New car can be driven at the tender age of 16

Youngsters in the region will be among the first in the country to be able to buy the Aixam Coupe S, which is specifically designed for 16-year-olds.

The car goes on sale at Merry Hill shopping centre from tomorrow priced at £10,359 and is likely to cost 16-year-olds around £1,700 in insurance – a saving of thousands of pounds.

Steve Smith Motor Company, which has a base at the centre in Brierley Hill, is one of 10 dealers in the country selling the vehicles.

Steve Smith, aged 48, said the car was limited to a speed of just under 30mph, had a 400cc engine and could be driven by 16-year-olds as soon as they had their full moped licence.

He said: "It's a good and safe way for 16-year-olds to get on the road.

"My son, who is 16 and has a scooter, won't shut up about them.

"He loved the styling and enjoyed driving it.

"His dream is to drive a car to school."

The two-seater car looks like a smaller version of a Mini but is classed as a light quadricycle, which gives an extra option to 16-year-olds who were previously restricted to 50cc mopeds.

To qualify as a quadricycle, the French-made vehicle, which has two white stripes on the bonnet, had to weigh less than 350kg and have a power output not exceeding 4kw – with a maximum speed of 30mph.

It weighs less than 350kg and has three gears: one forward gear, neutral and reverse.

Mr Smith's son Ethan said: "It's a bit like driving a go-kart and, at 16, I'd rather have one of these than a moped.

"I fell off my moped recently and it really knocked my confidence. I'd rather be safe and warm when I'm going somewhere."

Manager of the motor company's Merry Hill branch Darren Winwood said: "We've already had a lot of interest from parents and even grandparents.

"I think one of the most attractive things is the insurance.

Some 17 and 18-year-olds are paying between £3,000 and £6,000 in car insurance a year. What we can get with this one at the moment is about £1,700."

Teenagers can test drive the car, which is on display inside Merry Hill, from tomorrow as long as they are accompanied by a parent.

Before they buy the car, which Mr Smith is selling for around £10,359, they need to do their theory and practical full AM moped test.

The car was launched in November in Birmingham and there are already thousands on European roads.

Justin Bond, Aixam's UK manager said: "We believe that the young rider market for scooters and mopeds has been contracting lately.

"That is due to the difficulty in convincing parents of the safety issues surrounding mopeds and scooters.

"This will offer a safer method of transport," he added.