Watching your son or daughter whip out that first driver’s license is a scary moment for parents. You want your children to be safe as possible when they’re driving. Fortunately, there are plenty of cars that are safe for teen drivers. And these cars are even ones that teens will enjoy driving.
The editors of U.S. News & World Report know their cars. They annually rank for cars for everything from fuel efficiency and performance to safety and bang for your buck. The editors have also ranked the top cars for teens and young drivers. It’s a useful list for any nervous parent.
According to U.S. News, the safest car for teen drivers is the MINI Cooper hatchback. This car is known for its long list safety features. It’s also quite stylish, a car that any teen would appreciate driving. It’s not too pricy either, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of about $18,700.
Next on the list is the Toyota Tacoma pickup. This car features tremendous safety features for its class while maintaining a cool look sure to appeal to young drivers. This vehicle is also extremely affordable, with a suggested retail price of about $14,300.
The Toyota Corolla sedan comes in third on the list. Besides safety features, this car features terrific gas mileage. It’s also small enough so that it won’t overwhelm newer drivers. The car’s suggested price tag is in the $14,400 range.
Coming in fourth is the Dodge Charger sedan. It’s not cheap, with a price tag of about $22,000, but it ranks high in all safety tests. The editors at U.S. News cited its “muscle car heritage” as the reason why young drivers will like it.
In fifth place is the Chrysler 300 sedan, which has a cool factor that, as the U.S. News editors put it, is “off the charts.” It’s pricier, too, at about $25,000. But, again, its safety features rank high in all crash-test studies.
Rounding out the top 10 in the U.S. News rankings are the Honda Fit hatchback, Scion xD hatchback, Kia Spectra5 hatchback, Chevrolet Equinox SUV and Honda Civic.
As a parent, you want to do everything you can to keep your young drivers safe. The best way to do this is to steer them toward one of the safe cars on the U.S. News list. This way, when they run off to the store for the first – or the 80th – time, you can rest assured that the car in which they are motoring down the streets is tough, durable and safe.