Safe Cars for Teenager: Recommended Safe Used Cars
If you have teenagers, like I do, then you know what an assault on your emotions this can be, the ups-and-downs, the disagreements and rewards, the pride of seeing them grow into adults, and the sadness that you’re baby boy or girl is all grown up.
It’s an emotional roller-coaster to say the least.
But of all the emotional stress that we face when raising a teenager, watching them become drivers of the family car is one of the most difficult. And getting them their own car, while it sure makes them happy, it can make the parent a bit insecure about their safety.
Buying your teen their first car
You’ve done your job, you’ve provided them instruction, set a good example, and raised a good kid, and now it’s time to let them behind the wheel of a car. You’ll want to provide them the best and most safe vehicle you can afford. Of course you want to make sure you have good auto insurance too, but that protects your liability and your property, you want to make sure you protect your child too.
What is the best used car to purchase for your teen driver?
Leaning on the data provided by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, we are putting out our first-ever recommended list of used vehicles for teenage drivers.
In conducting our research, we have determined that many teenage drivers operate vehicles that don’t offer good crash protection. This is often the case because the vehicles selected don’t offer the best or most important safety technology.
The IIHS survey revealed that parents who purchased vehicles for their teen, on average, purchased a vehicle that was model year 2006 or older, and for those who received a “hand-me-down” vehicle, the model year was slightly older. Additionally, nearly 30% of survey respondents indicated that they purchased or provided their teen a car that was in either the “mini” or “small” vehicle category.
Just focusing on the model year and the vehicle category responses provides us a clear understanding that there is real value in providing parents this list. We all know that teen drivers crash more than adults (check out some Checkout Teen Driver Tips, but the statistics indicate that those teens who were killed in accidents were in smaller or older vehicles. Between 2008 – 2012 teens (15-17 years) were 45% more likely than adults (35-50 years) to be killed in accidents while driver “small” or “mini” class vehicles. Eight-two percent of these teens were in vehicles that were at least 6-years old.
So, hopefully, by using this information the parents of our IronPoint Insurance Services family of customers, and the readers of our blog, can make more safe choices when selecting a vehicle for their teenage driver.
So, let’s get to it, what are the safe cars?
Before we go too far, you may be asking why we are only focusing on used cars. That’s a great question. Our research and that of the IIHS both determined that over 80 percent of families who purchased or provided a vehicle for their teen said the vehicle was used. Given this reality, we created our first list exclusively surrounding used car options.
We also recognize that purchasing a vehicle for your teenage driver is a financial decision as much as anything else. Many of us don’t have huge budgets, and purchasing vehicles with all the modern safety features sounds like it can be pretty pricey. That is why our list contains vehicles that range between $5,000 and $20,000, so there should be an option that fits into most family budgets.
The important thing to focus on is that the recommended vehicles contain specific safety conditions:
- Lower horsepower – You should avoid vehicle with too much horsepower relative to the vehicle curb-weight. A more powerful car is too tempting for a teen who is much more likely to test the limits than an adult.
- Vehicles that Protect Better in a Crash – This means bigger and heavier. We don’t recommend any “mini” or “small” class vehicles. Simply put, bigger and heavier is safer.
- You want Electronic Stability Control (ESC) – ESC helps a driver maintain control of a vehicle in turns and on curves. It can also help in slippery roads.
- Vehicle with High Safety Rating – We, like IIHS, focused on vehicle that have moderate or acceptable ratings in the two IIHS tests, as well as receiving four & five star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA).
While we were very sensitive to the price for recommended vehicles, we do recognize that our selections do “average” a bit higher than what people are actually paying. In the IIHS survey, the mean purchase price for a teen’s first vehicle was approximately $9,800, with a median of $5,300. On our list there are many vehicles under $10,000, but only a small number that cost under $5,300, this means our median will be higher.
It is difficult to keep the pricing in the exact average and mean of current vehicle purchase behavior because we are recommending newer vehicles with more modern safety equipment. But you will find there are plenty of vehicle that are affordable, and the additional money is really an investment in reducing the risk our teens are taking when they assume the role of driver.
Each of the vehicles selected will have the ESC systems, and we have elected to provide no vehicles with “high-horsepower.” The base engines of each of the vehicle will have adequate power, and your teen will still enjoy driving them.
We are including the SUV’s and Minivans, but for the following reasons, we think you should think against selecting vehicles from these catagories:
- Fuel Consumption for SUV’s
- These vehicles encourage having too many passengers
- Minivans just aren’t cool 🙂
BEST RECOMMENDED VEHICLE CHOICES CHOICES:
Vehicles starting under $20,000
Vehicles on this list earn good ratings in the IIHS moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. If rated by NHTSA, they earn 4 or 5 stars overall or 4 or 5 stars in the front and side tests under the old rating scheme. All come with standard ESC.
LARGE CARS | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
---|---|---|
Saab 9-5 sedan | 2010 and later | $17,500 |
Lincoln MKS | 2009 and later | $15,500 |
Buick Regal | 2011 and later | $13,500 |
Ford Taurus | 2010 and later | $13,500 |
Buick LaCrosse | 2010 and later | $12,900 |
Volvo S80 | 2007 and later | $9,000 |
MIDSIZE CARS | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Toyota Prius v | 2012 and later | $19,100 |
Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan | 2009 and later | $16,000 |
Honda Accord sedan | 2012 and later; coupe 2013-14 | $14,400 |
Audi A4 | 2009 and later | $14,300 |
Toyota Camry | 2012 and later | $14,300 |
Buick Verano | 2012 and later | $14,100 |
Subaru Outback | 2010 and later | $14,000 |
Lincoln MKZ | 2010 and later; built after April 2010 | $13,500 |
Kia Optima | 2011 and later | $13,300 |
Hyundai Sonata | 2011 and later | $12,100 |
Subaru Legacy | 2010 and later | $11,900 |
Dodge Avenger | 2011 and later | $11,600 |
Audi A3 | 2008 and later | $11,300 |
Volkswagen CC | 2009 and later | $11,200 |
Chevrolet Malibu | 2010 and later; built after November 2009 | $10,900 |
Chrysler 200 sedan | 2011 and later | $10,700 |
Mercury Milan | 2010-11; built after April 2010 | $10,700 |
Ford Fusion | 2010 and later; built after April 2010 | $10,200 |
Volkswagen Passat | 2009 and later | $10,000 |
Volvo C30 | 2008 and later | $9,800 |
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen | 2009 and later | $9,400 |
Volkswagen Jetta | 2009 and later | $8,200 |
SMALL SUVs | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Honda CR-V | 2012 and later | $18,100 |
Kia Sportage | 2011 and later | $13,800 |
Hyundai Tucson | 2010 and later | $13,100 |
Subaru Forester | 2009 and later | $12,800 |
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | 2011 and later | $12,000 |
Volkswagen Tiguan | 2009 and later | $10,200 |
Honda Element | 2007 and later | $8,900 |
MIDSIZE SUVs | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Volvo XC60 | 2010 and later | $18,000 |
Saab 9-4X | 2011-12 | $17,800 |
Toyota Highlander | 2008 and later | $17,100 |
Toyota Venza | 2009 and later | $15,900 |
Ford Edge | 2011 and later; built after February 2011 | $15,500 |
Ford Flex | 2010 and later | $15,100 |
GMC Terrain | 2010 and later | $14,900 |
Kia Sorento | 2011 and later | $14,500 |
Infiniti EX | 2008 and later | $14,400 |
Chevrolet Equinox | 2010 and later | $13,700 |
Dodge Journey | 2010 and later | $11,200 |
Subaru Tribeca/B9 Tribeca | 2006 and later | $8,500 |
Volvo XC90 | 2005 and later | $7,300 |
LARGE SUVs | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Buick Enclave | 2011 and later | $19,900 |
GMC Acadia | 2011 and later | $17,800 |
Chevrolet Traverse | 2011 and later | $16,600 |
MINIVANS | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Chrysler Town & Country | 2012 and later | $18,100 |
Honda Odyssey | 2011 and later | $17,100 |
Toyota Sienna | 2011 and later | $16,400 |
Dodge Grand Caravan | 2012 and later | $15,200 |
Volkswagen Routan | 2012 | $14,000 |
GOOD RECOMMENDED VEHICLE CHOICES CHOICES:
Vehicles starting under $10,000
Vehicles on this list earn good ratings in the IIHS moderate overlap front test and good or acceptable ratings in the side test. If rated by NHTSA, they earn 4 or 5 stars overall or 4 or 5 stars in the front and side tests under the old rating scheme. They also have standard ESC and a better-than-poor rating for head restraints and seats.
Prices, rounded to the nearest $100, were taken from Kelley Blue Book on July 1, 2014, for the lowest trim level and earliest applicable model year based on the following criteria: vehicle in good condition, typical mileage and private party purchase in Arlington, Va.
LARGE CARS | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
---|---|---|
Acura RL | 2005 and later | $9,700 |
Mercury Sable | 2009 | $9,700 |
Kia Amanti | 2009 | $9,500 |
Ford Taurus | 2009 | $9,100 |
Audi A6 sedan | 2005 and later | $8,300 |
Hyundai Azera | 2006 and later | $5,700 |
MIDSIZE CARS | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Subaru Legacy | 2009 | $9,900 |
BMW 3-series sedan | 2006 and later | $9,300 |
Mazda 6 | 2009 and later | $8,900 |
Saturn Aura | 2009 | $8,800 |
Acura TL | 2004 and later | $7,900 |
Volvo S40 | 2007 and later | $7,700 |
Audi A3 | 2006-07 | $7,400 |
Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan | 2005-08 | $6,900 |
Suzuki Kizashi | 2010 and later | $6,600 |
Volvo S60 | 2007-09 | $6,500 |
Audi A4 | 2005-08; built after October 2004 | $6,200 |
Volkswagen Passat | 2006-08 | $5,100 |
Saab 9-3 | 2005 and later | $4,000 |
SMALL SUVs | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Nissan Rogue | 2008 and later | $9,800 |
Ford Escape | 2009 and later | $8,700 |
Mazda Tribute | 2009 and later | $8,100 |
Mitsubishi Outlander | 2007 and later | $6,300 |
Suzuki Grand Vitara | 2006 and later | $5,600 |
MIDSIZE SUVs | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Mazda CX-9 | 2007 and later | $9,800 |
Ford Edge | 2007-10 | $9,600 |
Hyundai Veracruz | 2007 and later | $9,600 |
Hyundai Santa Fe | 2007-10 | $8,900 |
Honda Pilot | 2006 and later | $8,800 |
Saturn Vue | 2008-09 | $7,700 |
Ford Taurus X | 2008-09 | $7,500 |
Mazda CX-7 | 2007-11 | $7,200 |
Suzuki XL7 | 2008-09 | $6,200 |
MINIVANS | MODEL YEARS | PRICE |
Volkswagen Routan | 2009-11 | $8,600 |
Dodge Grand Caravan | 2008-11 | $8,200 |
Chrysler Town & Country | 2008-11 | $8,100 |
Honda Odyssey | 2005-10 | $6,700 |
Hyundai Entourage | 2007-08 | $6,300 |
Kia Sedona | 2006 and later | $4,600 |
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