Best Fresh Cars for Teenagers

Choosing a car for a teenage driver means making harsh financial decisions at a time when all sorts of adult expenses loom on the horizon.

The temptation—and often necessity—is to buy a cheap, bare-bones model, or to pass down a family car. Because the car will be transporting your precious cargo, you should cautiously consider your choices to pick the best one your budget will permit.

The reality is that motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 14- to 18-year-olds. In fact, almost half of teenagers involved in a crash die, according the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Begin by selecting a car with a solid reliability track record and excellent safety marks. We suggest going further to pick a model that’s well-suited for inexperienced drivers.

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Generally speaking, fatter and stronger vehicles perform better in crash tests. But very large vehicles can have unwieldy treating, suggest poor fuel economy, and permit for lots of passengers, which can be a potentially dangerous distraction that has been shown to increase a youthfull driver’s risk of crashing. That’s why you won’t find minivans, large SUVs, or pickup trucks on this list.

Sports cars are also a poor choice for youthful drivers. They beg to be driven too prompt and have a higher rate of accidents than other cars. Consequently, they often carry high insurance premiums for youthfull drivers (or their parents).

Fresh models generally suggest more safety features and provide better crash protection. Attempt to buy the best safety your budget can afford, because no one needs those safety advantages more than a teenage driver. Specifically, features such as forward-collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB) have been shown to have real-world safety benefits in avoiding crashes.

Best Used Cars for Teenagers

For this list, we avoided cars with 0-60 mph acceleration times swifter than 7.Five seconds or slower than eleven seconds, those with braking distances longer than one hundred forty five feet in dry conditions, and those with mediocre emergency-handling scores.

Each car we chose carries a Consumer Reports recommendation, meaning it meets our stringent standards for test spectacle, reliability, and safety.

All models are 2017s. There are some cases where the car was redesigned for two thousand eighteen and is presently available (e.g., Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota Camry, and Volkswagen Tiguan), but we haven’t ended testing.

For accomplish road tests, reliability, holder satisfaction, pricing, and much more, click on the model names below.

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