IIHS & Consumer Reports Update 2023 Recommended Vehicles for Teens

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports (CR) have released their annual teen vehicle list, offering families a selection of safe and practical options for young drivers. The list includes 16 new vehicles and 46 used vehicles that meet stringent safety criteria.

Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center, emphasizes the importance of choosing the right vehicle for teen drivers. While parents cannot control what happens on the road, they can have a say in the type of vehicle their teens drive. The list serves as a valuable resource for parents to find vehicles that prioritize safety.

Finding an appropriate and affordable vehicle can be a challenge, as prices for both new and used vehicles have remained high. Unlike previous years, most of the recommended vehicles on this year’s list for teens cost more than $10,000. Although price limits have been relaxed, the criteria for safety remain uncompromised.

David Zuby, IIHS Chief Research Officer, expresses concern about the rise in overall traffic deaths, including those involving teens. Inexperienced young drivers need vehicles that offer high levels of occupant protection, as well as good emergency handling, braking, and reliability. This ensures a balanced approach to crash avoidance and crash protection.

Certain criteria determine what makes a good teen vehicle. First, the vehicle should not be excessively powerful or sporty, as these can encourage speeding and reckless driving. Secondly, it should not be too small or too light, as these types of vehicles may not provide adequate protection in multiple-vehicle crashes.

While large SUVs or pickups may seem tempting due to their crash protection capabilities, they can be challenging to handle and have increased braking distances. Additionally, they pose higher risks to other road users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and occupants of smaller vehicles. Moderately sized vehicles strike a better balance between crash avoidance and crash protection.

The evaluation of crash protection differs for new and used vehicles. Older models are judged based on tests conducted by IIHS when they were introduced.

Used vehicles recommended for teens are divided into Best Choices and Good Choices. Best Choices offer a higher level of safety and range in price from $7,800 to $20,000, while Good Choices start at $6,600 and go up to $14,500. Both categories include vehicles with standard electronic stability control, above-average reliability, good emergency handling scores, and favorable ratings in various crash tests conducted by IIHS. They should also have a dry braking distance of less than 145 feet from 60 mph, and four or five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if rated.

Best Choices additionally have a good or acceptable rating in IIHS’s driver-side small overlap front test, which simulates collisions with other vehicles or objects from the front left corner.

The top tier of used vehicles also excludes models with higher than average insurance claim rates, considering medical payment, personal injury protection, and bodily injury liability coverage. The Highway Loss Data Institute, an IIHS affiliate, collects and analyzes insurance loss data by make and model, adjusting for factors such as driver age and gender.

Recommended new vehicles are held to an even higher standard than the Best Choices of used vehicles. All the recommended new vehicles for this year are 2023 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ winners. These vehicles have excellent ratings in frontal crash tests, side tests, and front crash prevention tests. They also have acceptable or good-rated headlights and good ratings for ease of use of their controls according to CR evaluations.

While the recommendations are primarily intended for young drivers, they can also be valuable for anyone seeking a safe, reliable, and affordable vehicle. The new-vehicle section is particularly useful for parents who plan to pass down their vehicles to their children in the future.

By prioritizing safety and considering the recommendations from IIHS and CR, families can make informed choices when selecting vehicles for their young drivers, ensuring their well-being on the road.

Best Used Vehicle Choices

Updated May 23, 2023

All listed vehicles earn good ratings in the IIHS original moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. If rated by NHTSA, they earn 4 or 5 stars overall. All come with standard electronic stability control and have a curb weight greater than 2,750 pounds. In addition, Best Choice vehicles also have a good or acceptable rating in the IIHS driver-side small overlap crash test, and none of them have substantially higher than average insurance claim rates under injury coverages.

In addition, all recommended vehicles have above-average reliability scores from CR (4 or 5 out of 5) for the majority of model years listed and CR emergency handling scores greater than or equal to 3 out of 5. They also have dry braking distances (going from 60 mph to zero) of 145 feet or less.

Prices, provided by Kelley Blue Book and rounded to the nearest $100, are average U.S. values from May 11, 2023, for the lowest trim level and earliest applicable model year. The estimates are based on the following criteria: vehicle in good condition, typical mileage and private party purchase.

Some listed models include a “built after” date. This applies when a manufacturer makes changes to improve safety in the middle of a model year. Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured can be found on the certification label typically affixed to the driver door or near it.

Good Used Vehicle Choices

Updated May 23, 2023

All listed vehicles earn good ratings in the IIHS original moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. If rated by NHTSA, they earn 4 or 5 stars overall. All come with standard electronic stability control and have a curb weight greater than 2,750 pounds.

In addition, all recommended vehicles have above-average reliability scores from CR (4 or 5 out of 5) for the majority of model years listed and CR emergency handling scores greater than or equal to 3 out of 5. They also have dry braking distances (going from 60 mph to zero) of 145 feet or less.

Prices, provided by Kelley Blue Book and rounded to the nearest $100, are average U.S. values from May 11, 2023, for the lowest trim level and earliest applicable model year. The estimates are based on the following criteria: vehicle in good condition, typical mileage and private party purchase.

Recommended New Vehicles

Updated May 23, 2023

All listed vehicles are winners of the 2023 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ award and come with standard vehicle-to-vehicle automatic emergency braking.

In addition, all vehicles have average or better reliability, based on CR’s member surveys; average or better scores from CR’s emergency handling tests; and dry braking distances of less than 140 feet from 60 mph in CR’s brake tests. They also receive a rating of good or better from CR for ease of use of their controls.

Vehicles that had substantially higher than average insurance claim rates under medical payment, personal injury protection or bodily injury liability coverage in recent model years are excluded unless they have been redesigned.

Prices, rounded to the nearest $100, reflect Kelley Blue Book New Car Fair Purchase Prices as of May 11, 2023, for the least expensive trim level.