The Federal Highway Administration notes that 59.7 percent of 18-year-olds had a driver’s license in 2021, compared to more than 80 percent in 1983. For 16-year-olds with a driver’s license that number dropped from over 46 percent in 1983 to just 25.3 percent in 2021.
This means that many of the people who are just getting their licenses aren’t teen drivers at all. And there are benefits to waiting. In Massachusetts, for example, if you wait until you’re 18 to get a learner’s permit, you can apply for your driving test right away, rather than having to complete driver’s ed and drive around with your parents for a mandated 40 hours.
The old car-buying advice used to be that young drivers should spend some time in a beater, because the chances of collecting dents and dings are pretty high when you’re learning how to drive in traffic. But that’s not necessarily true anymore.
In fact, there’s good reason for new drivers of any age to look beyond used cars. Modern vehicles, even at the lowest end of the price spectrum, provide a ton of technology, like stability control, traction control, and rear-view cameras, to help first-time drivers avoid those minor bumps and collisions as they’re feeling their way around the streets during that first critical year.
But there's even more to look for in today's new cars. We’ve put together a list of cars that offer not only a relatively inexpensive point of entry, but also a comprehensive list of available advanced collision-avoidance equipment. We've steered clear of full-size SUVs and vehicles with manual transmissions, just to keep this as simple as possible for the first-time car buyer. These are some of the most affordable and safest cars and small SUVs available today.
The Best Cars for New Drivers in 2024
- Subcompact Car: Nissan Versa
- Compact Car: Honda Civic
- Midsize Car: Subaru Legacy
- Subcompact Crossover SUV: Hyundai Kona
- Compact Crossover SUV: Ford Bronco Sport/Ford Escape
- Midsize Crossover SUV: Honda Pilot
- Minivan: Chrysler Pacifica
- Sports Car: BMW 2 Series
- Pickup Truck: Honda Ridgeline
- Electric Vehicle: Hyundai Ioniq 5
Subcompact Car: Nissan Versa
The fuel-efficient Nissan Versa was once a bare bones car that made you feel pretty basic. Today, though, it’s an amazingly well-equipped small car and the kind of technology that no more than a decade ago was reserved for the most luxurious cars on the road. On a new Versa, air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, a 7-inch color touchscreen for the infotainment system are all standard equipment, and you get a combined 35 mpg fuel economy with the available automatic transmission. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are standard on upper trims and optional on the base model.
The Versa exceeds expectations when it comes to standard driver-assist tech. Despite its entry-level status, the base Versa S comes standard with automatic emergency braking (with pedestrian detection) and lane-departure warning. Step up to the Versa SV and you gain blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The top spec Versa SR adds adaptive cruise control to the standard features from those lower trim levels, making for a fairly complete array of driver aids.
Compact Car: Honda Civic
The Honda Civic was all new for the 2022 model year and carries over unchanged. The Civic is offered as both a sedan and a five-door liftback. The price difference between the two body styles is $1,000, and the trim levels are basically the same, no matter which body style you choose.
Thanks to its regular placement on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick list, Honda has been aggressive about including all of its advanced safety technology on every trim level as a standard feature for quite a while now. Competitive manufacturers may reserve things like adaptive cruise control for the high trims while offering automatic emergency braking at the lower trim level. Not Honda. Buy the cheapo LX trim and you get the same advanced safety tech as you would on the expensive Touring.
It's worth considering that when you compare vehicles from other manufacturers. If you can get into a Civic at the low end, while the same technology forces you into a higher trim or an option package with another manufacturer, the Honda could offer better value.
Midsize Car: Subaru Legacy
With all of the attention given to Subaru’s SUVs and crossovers, like the Outback and the Forester, people tend to forget that the Legacy sedan exists. It’s too bad, because it’s a well-equipped vehicle for the money, especially in the lower trims.
No matter what version of the new Legacy you choose, you get standard AWD as well as Subaru's EyeSight driver-assist technology, which includes features like pre-collision braking, advanced adaptive cruise control, and lane-centering technology. Subaru’s DriverFocus distraction mitigation is a technology that monitors the driver's movements behind the wheel and issues an alert if the system detects that you’re drowsy or unfocused, something that new drivers can often ignore when they’re just learning the ropes. It’s why Subaru has been the recipient of such great crash test safety ratings for so long—five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is nothing to sneeze at.
Subcompact Crossover SUV: Hyundai Kona
The Hyundai Kona is all new for the 2024 model year and is the smallest crossover in Hyundai’s lineup, slotting in below the Tucson. It was a pretty bare-bones car when it first arrived in 2017, but this all-new model now offers four well-equipped trim levels, with increasing levels of comfort, convenience, and style variations, plus a separate model with an EV drivetrain. Kona prices range from $24,100 for the entry-level SE up to $31,650 for the Limited, which has features like synthetic leather seats, and a surround view monitor. And don’t forget, 2024 Konas come with a five-year/60,000-mile basic and a 10-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty, as well as complimentary maintenance for the first three years or 36,000 miles.
Hyundai ups the safety ante with the 2024 Kona, including blind-spot collision avoidance assist with both pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance detection, and high-beam assist as standard equipment. Adaptive cruise control is standard on N-Line and Limited trims.
Compact Crossover SUV: Ford Bronco Sport/Ford Escape
We’re including both the Escape and the Bronco Sport in this segment because it’s nice to have a bit of choice. These two compact crossover SUVs are both underpinned by the same basic architecture—Ford’s C2 platform. You’ll also get the same power plant—a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder good for 181 horsepower, or a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 250 horsepower. The Escape is also available with a 2.5-liter hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain for those seeking improved efficiency.
Where these cousins diverge is in their intended use. The Ford Escape is essentially a tall compact station wagon, and a reliable partner for all of your on-road excursions. One of the things we love about it is how quiet it is at highway speeds, something that cuts down on fatigue on a long ride. The Bronco Sport, on the other hand, has aspirations of being an off-road vehicle, with something called G.O.A.T. (Goes Over All Terrain) modes giving its AWD system a selectable profile to match the conditions you’re facing.
Either of these two vehicles comes standard with Ford Co-Pilot360, which comprises the whole suite of advanced safety technology, including pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, a blind-spot information system with cross-traffic alert, a lane-keeping system, and automatic high-beam headlights.
Midsize Crossover SUV: Honda Pilot
The Pilot is at the large end of the “midsize” crossover segment, and it’s really as big as we’ll go with these recommendations. Many people equate size with practicality, but hopping behind the wheel of a massive, full-size, nine-passenger SUV with a brand new driver’s license is a recipe for parking lot disasters. Our recommendation is to wait a few years before you opt for a vehicle of that size.
The Pilot isn’t cheap. It starts at more than $37,000, and that’s for the least expensive trim level, with front-wheel drive (FWD). If you want AWD (and most people do), you’ll be adding $2,100 to the bottom line, bringing the base price before a single option to just under $40k.
What it does include, though, is Honda Sensing technology in every trim level, as standard equipment. Honda Sensing includes lane-keeping assist, collision-mitigation braking, road-departure mitigation, traffic-sign recognition, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control—all designed to help you avoid a crash instead of focusing solely on protecting you after you’ve already gotten in one, the way seat belts and airbags do.
Minivan: Chrysler Pacifica
The “mini” in “minivan” made its exit decades ago. These are now 4,000-pound (or more) vehicles that can haul up to eight passengers. But they’re still based on a smaller footprint than a full-size SUV, and as a result, they’re easier to drive and easier to get in and out of than a truck-based SUV.
Like many of the other models on this list, the Pacifica also brims with safety equipment that helps keep you out of trouble on the road, in intersections, and even in parking lots. For new drivers, parking lots provide a minefield of potential collisions as you learn to understand where the corners of the vehicle are. Features like ParkSense rear park assist and rear cross-path detection are extremely helpful in parking lot situations, for both new drivers and old. And all of the advanced safety equipment is standard on every Pacifica, from the base Touring trim all the way up to the fuel-saving Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid.
Sports Car: BMW 2 Series
Who says your first car needs to be something dull and uninspiring? You’ve waited this long to drive, so why not choose something that offers an excellent driving experience? The BMW 2 Series is an amazing little car, available as either a four-door sedan which BMW calls the Gran Coupe, or a two-door coupe. Sadly, BMW axed the convertible in 2022, but we still love the two-door, and considering the price of everything else, it’s something of a bargain.
With a starting price of $38,400, the 2 Series Gran Coupe includes standard safety features such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, and forward collision warning. In fact, the only safety-related options are adaptive cruise control for $500, and a $100 drive recorder that takes a video at all times to help you with insurance claims.
Pickup Truck: Honda Ridgeline
While we would consider the Ford Ranger a great first pickup, the Honda Ridgeline represents a much better option for first-time car buyers. Every Ridgeline features i-VTM4 all-wheel drive (AWD) for improved all-weather traction.
The Ridgeline also includes all of the Honda Sensing equipment shared with the Honda Pilot that it’s based on, in every trim level. Most of this stuff you can’t get on a Ranger at all, let alone on the lower trim levels.
Finally, the Ridgeline is just easy to live with. No, you’re not going to get any high-fives at Bass Pro Shops like you would if you bought a Ford F-250 Super Duty, but you’re going to be a lot more comfortable by the time you get home.
Electric Vehicle: Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Ioniq 5 is likely to turn heads everywhere you go. It’s built on the same platform as the Kia EV6, and both have their advantages. The EV6 is a little more sporty, while the Ioniq 5 is more of a crossover SUV with good cargo space and a “touring car” driving dynamic.
This futuristic-appearing vehicle has garnered all kinds of awards since it was launched, thanks to its available 303-mile range, available HTRAC AWD, and standard 320 horsepower. It’s a thrill to drive and makes you feel like you’re aboard a magic carpet with its silent acceleration. Hyundai offers the Ioniq 5 with Smart Cruise Control in every trim. The only safety features you’ll miss in the lowest SE trim are the Surround View Monitor and the Blind-Spot View Monitor, both of which are only available on the top-end Limited trim.
If you’re brand new to driving, you have none of the preconceived notions about how a car should operate. You might as well jump into the future with both feet, and the Ioniq 5 is a fantastic choice.