Consumer Reports Ranks Best New and Used Cars for Teen Drivers

If you are in the market for a new or used car for a teen driver, here's what you might want to look for. Consumer Reports just released a list of the best new and used cars, ranging in size from small cars to large SUVs, pickups and minivans.

Consumer Reports teamed up with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and came up with a list of the best vehicles. They are affordable, easy to handle and offer the best crash protection while also being reliable.

The best vehicles include over 20 used vehicles and 16 new ones. All but a handful of the vehicles on this year's list of recommended vehicles cost more than $10,000.

The following vehicles are ranked in the top for used vehicles:

• Small cars
  • Mazda 3 sedan or hatchback
    • Built from 2014-2020, after October 2013
  • Ford C-Max Hybrid
    • Built from 2014-2016
  • Toyota Prius
    • 2014, built after November 2013
  • Subaru Impreza sedan or wagon
    • 2018, 2022
• Midsize cars
  • Subaru Legacy
    • 2013-2021, built after August 2012
  • Mazda 6
    • 2014-2018
  • Subaru Outback
    • 2015-2018, 2022
  • Toyota Prius v
    • 2015-2017
  • Volkswagen Passat
    • 2017
  • BMW 3 series
    • 2017 or newer, built after November 2016
• Large cars
  • Toyota Avalon
    • 2015 or newer
  • Hyundai Genesis
    • 2016
• Small SUVs
  • Volvo XC60
    • 2013, 2017
  • Mazda CX-5
    • 2014 or newer, built after October 2013
  • Mazda CX-3
    • 2016, 2019
  • Honda CR-V
    • 2015 or newer
  • Honda HR-V
    • 2017 or newer, built after March 2017
  • Toyota Rav4
    • 2015 or newer, built after November 2014
  • Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid
    • 2018
  • Subaru Forester
    • 2018 or newer
• Midsize SUVs
  • Nissan Murano
    • 2015 or newer
  • Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
    • 2018
  • Toyota Highlander
    • 2014 or newer
  • Acura RDX
    • 2016 or newer
• Minivan
  • Toyota Sienna
    • 2015-2020
• Pickup
  • Toyota Tacoma extended cab or crew cab
    • 2016 or newer

Included in the list of top new vehicles are all 2023 models of:

• Small cars
  • Mazda 3 sedan or hatchback
• Midsize cars
  • Subaru Legacy
  • Subaru Outback
• Small SUVs
  • Honda HR-V
  • Subaru Forester
  • Mazda CX-5
  • Mazda CX-50
  • Toyota Rav4
  • Honda CR-V
  • Lexus UX
• Midsize SUVs
  • Subaru Ascent
  • Hyundai Palisade
  • Toyota Highlander
  • Mazda CX-9
  • Lexus NX
• Minivan
  • Honda Odyssey

“You don't want a vehicle that's so small that you risk, you know, in a crash, the physics of something much larger hitting them. But again, you don't want a super large vehicle. A lot of parents are tempted to put their child in the biggest vehicle they can find, but that comes with the adverse performance of you know, more difficult emergency handling longer braking distances,” said Director of Operations at Consumer Reports Auto Test Center Jennifer Stockburger.

Consumer Reports recommends something mid-sized or a small SUV that has sufficient weight and is better balanced.

You can get more details on the vehicle recommendations here.

When it comes to safety, AAA recommends that parents set ground rules for your teen drivers. The time period from Memorial Day through Labor Day is considered the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer because of the increase in crashes and fatalities.

“Sometimes parents want to be their teens best friend, but they also need to be a parent. No parent ever wants to get that knock on the door from an officer. So set the ground rules. You control the keys and you need to remember that. You can set time limits, you can set curfews, you can also set passenger limits as to who or who may not be in your child's vehicle,” said Tracy Noble, a spokesperson for AAA.

Setting rules on passengers is important because the more teens in the car, the more likely there will be distractions and take the new driver’s concentration off the road.

Summer can also be a great time to practice driving. “Make sure your teen knows how to drive on the highway, in the rain at night, how to merge properly with larger vehicles, with tractor trailers. So, it's just a great time and could be a great learning experience and it really shouldn't be ignored,” Noble said.

Noble encouraged parents to lead by example and practice safe driving habits.