Top 10 Best New Cars for Teens Under $20K: 2017 Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports has released its list of safe, reliable vehicles that are well-suited for young drivers.
Picking a car for a teen driver is never easy, especially when you’re trying to keep it within a certain budget. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of teens involved in a car crash die, and motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 14- to 18-year-olds. So while shopping for an affordable car with good reliability and safety marks is a good start, there are also vehicles that are better suited for inexperienced drivers.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Best Used Sports Cars Under $10K
To narrow down its picks, Consumer Reports ignored certain vehicle types for its list. For starters, larger vehicles aren’t included because they can be hard for inexperienced drivers to handle and they generally return poor fuel economy. In addition, they can hold a lot of passengers, which could be potentially distracting for a young driver. As a result, there aren’t any minivans, large SUVs, or pickup trucks on the list.
Naturally, sports cars are also not on the list due to their performance and high insurance premiums.
So what’s left? Vehicles that have zero-to-60 mph times faster than 11 seconds but slower than 7.5 seconds, as well as having braking distances shorter than 145 feet in dry conditions. Vehicles with mediocre emergency-handling scores were also left off the list.
It’s worth noting the Mazda CX-3 as an honorable mention for the list, but its price tag is $19,960 not including destination.
Chevrolet Sonic
Honda Fit
Honda HR-V
Hyundai Elantra
Kia Forte
Kia Soul
Mazda3
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla iM
Toyota Yaris iA
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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As a teen I got to drive the family minivan. I drove that minivan a lot more responsibly than my friends who had small cars. I think learning to drive a bigger car means I'm not uncomfortable in big cars today. It was a 1987 Plymouth (SWB) Voyager. It had so much glass all around and is shorter and smaller than today's minivans, today's equivalent is probably a Subaru Outback, great visibility but not too large.