Is your teenager ready for their first car? Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are out with their
Unfortunately, crashes sometimes happen. “And we think that parents should want their kids to be well protected in that eventuality,鈥 said David Zuby, the chief research officer for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Overall, traffic deaths rose over the last few years after decades of declines. Teen road deaths have followed the same pattern, increasing 11% in 2021. Over 3,000 teens died that year.
The list of best cars for teens focuses on used cars at different price points with above-average reliability, better than average stopping distance and better than average handling.
focus on top safety picks.
Most vehicles range from small cars to mid-size SUVs. One truck also makes the list. But you鈥檒l find no micro cars on this list.
鈥淲e think it’s important that people not put their youngest drivers in the smallest cars. Small cars, by their nature of being small, do not offer as much crash protection. And teen drivers have some of the highest crash rates of any drivers on the road,鈥 said Zuby.
Larger trucks and SUVs are left off the list because while they offer more protection, they’re harder to maneuver, have longer break distances and 鈥渋n the unfortunate circumstances of hitting a pedestrian, they do much more damage.鈥
One piece of advice: Zuby said for parents whose kids aren’t quite of driving age, if they’re in the market for a car themselves, they might think of choosing a car with a high level of safety that they can hand down.
鈥淲e think that’s a good strategy for helping young drivers get vehicles that aren’t too old and have some of the latest safety features,鈥 said Zuby.
The full list of cars is below:
Best Used-Car Choices for Teens
| Model (year range) | Starting price |
| SMALL CARS | |
| 聽sedan or hatchback (2014-20; built after October 2013) | $9,100 |
| 听(2014-16) | $10,000 |
| 聽(2014; built after November 2013) | $12,900 |
| 聽sedan or wagon (2018, 2022) | $14,500 |
| MIDSIZED CARS | |
| 聽(2013-21; built after August 2012) | $7,800 |
| 听(2014-18) | $10,200 |
| 听(2015-17) | $14,500 |
| 听(2017) | $14,500 |
| 聽(2017 or newer; built after November 2016) | $16,500 |
| LARGE CARS | |
| 聽(2015 or newer) | $14,600 |
| 听(2016) | $18,000 |
| SMALL SUVS | |
| 聽(2013, 2017) | $9,600 |
| 聽(2014 or newer; built after October 2013) | $11,800 |
| 聽(2016, 2019) | $13,900 |
| 聽(2015 or newer) | $15,200 |
| 聽(2017 or newer; built after March 2017) | $16,000 |
| 聽(2015 or newer; built after November 2014) | $16,100 |
| 聽Plug-In Hybrid (2018) | $18,900 |
| 聽(2018 or newer) | $20,000 |
| MIDSIZED SUVS | |
| 聽(2015-18, 2022) | $12,200 |
| 聽(2015 or newer) | $12,400 |
| 听(2018) | $15,700 |
| 聽(2014 or newer) | $17,100 |
| 聽(2016 or newer) | $19,300 |
| MINIVAN | |
| 听(2015-20) | $15,700 |
| PICKUP TRUCK | |
| 聽extended cab or crew cab (2016 or newer) | $17,900 |
| Make & Model | Price |
| SMALL CAR | |
| $23,000 | |
| MIDSIZED CAR | |
| $25,100 | |
| SMALL SUVS | |
| $24,400 | |
| $27,700 | |
| $27,800 | |
| $28,900 | |
| $29,300 | |
| $29,700 | |
| $36,000 | |
| $39,800 | |
| MIDSIZED SUVS | |
| $29,300 | |
| $34,600 | |
| $36,600 | |
| $37,100 | |
| $38,300 | |
| MINIVAN | |
| $38,100 |
