IIHS and Consumer Reports: Annual List of Safest Cars for Teen Drivers

There may be some positive among the uncertain economic news as of late for families looking for a vehicle for their teenage driver.

There are numerous safe, yet affordable vehicles that can be found if one shops around.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Consumer Reports in an annual list identified 74 used vehicles priced at $10,000 or less and 48 models equipped with automatic emergency braking for under $20,000.

The IIHS and CR also compiled a list of recommended 22 model year 2025 vehicles equipped with the latest in crash protection and safety technology.

IIHS and CR have produced the list of teen vehicles since 2020.

The list doesn’t include vehicles with excessive horsepower relative to weight or vehicles marketed for performance, minicars or vehicles weighing less than 2,750 pounds or large SUVs and large pickups that can be hard to handle and take longer to stop.

Following is a partial list IIHS and CR complied:

All models have standard automatic emergency braking (AEB) and headlights that earn a “Good” or “Acceptable” rating from IIHS.

Small cars

• Toyota Corolla Sedan: (2017-19; 2023 or newer) – $9,500
• Honda Insight: (2019-22) – $11,600
• Mazda 3 Hatchback: (2019 or newer) – $12,100
• Toyota Prius: (2017 or newer; only vehicles built after August 2016) – $12,600
• Mazda 3 Sedan: (2020 or newer) – $13,000
• Toyota Prius Prime: (2017 or newer) – $16,200
• Honda Civic Hatchback: (2022 or newer) – $19,200
• Honda Civic Sedan: (2022 or newer) – $19,200
• Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid: (2019) – $19,300

Midsize cars

• Toyota Camry: (2018 or newer) – $13,100
• Mazda 6: (2019-21; only vehicles built after June 2019) – $14,000
• Subaru Legacy: (2020 or newer) – $15,700
• Nissan Maxima: (2020 or newer) – $16,900
• Kia K5: (2021 or newer; only vehicles built after November 2020) – $17,000
• Lexus IS: (2017 or newer; only vehicles built after June 2017) – $17,000
• Subaru Outback: (2020; only vehicles built after October 2019) – $17,400
• Volvo S60: (2021-22) – $17,500
• Hyundai Sonata: (2023 or newer; only vehicles built after December 2022) – $18,100
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class: (2019 or newer; except 2021 models built before February 2021) – $19,100
• Honda Accord: (2021 or newer) – $19,800

Large cars

• Genesis G80: (2017-20) – $12,200
• Genesis G90: (2017-22) – $12,400
• Acura RLX: (2018-20) – $16,700

Small SUVs

• BMW X2: (2019 or newer) – $12,200
• Mazda CX-3: (2020-21) – $12,900
• Subaru Forester: (2019 or newer) – $13,000
• Mazda CX-5: (2020 or newer) – $15,400
• Chevrolet Trailblazer: (2021 or newer) – $17,300
• Ford Bronco Sport: (2021 or newer) – $17,500
• Nissan Rogue: (2021 or newer) – $17,500
• Hyundai Tucson: (2022 or newer) – $17,600
• Mazda CX-30: (2022 or newer) – $18,000
• Kia EV6: (2022 or newer; only vehicles built after August 2022) – $19,800
• Mitsubishi Outlander: (2022 or newer; only vehicles built after June 2021) – $19,800
• Toyota Corolla Cross: (2022 or newer) – $19,800

These vehicles are equipped with standard AEB and good seat belt reminders. They also have average or better scores from CR for braking/handling and control usability. All are priced under $45,000 (April 2025 Kelley Blue Book).

Small cars

• Honda Civic Sedan
• Mazda 3 Hatchback
• Mazda 3 Sedan

Midsize cars

• Honda Accord
• Hyundai Ioniq 6
• Toyota Camry

Small SUVs

• Honda HR-V
• Hyundai Ioniq 5
• Hyundai Kona
• Hyundai Tucson
• Mazda CX-30
• Mazda CX-50
• Subaru Forester (excludes Wilderness trim)
• Subaru Solterra