Our Top Picks: What Are the Best Cars for Teens

This article will overview our top picks of the best cars for teens. We will assess each of our top picks on many levels to find out what the best cars are for teen drivers. Specifically, we are looking at the best cars for 16-year-olds. When picking a car for 16-year-olds, you have to think about many factors: highway safety, visual appeal, sound system/other internal features, insurance cost, and the vehicle’s overall aesthetic.

Choosing the right car insurance plan is vital, whether it be a used car or a new one you’re eyeing. We suggest you opt for full-coverage insurance. This comes with personal injury coverage, further protecting your teen drivers. We’re all in it for safety; thus, choose cars under IIHS’s top safety pick to avoid car accidents. So in this article, we will have all that and more as we look at the best cars for teens.

Top 10 Cars for 16-Year-Olds

1. 2022 Toyota Camry

For years the Toyota Camry has been a staple in reliability. When buying a car for a 16-year-old teenager, you must first consider the long-term reliability. Ideally, this car will be an investment that will last your teen drivers through High School and College with little to no repairs and maintenance issues. Another thing that makes the Camry a great car is the fuel economy.

With city mileage rated at 29 and 41 on the highway, it is one of the many recurring expenses you must consider when determining the best car for teens in 2022.

Another great feature of the Toyota Camry is its safety features which can be quoted on the website as being ‘Active safety package that includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD),’ Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) (Toyota) the goal of this safety package is to give parents a peace of mind that allows them to feel safe when their teen is driving this car.

In addition to all of the aforementioned is that on most safety features, it will be one of the cheapest insurance rates month to month. A couple of big checkmarks in your recurring expenses each month will be some of the lowest around. This new 2022 Toyota Camry offers driver assistance features with excellent safety ratings. Your teenagers will stay firmly in their lane with its lane departure warning feature. A safety feature perfect for young drivers.

The overall aesthetic appeal here is very streamlined and a bit of a different change to what Toyota has seen in the past. Teen drivers will be a big fan of it because this car is equipped with apple play, allowing teens to use Apple devices seamlessly, and also includes android interfacing that makes access easier. With its many positive features and reviews, add that Toyota Camry was one of 2021 IIHS’s top safety picks. This car tops our charts and is the best overall car for teens.

2. Honda Fit

When buying a car for your teen, it’s very important to remember that you must combine value with highway safety. The 2022 Honda Fit, in our opinion, is an excellent example of this. Its standout features include high-level reliability ratings from JD Power and the highest rating possible from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for crash test ratings (IIHS) of good.

Meaning it will last, and if the unfortunate were to happen, your teen would be protected. This is why we rate it as one of the greatest cars for a teen driver.

Although this car is not made to keep up with an athlete’s speed, it is a much safer bet for your drivers. All the essential stuff can perfectly fit in its practical cabin. Your teens can even save some from their gas allowances as a small hatchback. Due to Honda Fit having just a small engine.

All powered by a 1.5 inline-four engine with 128 hp, this 113 lb-ft car is available on a 6-speed CVT or manual. Your teenagers will enjoy playing their playlists while driving. With its 7” touchscreen car audio system, they can connect via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Also, the 5-safety rating is verified by its safety features, including a standard rearview camera. Perfect for first-time drivers!

3. Hyundai Ioniq 5

Hyundai is a brand that has gained a lot of steam here in the past ten years, offering some of the best in class warranties and special features that you could ever ask for, making it one of the most coveted cars in 2022. It comes standard with a rear backup camera, and a new feature is the Hyundai Blue Link system, which notifies you if your young drivers are out driving too late or exceeds geographic boundaries.

The futuristic, modern, and sleek styling of this car will leave your teenagers in awe. An all-electric compact crossover car with one of the most advanced technology, this car can speed up to an impressive 350 KW. It also comes with an all-wheel or rear drive. This Ev has a horsepower between 168 and 320.

Your teens’ friends can comfortably hop along with any road trips as this car model has a generous passenger space. It features artificial leather upholstery, a hands-free power liftgate, ambient interior lighting, wireless charging, and a heated steering wheel.

Aside from several safety systems, Hyundai Ioniq has a lane departure warning. This feature will notify you with warnings whenever your teenagers sway out of their lanes. It features 59 mpg as a hybrid, thus allowing your teen to save money on gas, which checks the aforementioned needed values. Overall, this is one great ride for a teen driver.

4. Kia Sportage

The Kia Sportage Currently Ranks in the Top 5 in the compact SUV class, making it one of the most recommended cars for teens in 2022. The Kia Sportage has earned a four or five-star overall crash test rating from the NHTSA and the 2018 Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Meaning your young drivers will be secured with its safety systems features, and so will your pocketbook. Overall one of the top picks for the best cars in 2022.

5. 2022 Hyundai Tucson

Again, Hyundai is on our list for the best cars for a teen in 2022. It has a whole slew of safety features, including but not limited to rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. Its cargo space is nearly best in class and comparable to any other class. If you have a teen driver, this is one of your best choices.

If you’re aiming for an SUV for your teen’s first car, this is your best bet. This new Hyundai Tucson has a sporty and daring design to place other SUVs on edge. Powered with 187 HP, this comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder. And features an 8-speed automatic all-wheel or front drive.

Hyundai offers this new Tucson both hybrid and non-hybrid models. The non-hybrid Tucson works best on city and highway driving. At the same time, the hybrid offers more power. You’ll be amazed at how smooth and quiet the engine is when driving.

6. Toyota Prius Prime

The Toyota Prius, while not always the best in class for visual appeal, where exceeds in being the best car for teens 2022 is in fuel economy. It has a rated mileage per gallon of 53-55 mpg when using the hybrid function and on electricity alone, an emerging car type and one of the best for a teen driver moving forward.

Plus, Toyota is one of the most recommended brands in the cars for teens forum at Quora. The advanced technology of its driver assistance features includes automatic emergency braking. This Prius model’s rear cross-traffic alert utilizes sensors to recognize vehicles approaching on either side.

7. Volkswagen Tiguan

This year the Tiguan features a whole slew of safety features that they haven’t ever before, including but not limited to automatic emergency braking, front and rear parking assist, and a 360-degree rearview camera. The front assist features like side assists, forward collision warning, and rear cross-traffic alert are the basics of this Tiguan model.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for crash rates rating (IIHS) and NHTSA ranked this car good and safe in their crash test ratings. Its annual insurance cost-to-base price ratio is 7.3%, with an average insurance claim rate at $1824 per year.

This car would work well for your teenager and into their young adult life, definitely a worthwhile investment. A car that would work best for a teen driver.

8. Chevy Malibu

The Malibu has always been a staple for Chevy, whose motto is to find new roads. It is the perfect car for safety and fuel efficiency with features like a new transmission for the turbo 1.5-liter engine. This car’s IIHS crash test ratings imply a small overlap on the front driver side, but the others are all ranked good.

This mid-size sedan is just what you’re looking for in your teenagers. With its simple but sleek exteriors comes a comfortable interior. That is sure to give you a pleasant driving experience. It has a 1.5-liter four-cylinder, turbocharged engine and has. CVT automatic transmission variant. While it’s an only front-wheel drive, it has decent driver-assistance features. Even if Malibu’s interior is simple, it is ergonomically friendly and comfortable.

It’s huge opening under the center stack, and symmetrical dashboard makes the interior feel more spacious. It also offers a spacious trunk with enough carry-on capacity, which well fits your teens’ outdoor trips. An updated infotainment system has everything you will ever want for your teen driver.

9. Ford Focus

Another staple for Ford is the Ford Focus. It has been around for ages. The Focus is very durable and rides comfortably over bumps. It has sporty steering and handling around turns. That nice quiet interior you’re looking for. Lastly, lots of upscale and high-tech options make this one of the excellent cars for teenagers.

10. Ford Escape

An ultimate crossover and truly a vehicle that can last your teen for years to come. It has quick acceleration from titanium trims turbocharged 2.0 Liter engine. Tech interface features such as voice control and Apple Android Integration. It has very good space for cargo and small personal items, and the steering and handling make it feel more like a car than an SUV.

Its technology features come with an automatic emergency braking assist and cross-real traffic alert. These features and more make it one of the reliable cars for teens.

Worst Cars for Teenage Drivers

Many things will constitute a bad car for teens, whether the gas-guzzling hummer, a very large SUV, or a high-priced sports car. One of the Worst Cars for teens is the Ford Mustang, this car has high horsepower and a price tag to go along with it, it doesn’t have many of the same safety features as the cars we have featured in this article and is one of the worst cars for teens.

Key Takeaway

Whether you’re looking for a used car or a new one, the list of cars above are the best ones for your teenagers. An excited teen driver can get quite thrilled on the first hit of the gas. Speed is an instant source of adrenaline. Having said this, parents should consider choosing cars with a four or five stars rating from IIHS. Car accidents are inevitable. Thus, choosing car insurance with personal injury protection coverage is your best option.

Updated on February 25, 2022.