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Home · Cars · Best Car for Teenager

Best Car for Teenager

Deciding on the best car for teenage drivers depends on who is doing the deciding — the teen or their parents. Teenagers and their parents tend to have different objectives and priorities when it comes to cars, although it's often not difficult for the two parties to come to a mutually agreeable decision, especially when each party is willing to compromise a little. In this article, we'll try to look at the subject from both points of view.

What Teens Want
Teenagers tend to place importance on style, appearance, performance, size (not too large but enough room for friends), and accessories (custom equipment). An automobile is a projection of a teen's personality, sense of freedom, and desire for peer approval — as well as possibly serving a more practical use in getting back and forth to school and job.

What Parents Want
Parents want safe cars for their teens. They also place importance on economy (low purchase cost, low operation cost, and low maintenance cost), reliability/dependability, and low insurance cost. Teens who are expected to pay their own way may also place importance on many of these factors.

Cost is Major Factor
The first issue that most teens and their parents usually struggle with when deciding on a car is that of cost, which typically leads to the issue of used-versus-new. An older car is certainly going to cost much less than a brand new model. However, older used cars will generally be less reliable, may develop unexpected repair expenses, have less safety equipment, and not be as attractive as a newer model. On the other hand, insurance and taxes can be less costly.

Many teenagers prefer to buy an inexpensive older model car, such as the ever-popular Honda Civic, and spend money to repair it and customize it to meet their needs. These added costs can often get out of hand and exceed the price of a new car. Performance-enhancing changes can often increase operating costs (lower gas mileage), maintenance costs (lower reliability), and insurance costs (higher risk and repair cost). Nevertheless, "tuners" and highly customized cars are very popular with teens.

Cars for Teenagers - Top Recommendations
Because of the wide variations in availability and characteristics of used cars, we'll stick to a discussion of new cars. However, used cars tend to have many of the same characteristics of new cars of the same make and model. Just keep in mind that newer cars tend to have better safety equipment, better reliability, improved gas mileage, and, in some cases, lower insurance rates - because of better safety and reliability.

Although most of the following recommendations are for smaller, less expensive vehicles, many teenagers prefer to drive larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks. We don't recommend large SUVs for teens due to the higher skill required to control them in emergency situations, the high cost of operation, and expensive insurance. Even smaller SUVs such as the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and the Nissan Xterra are much less stable than a conventional sedan or coupe.


We'll list some of our top recommendations below, listed in no particular order. These are certainly not all the cars that might meet the needs of teenage drivers and their parents.

Honda Civic - This is the most popular car among teens — and parents. This car has almost all of the qualities desired by both teens and parents: economy, style, safety, reliability, performance, low insurance rates, good size for passengers, and driving comfort. There are tons of accessories, custom appearance products, and performance options for the Honda Civic. Base price is about $14,500. The new re-styled model has won Motor Trend magazine's 2006 "Car of the Year" award and is a Consumer Reports Magazine Top Pick for 2006. Honda also produces a fuel-efficient hybrid version of this vehicle, at a slightly higher cost. Used models of the Honda Civic are readily available, reliable, and hold their value very well. For a car with similar qualities, but larger with more interior room, consider the Honda Accord.

Scion xA/xB/xC - Toyota has created a line of popular vehicles that specifically targets young drivers. The Scion is full of standard features, and optional features, that appeal to teens, is relatively inexpensive, and has a good-performing and fuel-efficient engine. It also has some great safety options such as side air bags. Although not outstanding performers, and ride comfort is lacking, these are typical Toyota high-quality vehicles at base prices that start at about $12,500 for the xA, $13,700 for the xB, and $16,000 for the xC. After the 2006 models, only the xC will survive.

Toyota Corolla - This Toyota vehicle shares many of the characteristics of the Honda Civic and is a favorite among teenagers as both a new and used vehicle. It's reliable, with good performance, has plenty of room inside, and there are many options from after-market companies for styling and performance improvements. Buyers of this vehicle, and others in our list, should consider getting the stability control option when available. It's one of the most effective safety features being offered on cars today. The Corolla, an excellent car for teens, is priced at about $13,700 for base models. If the Corolla is not quite large enough, look at the Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in America for the last few years.

Nissan Sentra -This is a sensible car for teens, having many of the attributes of the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, but a little less style. It's comfortable, but with a harsh ride and little room in the rear seat. However, it gets good gas mileage, is reliable, enjoys relatively low insurance rates, and is priced at about $12,700. Used models can be found at good prices.

Mitsubishi Lancer - This is a very popular vehicle with teens, especially the turbo-charged Evolution, although it might not be the first choice of parents. It's stylish and looks cool, besides being a super performer. There are lots of add-ons and custom equipment for this vehicle. It even has it's own magazine aimed at young drivers of this vehicle. Watch out for reliability problems and high insurance costs. The Lancer starts at about $14,300 for the most basic model.

Ford Focus - This is a fun and sporty car that teenagers like. It has a firm but comfortable ride and a number of engine options. Interior material quality appears cheap but functional. There are no less than 12 different variations of this model that should allow almost any teen preference to be satisfied. Prices start at about $13,300 for base models. It may not be as reliable as a comparably priced Honda or Toyota.

Mazda3 - This vehicle is not particularly extraordinary but is an excellent small car with good interior space, good performance, and good quality. It comes in both a hatchback and sedan and starts at about $13,700. New models are very stylish and youth-oriented.

Leasing and Long-Term Loans
Let's say it right up front — leasing and long-term loans are not good ideas when acquiring cars for teenagers. Why? Because teens will very likely become tired of the vehicle before the lease or loan expires, while they are still "upside down." Getting out of vehicle with negative equity then becomes troublesome and costly.

Many people make the negative equity problem worse by buying or leasing another vehicle and rolling the old upside-down loan balance into new vehicle financing — a cycle that is often repeated multiple times, making the problem bigger at each turn of the cycle. This is a bad way for a teenager to get started in a lifetime of buying cars. It creates the very real possibility of repossession, financial disaster, and years of credit problems.

Teens and Credit
Many teens have not had time to establish a credit history, which can cause financing issues. Some who do have a credit history, have a bad history. It's always wise to know your FICO® credit score before looking for financing. Teens often get started in car financing by having a family member co-sign for them. This is a good way to establish a credit history for future financing.

Calculate Loan Costs
To help decide on a price range for a new or used car, it's best to use a car loan calculator to experiment with various prices and options that produce an affordable monthly payment. It's important to understand the relationship of interest rate, loan term, and loan amount to monthly payment amount. The calculator works equally well for both new and used car loans.

Teens and Insurance
Car insurance for teenage drivers is very expensive because they represent a high risk of accident and liability claims to insurance companies. Adding a tenn driver to a family's auto insurance policy can mean a 50 percent to 100 percent increase in their parent's insurance premium. Therefore it is important to shop for the best rates while still getting coverage that is needed or legally required.

27.03.2007. 14:09

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