IIHS Releases Guide for Buying Safe Vehicles for Teenage Drivers

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports announced the release of a list of recommended vehicles for young and first-time drivers. The list is divided into Best Choices for a Used Vehicle, Good Choices for a Used Vehicle, and New Vehicles, which are then broken up into Small Cars, Midsize Cars, Large Cars, Small SUVs, and Midsize SUVs. The most frequently recommended vehicles throughout all three categories include Mazda, Subaru, and Hyundai models, with Nissan and Kia just behind them.

The criteria for ranking the vehicles included crashworthiness, a minimum curb weight of 2,750 lbs, handling and braking, and controls and usability. The next tier of recommended vehicles includes automatic emergency braking that's earned an advanced or superior rating from the IIHS and good or acceptable headlights. 

“We curate this annual list specifically for teens because driving holds extra risk for them,” said IIHS Senior Research Scientist Rebecca Weast. “That said, the suggestions are suitable for drivers of any age looking to balance affordability with crash protection and crash avoidance.”

Starting with the Best Choice for a Used Vehicle recommendations, the smallest and cheapest vehicle is the Mazda 3, specifically the 2019-2025 hatchback and 2020-2025 sedan, at a median retail price of $13,200. As a whole, Mazda is the most recommended brand across the board, with the CX-5, CX-3, CX-30, and CX-9 also making the Best Choices list. The 2019-2025 Toyota Camry, the 2019-2023 Subaru Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid, the 2022-2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5, the 2019-2020 Genesis G80, and the 2020-2024 Ford Explorer also made the list.

The Good Choices for a Used Vehicle starts with the 2012-2024 Mini Countryman with a median price of $4,600, immediately followed by the 2015-2025 Nissan Sentra at $4,700. The most expensive option is the Audi A6 at $9,900. 

The recommended new vehicles include the most up-to-date safety measures and features, such as seatbelt reminders or blind spot warnings. The New Vehicles list once again features a fair amount of Mazda vehicles, such as the CX-30 and CX-70 PHEV, although the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai Sonata, Honda Passport, and Kia Sorento also earned mention on the list.

The only recommended Jeep was the 2017-2022 Compass for Good Choices for a Used Vehicle, while Honda appeared twice on the same list for the 2014-2025 Civic and 2013-2025 Accord. Lincoln, GMC, Alfa Romeo, and Fiat only appeared once each across the three categories. The full list of vehicle recommendations can be found on the IIHS site.