Report: Best Cars for Teen Drivers
Honda, Hyundai, and Kia topped U.S. News & World Report's annual ‘Best New Cars for Teens’ list, while Buick, Toyota, and GM led the way in the pre-owned category.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. News & World Report today unveiled its “Best Cars for Teens,” a list of new and used cars with strong safety and reliability ratings, offer features designed to help prevent crashes, and give parents the tools they need to help their teens develop safe driving habits.
“While driving is a rite of passage for many teens, it’s also a major source of worry for parents,” said Jamie Page Deaton, executive editor of U.S. News Best Cars. “We selected cars with top-of-the-line safety features, including accident prevention and crash protection technologies, as well as features that allow parents to track their new drivers.”
All 2018 Best New Cars for Teens have available forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assist. Except for a few used cars, all Best Cars for Teens have available automatic braking, which can slow or stop the car when it detects a potential collision.

The Hyundai Ioniq, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage all have available smartphone apps that send parents alerts when the car goes over a set speed or is driven outside a set geographic area or after a certain time of day. These features allow parents to set limits for teen drivers and have an ongoing conversation with their teens about responsible driving habits.
To be named one of the Best New Cars for Teens, a vehicle has to have the best combination of reliability ratings, crash test scores, available advanced driver assistance features and top critics’ recommendations in the U.S. News Best Cars rankings in its price category. To be named a Best Used Car for Teens, a vehicle must be from the 2013 through 2015 model years and have the best combination of dependability and safety ratings, ownership costs, positive reviews from critics when the vehicles were new, and available tech that can help prevent crashes or lessen their severity.
To see the full 2018 list of Best New Cars for Teens, click here.
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