Minor car for mother, at the very least (7)
I believe the answer is:
minimum
'the very least' is the definition.
'minimum' can be an answer for 'least' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'the very' bit.
'minor car for mother' is the wordplay.
'minor car' becomes 'mini' (Mini Cooper. I am not sure about the 'minor' bit.).
'for' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'mother' becomes 'mum' (informal term for mother).
'mini'+'mum'='MINIMUM'
'at' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for minimum that I've seen before include "Least recorded value" , "Lower limit" , "The least of smallest amount possible" , "Lowest point" , "Smallest possible quantity" .)