First car, automatic, ideally nice interior

Hi,

24YO. Looking to get my first car. I will start working as a medic this summer. My commute will be 30-40 mins, some of which will be on motorway. I know I need a reliable car, I've been told to stick to Japanese brands. I like the interior vibe of a fiat500 (in terms of the touchscreen and the leather seats etc) but they're really expensive and also I've heard they break down constantly. Any recs please, I'd be very grateful!

Should clarify I’d be buying a used car, I don’t really mind what year, I’ve been told to focus on mileage being under 50,000 (please advise if this is wrong). Genuinely no car insight from me, outside of being taught how to drive and being shown how to change a tire I have zero knowledge of cars, insurance, engine size anything.

I want to buy outright ideally rather than leasing but obviously my budget isn’t very big (8k max, ideally less) so I don’t know if the type of car I want is actually out there? Should add I’m looking for an automatic (can’t drive manual, maybe was a mistake as looking online, automatics cost a lot more)

Also are there any used car sites that are more recommended than others or are they all pretty much the same? X