• Teenage Drivers

    Now that spring is well upon us, many parents of new teenage drivers are looking and shopping for the safest vehicle for their new drivers. As the parent of a 15-year-old myself, I’m going through the same process and like many of you, the thought of my teen son driving scares the heck out of me.

    Consumer Reports has come out with their 2018 study on the most reliable and safest vehicles suited to new or inexperienced drivers. Obviously, the newest vehicle you can afford to purchase will have the most up-to-date safety systems and features. In addition, here are some other things to consider:

    • Make sure the vehicle has an electronic stability control system (ESC)
    • Front driver and passenger airbags are a given, but make sure the vehicle also has side and curtain airbags
    • Forward collision warnings and automatic emergency braking systems add extra safety and extra piece of mind
    • The older the car, the more likelihood it will have problems to fix, which could be very expensive
    • SUVs and sports cars are NOT recommended because SUVs are hard to control – and no teenager needs a sports car, lol (but seriously, they increase the risk of speeding, have higher collision rates and cost more to insure)

    The following is a sampling of some of the cars that made the list for best used cars for teens in 2018:

    • Acura TSX
    • Chevrolet Equinox (four-cylinder, 2012 2017)
    • Chevrolet Sonic (2014 or later)
    • Ford Focus sedan (2010 to 2011)
    • Honda Accord (four-cylinder, 2008 or later)
    • Hyundai Elantra (2012 or later)
    • Kia Soul
    • Mitsubishi Outlander (2007 to 2013, no third row)
    • Scion XD (2010 or later)
    • Subaru Outback (four-cylinder, 2010 or later)
    • Toyota Prius (2010 or later)
    • Volkswagen Golf (2012 to 2014)
    • Volvo S60 (2012 to 2014 and 2016)

    Best of luck on your search, and for a complete list of all recommended vehicles, feel free to click on the link below:
    https://www.consumerreports.org/used-cars/best-used-cars-for-teens/

Search

Display by category