One of the biggest parts of the teen driving experience is choosing a car that will safely take your child from one point to another in one piece. The vehicle should have all of the adequate features to make driving easier for teens. It should also get great insurance rates, as teen drivers spike prices for parents who put them on their plan.
There are other factors that your teen driver cares about, too. The color, the model, and the look of a car are super important to young drivers. They want to look cool when they pull up to their school in their ride. Many teens get embarrassed when they are forced to drive a “soccer mom” vehicle.
We’ll give you a basic run-down of the vehicles that serve all of the purposes talked about above. These rides are sure to be both safe and sporty looking all at once. This makes Mom, Dad, and the child all happy. And when everyone is satisfied, driving skills improve, and teens are motivated to maintain good habits behind the wheel.
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is one of the most popular vehicles on the planet. They are routinely the first option that comes to mind when people want a safe car for a decent price. The Honda Civic has all the modern safety features parents want for their kids. It also has a decent variety of models that can even look sporty and fun for teens, like the Honda Civic Sport.
Civic insurance for a 17-year-old is also some of the cheapest on the market. Insurance companies appreciate the reliability of the Civic. They also approve of their continuously high ratings in crash tests and their simple controls and features that even beginning drivers will be able to understand quickly.
All these things combine to make the Civic one of the best-selling cars to ever be put on the market. The only thing to worry about is the car is routinely on lists of the most-stolen automobiles by criminals. Make sure you park the car in your garage, especially if you live in an area with high theft rates.
Civics are durable, therefore they sell really well on the used car market. You can trust if you buy a used Civic for your child, it should be in better condition than most used cars in other brands. Look at the year, though, because older cars may not have the requisite safety features for your family.
Chevrolet Malibu
The Chevy Malibu is one of the only American-made sedans on the market at the moment. This is because Japanese companies like Toyota and Honda have come to dominate the sedan market in recent years. If buying American cars is something you care about for your child, then the Malibu is the right car for you.
There are many other things that make it a reliable car for the entire family, though. It was ranked incredibly high in J.D. Power’s safety ratings back in 2014, and if you buy an older model like this you will also get discounts on your auto insurance. Cars that are several years old are in the sweet spot for insurance prices.
This is because they are still new enough to be able to find parts for. At the same time, the slightly older make of the car means it is cheaper to order parts than for a brand-new car.
The Malibu is also available in a hybrid version if you want to teach your kids the importance of taking care of the planet when driving. You can teach them early about charging electric vehicles, something that may be in the future for nearly every car in a couple of decades.
Subaru Impreza
Subaru has always been synonymous with safety. Many kids don’t like driving their parents’ Subarus because they don’t look stylish, but the Impreza is different. Maintaining the same safety features as its family members, the Impreza is one of the company’s better-looking vehicles.
This car is especially good-looking with a spoiler on the back of the car, and sports models of the Impreza have started to become more popular in the last few years. The Impreza has also been ranked as one of the cheapest cars to fix in recent years, another tick in the win column for insurance companies and vehicle owners alike.
If you want to stick with other Subarus, you can also look at the Forester and the Outback. These cars have even higher safety ratings than the Impreza, although they may not look as sporty to the teenage eye.
Hyundai Sonata
The Hyundai Sonata is one of the forgotten cars of the safe family sedans to drive in the U.S. The car has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, and the aesthetics of the vehicle look way better than they did even 15 years ago. This is sure to entice a teenager to enjoy driving one. But how safe is it?
Sonata has gotten a superior ranking on all parts of its safety testing. These tests track the strength of a vehicle in a crash test, and how effective the safety features are like air bags and seat belts. The roof strength and head restraints are forgotten elements of the car’s safety, and they also got the highest ranking possible for the 2021 model.
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is one of the most popular cars in the world. It is not quite as famous as the Camry, but it is the preferred choice for a teen driver. The smaller cabin makes it easier for parents to limit the number of passengers that kids bring with them.
It is also easier to drive and handle than a Camry, which is simply a bigger car. The Corolla has received five-star ratings for all of its safety features in recent years. It is also easy to add spoilers too, and this will surely make your teen driver happy.
Any of these cars are great choices for your teen driver. They look good, they are safe, and they are easy to insure. If these three keys are covered, you can’t go wrong with any of the vehicles.
Just make sure your teen understands the most important thing they can do is drive with awareness and keep distractions to a minimum.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the car insurance comparison site, MyCarInsurance123.com. He wants to help families choose the safest car possible for their teen drivers.
