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Kelley Blue Book
kbb.com › home › best cars › best cars for teens: the list every parent needs
Best Cars for Teens: The List Every Parent Needs - Kelley Blue Book
October 20, 2025 - Here is a list of the 30 best cars for teenagers and tips for parents on safety features and options to consider for your new driver in 2024.
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IIHS
iihs.org › ratings › safe-vehicles-for-teens
Safe vehicles for teens
Best Choice vehicles have standard automatic emergency braking systems that earn an advanced or superior rating from IIHS in the original vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test or the daytime pedestrian front crash prevention test. They also have headlights that earn a good or acceptable rating from IIHS. Prices, provided by Kelley Blue Book and rounded to the nearest $100, are average U.S. values from March 27, 2025, for the lowest trim level and earliest applicable model year.
People also ask

What car has the cheapest insurance for a 17-year-old?

No single model is the cheapest to insure, but if you choose a car that falls in Group 1 for insurance, you won’t go far wrong. For example, the Kia Picanto or even the Volkswagen Polo with the 1.0-litre petrol engine are both Group 1 cars, so they’ll be among the cheapest to insure.

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carwow.co.uk
carwow.co.uk › first-cars › teenagers
Best Cars for Teenagers in 2026 | Carwow
Are SUVs good for a teen's first car?
Larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks offer more metal and weight to protect occupants in accidents, but that doesn't mean they're inherently safer. Some may be too large for new drivers to handle, as they're physically wider and longer than the average sedan or coupe. Taller vehicles also have higher centers of gravity which may make them more prone to rollover-type accidents.
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caranddriver.com
caranddriver.com › rankings › best-cars-for-teens
Best First Cars for Teens and New Drivers in 2026, Tested
What is the best cheap car for a teenager?

This is a relatively easy question to answer, because the Dacia Sandero is one of the cheapest cars you can buy – and you get a lot of car for the money. The entry-level model comes with remote central locking, air con and Bluetooth, but if you spend a little more and get one of the better-specced versions, there’s an infotainment system with a neat touchscreen. It’s also cheap to insure and economical, if you choose the 1.0-litre petrol engine.

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carwow.co.uk
carwow.co.uk › first-cars › teenagers
Best Cars for Teenagers in 2026 | Carwow
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Admiral
admiral.com › magazine › guides › motor › first-cars-for-seventeen-year-olds-what-you-need-to-know
The cheapest car to insure for 17-year-olds | Admiral
December 13, 2024 - We’ve created a list below of cars that were on average the cheapest to insure for our 17-year-old customers from July 2023 to July 2024. These prices can vary depending on other factors on top of group rating, like annual mileage, past driving convictions and so on. ... Unless you choose a Band A vehicle or a vehicle built before 1973, you’ll have to pay car tax. An MOT checks your car’s road worthiness and safety. A dealership or garage usually does it. You can read about car MOTs here. Choosing a car with good fuel efficiency (the rate an engine uses fuel) should be a high priority before you buy it.
Discussions

best first car for 17 year old?
honda accord is usually a winner. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/askcarguys
166
2
April 13, 2024
First car for a teenager suggestions?
The cleanest stock civic coupe that you can afford. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/whatcarshouldIbuy
258
77
May 10, 2024
First car for 17 year old son
Any tips for buying a first car. My son recently passed his test so.is keen to get a car. I'm a single mum who doesn't know a great deal about cars an... More on mumsnet.com
🌐 mumsnet.com
January 9, 2025
Fun but practical first car for a 17 year old under 15k?
I'm fortunate enough to have parents ... buy me a car as long as I cover insurance, gas, and maintenance. I guess I'm a bit of an aspiring enthusiast so I was looking for something that would be fun to drive and possibly modify sometime in the future when I have some more disposable income, but still practical, good on gas, and ... More on reddit.com
🌐 r/whatcarshouldIbuy
203
66
March 9, 2023
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The Zebra
thezebra.com › the zebra › resource center › driving › best cars for teens: 15 vehicles under $20k with top safety ratings
Best cars for teens: 15 vehicles under $20K with top safety ratings
April 24, 2024 - To determine the monthly cost for each vehicle, we calculated the average monthly car payment based on a five-year loan and added the vehicle’s average monthly insurance rate. We selected our top choices based on vehicles with the lowest monthly cost and the highest safety ratings. Average insurance rates come from The Zebra but do not take the age of the driver into consideration. ... Economists are divided on the risk of a U.S. recession. CNBC · Vehicle choice can exacerbate teen drivers' risks. IIHS · My first car - how 1,000 Americans got their first car.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/askcarguys › best first car for 17 year old?
r/askcarguys on Reddit: best first car for 17 year old?
April 13, 2024 -

I just turned 17 and my parents said i could get a car. I was looking at a bmw but i know the cost to maintain the car would kill my parents. i’m looking for a four door sports car or a sport suv. so if anyone knows any good sporty cars it would be great, they don’t have to be fast they just need to sound look good and be reliable cause tbh that’s all i care about.

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Carwow
carwow.co.uk › first-cars › teenagers
Best Cars for Teenagers in 2026 | Carwow
20 hours ago - For example, the Kia Picanto or even the Volkswagen Polo with the 1.0-litre petrol engine are both Group 1 cars, so they’ll be among the cheapest to insure. Insurance premiums are calculated on the basis of a range of factors, including where ...
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Car and Driver
caranddriver.com › rankings › best-cars-for-teens
Best First Cars for Teens and New Drivers in 2026, Tested
Car and Driver's rankings are arrived at from the results of our extensive instrumented testing of several hundred vehicles each year and from our expert editors' subjective impressions gained in real-world driving. We've ranked the Best Cars for Teens based on roughly 200 data points encompassing acceleration, handling, comfort, cargo space, fuel efficiency, value, and how enjoyable they are to drive.
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Blackcircles.com
blackcircles.com › tyres › tyre news › motoring › best cars for 17-year-olds 2026
Best Cars for 17-Year-Olds 2026 | Blackcircles.com
An affordable small car that is both practical and reliable, Volkswagen’s Polo is a fantastic option for 17-year-olds looking for that perfect first car. ... A staple in British motoring, Vauxhall are solidified as both the oldest and most popular UK car brand. Given their historic run as a top car brand in Europe, Vauxhall has had many car models catering to various customer segments, with their iconic Corsa leading the way for drivers both old and young. The Vauxhall Corsa is the UK’s most successful super-mini of all time, for good reason.
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U.S. News
cars.usnews.com › car advice
Best New and Used Cars for Teens in 2026 | U.S. News
May 28, 2025 - Looking to buy your teenager a car? Check out this list of new and used vehicles that are safe and dependable.
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Mccarthyautogroup
blog.mccarthyautogroup.com › 2022 › 04 › 19 › best-starter-vehicles-for-teenagers-new-drivers
Best Starter Vehicles for Teenagers & New Drivers
April 19, 2022 - As you begin looking for the best car for a high schooler, consider some of these award-winning pre-owned models – many of which may be coming off-lease by summer break at a used car dealer near you (*wink*): 2018-2019 Hyundai Elantra – IIHS ...
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cinch
cinch.co.uk › guides › choosing-a-car › cheapest-cars-to-insure-17-year-olds
Cheapest cars to insure for a 17-year-old - cinch
Small, easy-to-drive cars are all you need when you first pass your test and what better than a Nissan Micra. Nissan’s been making this small hatchback for more than 40 years so it’s no surprise it’s made the cut. Its small, efficient engines make it perfect for zipping around town but ...
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Cars.com
cars.com › home › news › latest news
What’s the Safest, Most Affordable Car for Teens? | Cars.com
May 21, 2024 - “Vehicles continue to get safer, and for the first time since the pandemic-era disruptions, prices on the new and used market have stabilized. These trends have enabled us to point families to even better options this year,” Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center, said in a statement. Check out the lists below. This category is split into Best Choices and Good Choices.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/whatcarshouldibuy › first car for a teenager suggestions?
r/whatcarshouldIbuy on Reddit: First car for a teenager suggestions?
May 10, 2024 -

I really want a sports car, but after reading a lot of these post I was quickly humbled and realized that getting a RWD “cool looking over safe and reliable” sports car for my first is a silly idea, according to a lot of people on this sub. And plus, I can get a nice looking sports car after I get my first (if thats even stl my choice) and learn how to adapt to drivers around me and the cars im driving aswell.

Anywho, I don’t know my actual budget 5-10k? Probably around 8k, im wanting to pay for most of it with cash upfront, so i want to find something cheap. It all depends when i start working. (havent actually started yet but I’m so excited about getting a car and driving I’m already saving, plus saving is good practice since my responsibility with money isnt the best…) plus, i have like 2-3 years to save.

anyway - updating my preferences: easy to drive/adjust to can handle snowy/rainy weather well (I know you can get tires for that, but I’m sure that some cars can handle it a lot better than others) reliable and wont guzzle gas, easy handling

i think this is a lot better than my last list, which was literally just “rwd, sports car, speedy, etc blah blah”

anyways, does this match up to any cars that would also be good for firsts?

Edit: I’m aware that cars can change a lot in those 2-3 years, just trying to keep some suggestions in mind :)

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Mumsnet
mumsnet.com › home › talk › cars
First car for 17 year old son | Mumsnet
January 9, 2025 - An older car with low ish mileage is often better than a newer car with high mileage. Long MOT date is good, as is a decent service history and not too many owners. Imo you can’t beat the Citroen C1/Peugeot106/Toyota Aygo type car as a first car.
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Quora
quora.com › Whats-the-best-first-car-for-a-teen-3-8k-I-love-muscle-cars-and-want-to-get-into-the-car-hobby-but-want-something-reliable-but-fun
What's the best first car for a teen 3-8k? I love muscle cars and want to get into the car hobby but want something reliable but fun. - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): Probably the right answer here is a used Mazda 3 or Hyundai Elantra GT with a manual transmission. Reliable, cheap to service, and very fun without being so fast that you’ll get into big trouble.
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › cars › best used cars under $20,000 for teens
Best Used Cars Under $20,000 for Teens via @ConsumerReports
September 8, 2025 - Consumer Reports and IIHS present the best used cars for teens under $20,000 that balance accident avoidance, crash protection, performance, and reliability.
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IGOTA~STi
igotasti.com › home › forums › general community › daily news & rumors
Attention Parents: The IIHS Recommends These Safe Cars for Teen Drivers - IGOTA~STi
June 17, 2025 - Toyota View the 3 images of this ... article Compact cars are a good choice for a first car, and the three most inexpensive models on the IIHS's Best Choices list are some of the smallest in this specific group. The cheapest car on this list is the 2017-2019 Toyota Corolla sedan, which ...
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Autoweb
autoweb.com › 10-good-cheap-cars-for-teenagers-under-10000
10 Good Cheap Cars For Teenagers Under $10,000 | Autoweb
But sometimes even a teen needs more space, or the peace of mind that comes with surrounding a teenager with extra sheetmetal. When bigger is better, our first choice is the mid-size Hyundai Sonata sedan. You can get it several model years newer than a competing Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, ...