Choosing the right car for a teenage driver is a delicate matter. There are a few factors that need to be taken into account when buying a car for a teenager, with safety obviously being the top priority.
In addition to safety, affordability is also an important factor, which includes fuel and insurance costs, on top of the purchase price. Also, it’s recommended that they keep the risk of driver distraction to a minimum, considering how susceptible to distractions young drivers are.
Even though it can be difficult to find a car that is both safe and affordable, in addition to being cheap to insure and having good fuel economy, there are a lot of vehicles on the market that are suitable for beginner drivers and will not put your household budget under additional strain. The following is a list of the top five cars for teenagers that both the drivers and their parents will be fine with.
Ford Fiesta
The 2016 Ford Fiesta is considered to be one of the best cars for high school and college students. It’s a subcompact economy car, which means it’s small and easy to maneuver and park, and its purchase and operation costs are low. Starting at $14,580, with a fuel economy rated at 31 mpg/city and 43 mpg/highway, the Fiesta is an affordable and fuel-efficient car, that is also equipped with plenty of advanced safety systems that will surely help keep your teenager safe while on the road.
One of the features that are worth mentioning is MyKey, which encourages teenagers to practice safe driving habits. It allows parents to program the car’s key to a mode that prevents drivers from speeding and reminds them to put their seat belts on.
Honda Fit
This is another subcompact car that is a great choice for teenage drivers. This hatchback features a cool and stylish look, and it’s pretty safe, as well. It comes with multiple airbags, including dual-stage and multiple-threshold front airbags, collision-mitigating braking system, forward-collision warning, and lane-departure warning, to name few of the most noteworthy safety features.
The starting price for the 2016 Honda Fit is $15,790, and it gets a good gas mileage of 33 mpg/city and 41 mpg/highway.
Chevy Sonic
This is a very functional car, that is also fun to drive. It’s one of the few small cars that are equipped with 10 airbags, and it was named 2015 Top Safety Pick in the small car segment by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
Even though it’s a subcompact car, it’s pretty spacious and comfortable, and offers excellent connectivity, with the available built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi, which is bound to appeal to teenage drivers.
The 2016 Chevy Sonic gets a combined fuel economy of 33 mpg, and its base MSRP is $14,345.
Honda Civic
This is one of the cars that has been considered a great choice for teenage drivers for quite some time now. Honda’s reputation for reliability and safety give parents peace of mind when deciding to buy a Civic for their teenage child. The 2015 Civic is definitely one of the safest cars out there, with excellent crash test ratings, with standard equipment that includes a backup camera, along with lane-departure warning system and a forward-collision warning system.
The base version gets a gas mileage of 30 mpg/city and 38 mpg/highway, and it comes with a price tag of $18,490.
Subaru Impreza
For those willing to spend a couple of thousand dollars more, the Subaru Impreza would be a reasonable option. With a purchase price of $18,925, and fuel economy rated at 28 mpg city and 37 mpg highway, the 2016 Impreza is a bit more expensive than the other cars on the list.
But, it makes up with the numerous safety features that are especially important for any inexperienced driver. The new Impreza has a great safety rating thanks to its ring-shaped reinforcement frame that provides great protection for passengers in the event of a collision, in addition to the seven airbags that rely on a series of sensors to deploy as effectively as possible.