RUCKERSVILLE, Va. - — Picking the vehicle that your kid will drive is a huge decision. You want something that's safe, reliable, and isn't going to break the bank.
Finding that can be confusing though, which is why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) partnered with Consumer Reports (CR).
Together they created a list of the safest vehicles for teen drivers, while not over-spending.
"We want to make sure that kids are in bigger, slightly heavier cars," says Rebecca Weast. "I just mean something that will accelerate a little more slowly because speed is a huge contributor to teenage crashes."
Rebecca Weast is a research scientist with IIHS.
She says this year, 22 new and 58 used models made the list. The new vehicles are under $40,000 and the used range from $5,800 to $19,900.
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IIHS reports that for the first time, all recommended used vehicles have a good or acceptable rating in the IIHS driver-side small overlap test in addition to good ratings in four other IIHS tests and strong marks for braking, handling, and reliability from CR.
"There are a range of things within the used car list that are up to 10 years old that still fit all of our safety criteria," she says.
That criterion includes good marks for crashworthiness, braking, handling, and reliability. The team also looked at crash protection and crash avoidance.
They rated the vehicles in two categories: Best Choices and Good Choices.
This year there are 32 Best Choices and 26 Good Choices.
Here are the Best Choices for used small cars, according to IIHS and Consumer Reports:
- Toyota Corolla sedan (2017 or newer) or hatchback (2019) -- $10,600
- Toyota Prius (2017 or newer) -- $13,800
- Mazda 3 sedan or hatchback (2021-22) -- $16,400
Here are the Best Choices for used midsize cars, according to IIHS and Consumer Reports:
- Toyota Camry (2018 or newer) -- $9,600
- Volvo S60 (2017, 2021) -- $10,200
- Volvo V60 (2017, 2021) -- $12,300
Here is the Best Choice for used large cars, according to IIHS and Consumer Reports:
- Toyota Avalon (2017 or newer) -- $14,400
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"I like to recommend this list or the thinking about how safe you think a car is for a teenager to drive for parents of kids of all ages," says Weast.
Here are the Best Choices for new (2024) small cars, according to IIHS and Consumer Reports:
- Subaru Impreza -- $23,400
- Mazda 3 sedan or hatchback -- $24,300
- Toyota Prius -- $28,300
Here are the Best Choices for new (2024) midsize cars, according to IIHS and Consumer Reports:
- Toyota Camry -- $26,900
- Honda Accord -- $28,200
- Subaru Outback -- $29,300
Here are the Best Choices for new (2024) small SUVs, according to IIHS and Consumer Reports:
- Mazda CX-30 -- $25,700
- Kia Sportage -- $27,300
- Hyundai Tucson -- $27,800
Weast says even if your kid is young, if you have the budget for it, you can get a new car for your family and then in a few years hand that vehicle down.
"There's some good data out there that shows when teens are driving independently if they're sharing a car with other members of their household, they are at lower risk of doing things like risky driving maneuvers and they're at lower risk of a crash," she says.
Click here to see the full list of safe vehicles for teens and how they were evaluated.
