YONKERS, NY, and ARLINGTON, VA — Consumer Reports (CR) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are teaming up for the first time to recommend safe, reliable and affordable used vehicles for teenage drivers.
In recent years, both organizations have released lists of recommended vehicles for teens, using slightly different selection criteria. By joining forces, CR and IIHS are making it even easier for young drivers or their parents to find a vehicle that checks all the boxes for safety, performance and reliability.
Teenagers are among the riskiest drivers, but they frequently end up with vehicles that don’t provide adequate protection in a crash. Often, they find themselves driving old cars that lack modern safety features like side airbags or electronic stability control (ESC). When teenagers do get behind the wheel of a new car, it’s usually one of the smallest models, which don’t protect as well as larger vehicles in crashes.
Reliability is another key consideration. A young driver’s first car will probably need to last for years, and parents don’t want their teen stranded because of a breakdown.
The list of 65 recommended used vehicles, ranging from $5,300 to $19,600, shows that safety can be both affordable and practical.
“Our focus has always been safety, as reflected in our vehicle ratings, but we recognize that a lot of other factors go into families’ purchasing decisions,” says IIHS President David Harkey. “This partnership with Consumer Reports will help new drivers and their parents zero in on the best used vehicles overall.”
“We are delighted to be able to team up with IIHS to jointly develop a list of used vehicles for teens that deliver a smart and effective combination of safety technology and reliability, all without breaking the bank,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center. “Vehicles on this list can help teens stay safe as they gain driving experience.”
Although the list is intended specifically for teen drivers, the organizations emphasize that it can be a resource for anyone looking for a safe, reliable and affordable used car.
Consumers who consult the list won’t find any sports cars or other vehicles with excessive horsepower because these vehicles can tempt teens to test the limits. In addition, there are no minicars or vehicles under 2,750 pounds. The biggest, heaviest vehicles, including those in the large SUV class, have also been left off the list because they can be hard to handle and often have increased braking distances.
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The list of recommended vehicles is divided into Good Choices and Best Choices, which offer a slightly higher level of safety. Both Good Choices and Best Choices have:
• standard ESC
• above-average reliability, based on CR’s member survey, for the majority of the years listed
• average or better scores from CR’s emergency handling tests
• dry braking distances of less than 145 feet from 60 mph in CR’s brake tests
• good ratings in four IIHS crashworthiness tests — moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints
• four or five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (if rated)
In addition, the Best Choices have a good or acceptable rating in the IIHS driver-side small overlap front test, which was launched in 2012. The test replicates what happens when the front left corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole.
The top tier also excludes vehicles that have substantially higher than average insurance claim rates under medical payment or personal injury protection coverage. Both coverage types pay for injuries to occupants of the insured vehicle. The Highway Loss Data Institute, an IIHS affiliate, collects and publishes insurance loss data by make and model every year. The results are adjusted for driver age, gender and other factors that could affect risk.
“Injury claims provide another window onto safety in the real world and may capture things that crash tests don’t,” Harkey says.
Before buying a specific used vehicle, consumers should check for outstanding recalls and have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic.
CR puts every car it purchases through more than 50 tests and evaluations and supplements that information with reliability and owner satisfaction data from its surveyed members. From these collective insights, CR has long produced recommendations for the best cars for teens, with an emphasis on performance, safety and reliability.
IIHS is best known for crash tests of new vehicles and the annual TOP SAFETY PICK awards. The Institute began issuing used vehicle recommendations in 2014 after IIHS researchers found that teenagers were likely to drive very old or very small vehicles.
See the following pages for the complete list of recommended vehicles.
For more information from CR, go to consumerreports.org Consumer Reports is a nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer and healthier world. For 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests.
For more information from IIHS, go to iihs.org
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses — deaths, injuries and property damage — from motor vehicle crashes. IIHS is wholly supported by auto insurers.
Consumer Reports & IIHS recommended used vehicles for teens | July 30, 2020
Recommended used vehicles for teens starting under $20,000
All listed vehicles earn good ratings in the IIHS moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. If rated by NHTSA, they earn 4 or 5 stars overall or 4 or 5 stars in the front and side tests under the old rating scheme. All come with standard ESC and have a curb weight greater than 2,750 pounds.
In addition, all recommended vehicles have above-average reliability scores from CR (4 or 5 out of 5) for the majority of model years listed and CR emergency handling scores greater than or equal to 3 out of 5. They also have dry braking distances (going from 60 mph to zero) of 145 feet or less.
Prices, provided by Kelley Blue Book and rounded to the nearest $100, are average U.S. values from July 1, 2020, for the lowest trim level and earliest applicable model year. The estimates are based on the following criteria: vehicle in good condition, typical mileage and private party purchase.
Some listed models include a “built after” date. This applies when a manufacturer makes changes to improve safety in the middle of a model year. Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured can be found on the certification label typically affixed to the driver door or near it.
Best Choices
In addition to the criteria listed above, these vehicles also have a good or acceptable rating in the IIHS driver-side small overlap crash test, and none of them have substantially higher than average insurance claim rates under first-party injury coverages.
SMALL CARS
Mazda 3 (2014 or newer; built after October 2013)
$7,000
Subaru Impreza (2014 or newer)
$8,700
Hyundai Elantra GT (2018 or newer)
$14,000
Kia Forte (2019 or newer)
$14,600
Kia Niro (2018)
$15,400
Toyota Corolla hatchback (2019 or newer)
$15,800
Honda Insight (2019 or newer)
$17,900
Subaru Crosstrek (2018 or newer)
$18,700
Toyota Prius Prime (2017 or newer)
$18,700
MIDSIZE CARS
Subaru Legacy (2013 or newer; built after August 2012)
$7,600
Subaru Outback (2013 or newer; built after August 2012)
$8,500
Honda Accord sedan and coupe (2013 or newer)
$9,200
Consumer Reports & IIHS recommended used vehicles for teens | July 30, 2020
Volkswagen Jetta (2016-2018)
$9,800
Mazda 6 (2015 or newer)
$10,500
Volkswagen Passat (2016-2018)
$11,000
Toyota Prius v (2015-17)
$12,600
Lincoln MKZ (2016 or newer)
$13,300
Volvo S60 (2017-2018)
$15,300
Nissan Altima (2019 or newer)
$17,000
Audi A3 (2017, 2020)
$18,300
BMW 3-series sedan (2017 or newer; built after November 2016)
$18,600
LARGE CAR
Hyundai Genesis (2016)
$18,000
SMALL SUVS
Mazda CX-5 (2014 or newer; built after October 2013)
$8,200
Buick Encore (2016 or newer)
$10,700
Chevrolet Equinox (2016 or newer)
$12,100
Honda CR-V (2015-2016, 2019 or newer)
$12,200
Mazda CX-3 (2017 or newer)
$12,300
Subaru Forester (2016 or newer)
$12,500
Nissan Rogue (2017 or newer)
$13,400
Toyota RAV4 (2015 or newer; built after November 2014)
$13,800
Honda HR-V (2017-2018; built after March 2017)
$14,000
Hyundai Kona (2018 or newer)
$14,500
Audi Q3 (2016 or newer)
$17,300
Consumer Reports & IIHS recommended used vehicles for teens | July 30, 2020
MIDSIZE SUVS
GMC Terrain (2014, 2016 or newer)
$9,400
Kia Sorento (2016 or newer)
$13,400
Nissan Murano (2015 or newer)
$13,800
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (2017-2018)
$15,800
Hyundai Santa Fe (2017 or newer; built after March 2016)
$17,800
Mazda CX-9 (2017 or newer; built after November 2016)
$18,400
Lincoln MKX (2017-2018)
$19,600
MINIVANS
Toyota Sienna (2015 or newer)
$11,900
Honda Odyssey (2015-2016)
$12,400
Kia Sedona (2016-17)
$12,600
Good Choices
SMALL CARS
Mazda 3 (2011-13)
$5,300
Honda Civic sedan (2012-2015)
$5,600
Toyota Corolla sedan (2012 or newer)
$6,800
Toyota Prius (2011 or newer)
$6,800
MIDSIZE CARS
Subaru Legacy (2011-12)
$5,700
Lincoln MKZ (2011-12)
$6,000
Subaru Outback (2011-12)
$6,600
Toyota Camry (2012 or newer)
$7,500
Consumer Reports & IIHS recommended used vehicles for teens | July 30, 2020
Toyota Prius v (2012-14)
$7,800
Honda Accord sedan (2012)
$7,900
Hyundai Sonata (2015-16)
$10,100
LARGE CARS
Ford Taurus (2011-15)
$5,400
Hyundai Azera (2012-14)
$7,200
Buick Regal (2015-16)
$8,900
SMALL SUVS
Hyundai Tucson (2011-2015)
$5,400
Ford Escape (2015, 2018-2019)
$9,300
Kia Sportage (2015, 2018)
$10,200
Toyota RAV4 (2013-14)
$10,900
MIDSIZE SUVS
Toyota Venza (2009-15)
$7,000
Toyota Highlander (2008-2019)
$7,800
Ford Edge (2014-15)
$10,000
MINIVAN
Toyota Sienna (2011-2014)
$7,100