When it comes to picking a vehicle for your teenager, you need to factor in various aspects. Perhaps one of the most crucial points here is the safety of your child. It means you need to pick a car that is safe to drive both in terms of its construction and driver assistance.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports (CR) understand these very well and have provided us with a list of vehicles that are perfect for teen drivers. Besides safety, these organizations have taken into account the reliability and affordability for parents.
The IIHS and CR categorise their list into three segments; Best Choices Used, Good Choices Used, and New Vehicle Choices. Vehicle costs are also crucial in this classification.
Best Choices
Starting with the Best Choices Used for teenagers, the institutes rank the Ford C-Max Hybrid (2014-2015) at the top (prices in the range of $8,400) in the small car category. The Mazda3 (2014 or fresher; both sedan and hatchback models), is on second with an initial cost of $8,700. The Chevrolet Volt (2014) is the third-best in the used small car category costing $10,500.
Furthermore, the Subaru Legacy (2013 or fresher; developed after August 2012) is the best pick for midsize vehicles, whereas the Toyota Avalon (2015 or fresher) is at the top for large vehicles.
For parents looking to buy their teens a small SUV, IIHS and CR suggest the Mazda CX-5 (2014 or fresher; created after October 2013) and the Ford Edge (2015, 2020; developed after May 2015) in the midsize SUV category. The Toyota Sienna (2015-2018) would be ideal for teens looking to drive a minivan.
Good Choices
As far as the Good Choices in secondhand cars for teens, the Mazda3 (2011-13; created after December 2010), Toyota Prius V (2012-2014), Ford Taurus (2011), and Nissan Rogue (2014-2020) are deemed the best in the small cars, midsize cars, large cars, and small SUVs, respectively.
New Vehicle Choices
While ranking New Vehicle Choices, IIHS only picked those that got either Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ honour. Each vehicle has automated emergency braking as a standard feature.
Other things that Consumer Reports took into account were average or better ranking in dependability, emergency handling examinations, and dry braking distances. The latter should be of fewer than 140 feet from 60 mph. The CR also considered user-friendly controls with a good or better score.
The best new vehicles for teens include Mazda3, Subaru Legacy, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Hyundai Santa Fe (developed after July 2021), and Honda Odyssey.
You can find the complete list of IIHS rankings here.
Source and Images: Motor1