of the rear-impact tests. Not a dealbreaker for a used first car, but worth knowing.

The Acenta Premium and Tekna trims have a 360-degree camera and blind-spot warning that helps to avoid low-speed scrapes and bumps common with young drivers.

The new Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) system

The UK is moving from the old 1-50 insurance group system to Thatcham's Vehicle Risk Rating, scored across five pillars (Performance, Damageability, Repairability, Safety, Security). The Note's low power, simple body panels and cheap parts should keep it scoring well on the pillars that drive young-driver premiums. For how groups turn into quotes, see our car insurance groups explained guide.

Running costs and ownership

Insurance

On the ABI scale the Note is in Groups 8 to 16, which looks high next to a Group 1 Hyundai i10 or VW Up! The Note has been bought for years by careful, older, low-mileage drivers, so its accident and theft record is excellent and underwriters price that in. In practice, quotes for a Note are often less than a Fiesta or Corsa in a lower group, because those cars carry decades of young-driver crash history the Note doesn't.

If you get a 1.2 manual with a telematics policy the first-year quote will probably be OK. For the full logic on buying a "boring" car to save on insurance, see our why Fiestas are so expensive to insure guide and for black-box options our telematics insurance explained guide.

Fuel economy (real-world)

Road tax

The April 2017 VED reform doesn't affect most Notes, because both generations pre-date it and are taxed on CO2:

• E12 1.2 DIG-S manual (99g/km): £0 a year.
• E12 1.5 dCi (92-95g/km): £0 a year.
• E12 1.2 petrol manual: £20-£35 a year.
• E11 1.6 petrol automatic: £275-£305 a year. This is the expensive outlier and another reason to skip the old auto unless you need it.

Servicing

The Note shares suspension and chassis parts with the Nissan Micra and Renault Clio, so any independent garage can work on it and parts are cheap and everywhere.

Annual running cost (17 to 21 year old)

What to watch: known issues

The Xtronic CVT automatic (E12 1.2 DIG-S): the big one

This is the single most important thing to avoid on a Nissan Note. The 2013-2017 1.2 automatic uses a Jatco Xtronic CVT (a belt-and-pulley gearbox) and it will probably fail. Around town, the fluid overheats, the steel belt slips, the pulleys score and the valve body wears. Symptoms are a shudder pulling away, whining, sluggish response and dropping into limp-home mode on hills or long runs. The fix can be as much as £3k.

Worn suspension (both generations)

The Note's height and front weight cause it to chew through front lower ball joints, anti-roll bar drop links and wishbone bushes, typically around 50,000 to 60,000 miles. If this hasn't happened yet on the model you're looking at and you hear a dull knock over speed bumps, budget around £250 to fix it. Parts are cheap because they're shared with the Micra and Clio.

Ignition coil packs (E11 1.4 / 1.6)

The older petrols suffer coil-pack breakdown around 50,000 to 80,000 miles: misfires, rough idle, flashing engine light. Cheap to fix (£80 to £160) but check for it on a cold start.

Timing-chain neglect (E12 1.2)

The three-cylinder 1.2 uses a timing chain that depends on clean oil. A car with skipped oil changes can suffer a stretched chain, which sounds like a metallic rattle on cold start. Listen for it and only buy one with a full service history.

Water in the boot

Both generations can leak past perished rear tail-lamp seals, leaving water in the spare-wheel well, damp rear footwells and misted windows. Cheap to fix (£30 to £80) but lift the boot carpet and check the floor is dry. If it's wet and showing signs of rust, walk away.

Viewing checklist

• Do not buy a 1.2 automatic
• Cold-start the 1.2 petrol and listen for timing-chain rattle
• Drive over speed bumps and rough road and listen for knocks from the front suspension
• Lift the boot carpet and spare-wheel cover and check the floor is bone dry
• Check the MOT history online before viewing for repeat advisories (enter the reg on the government MOT history checker)
• Sit in the driver's seat first: the column only adjusts for tilt, so make sure a tall or short driver can get comfortable
• Confirm the trim: Acenta Premium or Tekna for the safety cameras

For a full pre-purchase routine, see our used car inspection guide for young drivers.

The best variant to buy

The safe bet: newly qualified 17 to 19 year old

2014-2016 E12 Note 1.2, manual, Acenta Premium trim. Group 8 to 12 insurance, £0 to £35 road tax, the Safety Shield camera package and the huge sliding-seat cabin. Budget £3,000-£6,000 with a full service history. Manual only.

If you want nippier acceleration

2014-2016 E12 Note 1.2 DIG-S, manual, Tekna. The supercharged 98bhp engine is livelier for motorway merging and still £0 to tax and Group 11 to 12 to insure. Budget £4,000-£6,500.

Budget pick (£1,500-£3,000)

E11 Note 1.4 petrol, manual. Simple, cheap to buy and fix, 4 star Euro NCAP. No active safety kit and it's thirstier, but for a first car it's a sound, cheap start.

If an automatic is a must

E11 Note 1.6 petrol automatic (2010-2012). The old 4-speed torque converter is durable where the E12 CVT is not. The price is £275 to £305 road tax and 28 to 32mpg, but you avoid the CVT lottery.

Avoid

• Any E12 1.2 CVT automatic without a folder of fluid-change invoices
• Entry Visia trims if you want the safety cameras
• Any diesel that's lived on short urban journeys
• High-mileage cars with knocking front suspension and no service history

The verdict

The Nissan Note is a rational first car dressed up as a dull one. It won't excite anyone but it's roomy, easy to see out of, cheap to fix and thanks to its old driver reputation, often cheaper to insure than the group suggests. On the metrics that decide a first year's budget, that's a strong hand.

The whole decision comes down to the gearbox. Buy a manual (or the old E11 auto) and the Note is a quietly excellent, spacious, low-cost first car. Buy the E12 1.2 CVT without paperwork and you're one shudder away from a write-off. Get that right and it earns its place on the shortlist next to a Nissan Micra or a Hyundai i20.

Also worth reading: our Nissan Micra review covers the Note's smaller sibling and the Hyundai i20 review covers a roomier supermini for similar money.