What Are the Best New and Used Cars for Teens?

By Jane Ulitskaya
May 25, 2022
Teen Driver Seat Belt Chevrolet OEM jpg Chevrolet "Buckle to Drive" teen driver safety technology. | Manufacturer image by John F. Martin

Most parents accept the fact that their teen’s car won’t stay in pristine condition for long; this means that a high-priced new car with all the bells and whistles is unlikely to be in the cards for new drivers. Yet safety and reliability should still be top of mind. Affordable and reliable vehicles are more tricky to come by due to the ongoing inventory shortage driving up the average prices of used cars. To help shoppers of all ages choose a budget-friendly, dependable and safe vehicle, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Consumer Reports have partnered to identify the best new and used cars for teens in their annual report.

Related: What Are the Best Cars for Teens?

Due to inventory constraints, the list of recommended used vehicles shrinks from 61 models in 2021 to 49 models for 2022, and the list of new vehicles includes 21 models, down from 29 in 2021. In addition to good IIHS safety ratings, the recommended vehicles are those that discourage dangerous driving behavior and avoid unnecessary risks: Sports cars, small cars with a curb weight under 2,750 pounds and very large vehicles with long braking distances are excluded.

The new and used vehicles are sorted into three groups: best used-car choices, good used-car choices and best new cars for teens. Vehicle categories are further divided by size and class, including small cars, mid-size cars, large cars, small SUVs, mid-size SUVs and minivans.

Used-Car Qualifications

Multiple evaluations are used to narrow down the list of good and best vehicle choices for teens, and both categories must meet basic safety and reliability criteria. Each vehicle must earn good ratings in several IIHS crash tests — moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint — as well as four or five stars from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (if rated) and above-average reliability scores from Consumer Reports member surveys. Additionally, each car must offer standard electronic stability systems and have a dry braking distance of fewer than 145 feet from 60 mph.

To jump from good to best, a vehicle must achieve a good or acceptable rating in the IIHS driver-side small overlap front test, and any vehicles with higher than average insurance claims for first-party injury coverage are disqualified.

New-Car Qualifications

To make the list of best new cars for teens, a vehicle must be a 2022 IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus, it must also come with standard vehicle-to-vehicle automatic emergency braking and average or better scores in Consumer Reports’ reliability rankings. As with the used car choices, new vehicles must get good scores in handling and dry braking tests, and all new vehicles with above-average insurance claims are excluded.

Safest Used Cars for Teens: Best Choices

Small Cars

Mid-Size Cars

Large Cars

Small SUVs

Mid-Size SUVs

Minivans

Safest Used Cars for Teens: Good Choices

Small Cars

Mid-Size Cars

Large Cars

Small SUV

Safest New Cars for Teens

Small Cars

  • Mazda3 sedan or hatchback
  • Honda Insight

Mid-Size Cars

Small SUVs

Mid-Size SUVs

Minivans

  • Honda Odyssey

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News Editor
Jane Ulitskaya

Former News Editor Jane Ulitskaya joined the Cars.com team in 2021, and her areas of focus included researching and reporting on vehicle pricing, inventory and auto finance trends.

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