If your teenager is about to get ready to start driving, you’re probably wondering what the best cars for new drivers are. Well, that’s a great question. There are a lot of factors that go into making a car great for a new driver. Namely, we’re looking at cars that are easy to drive and loaded with safety features. Let’s look at some of the best cars for new drivers.
Best Cars for New Drivers
Toyota Corolla
The inexpensive starting tag for a new Toyota Corolla is a great draw to this vehicle. It starts at $17,000, and it’s quite reliable on top of that. Five-star safety rating, ample security features and eight airbags all make this a very safe car for your teen.
The Corolla also has a reputation for reliability: it’s unlikely your kiddo will be getting stranded somewhere with the car not wanting to start. There’s even a tire pressure monitoring system so they don’t get caught out by a flat tire. How cool is that?
Hyundai Elantra
A great pick that looks beautiful on the road, the Hyundai Elantra is a stylish car for a new driver. Starting right around $17,000, it’s in the same price range as the Corolla. This is also a very safe vehicle, and earned the IIHS “Top Safety Pick” in 2015.
You can likely find 2014 or 2015 Elantras used for a great price if you’re trying to be budget-conscious. Older cars are also less expensive to insure, so we often recommend getting an older vehicle for a new driver. After all, if they’re less experienced, they’re more likely to get into an accident.
Don’t forget about the ample safety features in the Elantra, either. It sports a traction system that helps the driver stay on the road, as well as six standard airbags. That, coupled with the safe design, mean that even in the event of an accident, the driver is unlikely to be harmed.
Ford Focus
Another IIHS Top Safety Pick, the Ford Focus is in the same price range as the other vehicles on this list. Once again, it’s a stylish little vehicle with ample safety features to help protect a newer driver. The car sports seven airbags, making sure that the driver is protected from all sides.
This vehicle even sports steel beams, top-of-the-line boron, in the frame. That way even in side-impact accidents, the driver is that much safer than in another vehicle. There are also rear-view cameras to make backing up or parallel parking that much easier.