From sedans to SUVs, these are our top used vehicle picks for new drivers.
Getting your first car as a teenager is an American rite of passage. For teens, cars are our first taste of adulthood, of personal freedom and responsibility. For parents, a teen’s first car similarly marks the passage of time and the transition from childhood to beyond. Parents and teens, however, want different things from their cars.
When I was a car-obsessed teen, I was most concerned with something sporty, fast, and fun. My parents, on the other hand, wanted something safe, practical, and capable of schlepping me and my things off to college and dealing with the snow. (I wound up buying myself a 2000 Mustang GT. I don’t have any regrets, but it was, uh, far from the most sensible choice.)
It’s only been 15 years or so since I bought that car, but it’s arguably harder than ever to make that key decision for teens and parents alike. Prices remain high, algorithms feed us marketing disguised as consumer advice, and generative AI often gets basic facts and details wrong. We’re here to clear up some of that confusion.
We’ve combed through data compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports as part of their joint “ Safe Vehicles For Teens, Best Choices ” report and coupled it with our own expertise to compile this list of the best used cars that both teens and their parents will love. These vehicles all have top IIHS safety marks, and most will have Black Book values of less than $10,000, with no car going for more than $20,000. (Like MotorTrend , Black Book is owned by Hearst Communications.) Here’s what we picked and why both parents and teens alike will appreciate these vehicles.