Safe & affordable vehicles for teens
Buying a car for the first time is an exciting process, however it is of the utmost importance that you snap up a car that is safe & reliable, which can be hard to do on a tight budget.
If you have only recently acquired your licence, safety should be your first priority when buying a car, as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that 16 to 19-year-old drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident when compared to older drivers.
IIHS ‘Safe vehicles for teens’ report
In May 2022, the US-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (‘IIHS’) teamed up with Consumer Reports to create a list of safe vehicles for teen drivers, including new & used cars ranging from $8,000 to $56,000
The report is split into three segments:
- Best choices – used
- Good choices – used
- New vehicle choices
All vehicles in the report have electronic stability control, and none of the vehicles are high-performance or difficult to control.
Some popular, notable used vehicles that were included in the report are:
- 2011-onwards Mazda 3 – from $6,000
- 2012-onwards Honda Civic – from $9,500
- 2014-onwards Toyota Corolla – from $10,000
- 2013-onwards Subaru Outback – from $13,000
- 2014-19 Mazda 6 – from $14,500
- 2018 or 2021 Hyundai Kona – from $23,000
Some popular, notable new vehicles that were included in the report are:
- Mazda 3 – from $30,000
- Mazda CX-5 – from $36,000
- Toyota Rav4 – from $39,000
- Subaru Outback – from $47,500
- Hyundai Santa Fe – from $50,000
To read more & to see the full list, click here.
More great options
In Australia there are a number of vehicles offering a great mix of safety, reliability and affordability that weren’t listed on the IIHS report. Some of these include:
- 2011-20 Toyota Yaris – from $5,000
- 2012-19 BMW 3 Series petrol – from $14,000
- 2017-onwards Hyundai i30 – from $16,000
- 2021-onwards Mazda 2 – from $23,000
As you can see from this article, there is a range of safe & reliable vehicles on the market that won’t break the bank, but that will keep you as safe as possible on a budget!