Honda CR-V

Anonymous wrote:My dad will be getting her license this summer. We will need to get a car. Dh drives a truck and I drive a nice SUV. Looking for suggestions on the safest car for teens. Dh will only buy new, I’d be willing to buy used but that’s not what we are doing. I was thinking of a Jetta or Elantra. Any other ideas or what have others bought. Not really wanting something sub-compact and wiling to spend about 25k at most.

Your DH sounds like a snob if he'll only buy new! Teens are going to scratch, dent, damage the car and a 1-3 year old used car will have every possible safety feature.

Anonymous wrote:Take her and let her test drive a bunch to see what she handles the best and is most comfortable in.

She can't handle any vehicle well yet and teens will be comfortable in anything.

Prius could be a good option. Strong safety ratings; won't be a hot rod. Low cost to own, which might be important if it's a vehicle they will take to college.
Wheels and tires are cheap to replace in case your teen excels at finding the curb when parking. Thoughh perhaps that's not really a concern given your husband's position on buying new. Also, the Prius offers a surprising amount of space if they keep it during college and need to move a dorm room worth of stuff.

Toyota Corolla or Mazda3

Take her and let her test drive a bunch to see what she handles the best and is most comfortable in.

Mazda3 ofcourse.

Stay away from Volkswagen. German car maintenance is ridiculous. PP’s recommending a Toyota, Honda (although I think they’ve gone downhill) of possibly a Korean brand of manageable size are on the money. Nothing sporty, flashy or overpowered. You need enough power to get out of trouble but not enough to get into trouble. Avoid turbos. Manufacturers are using them to simulate performance while reducing engine size to meet fuel standards, but they can provide too rapid acceleration for a young driver. Tactile buttons instead of touchscreens, or voice control if necessary. Whatever keeps eyes on the road. Safety ratings are critical.

In six months send her to the one day accident avoidance course at BSR in Summit Point, WV.

If buying brand new Chevy has a few on the list in top ten.

I bought my daughter a 2017 Chevy Cruz brand new and has a ton of teen driving features. It is really cool. I can actually gps car location, set speed restrictions, get notified of excess braking or airbag deployment on real time. Alerts driver if speeding. Back seat reminder. Back up camera, Apple car play.

Base model Chevys (equinox/Cruz) are often bought brand new by parents for teens so they market it to parents. They also have crazy good crash protection and airbag.

Downside. It is a Chevy, no fast engine, no corner on rails, sears and interior more plain. But hey it is a really safe car that brand new is same price as a used out of warranty Japanese car

Anonymous wrote:Before you decide check online the safety info like crash tests for each model you consider. It may help you narrow it down.

Yup. Very easy to google 'safest cars for teens'.

Anonymous wrote:Something boring and reliable: honda civic or toyota corolla.

Civics are NOT very crashworthy. Especially older ones.

Before you decide check online the safety info like crash tests for each model you consider. It may help you narrow it down.

Something boring and reliable: honda civic or toyota corolla.

Subaru Impreza.

My dad will be getting her license this summer. We will need to get a car. Dh drives a truck and I drive a nice SUV. Looking for suggestions on the safest car for teens. Dh will only buy new, I’d be willing to buy used but that’s not what we are doing. I was thinking of a Jetta or Elantra. Any other ideas or what have others bought. Not really wanting something sub-compact and wiling to spend about 25k at most.