U.S. News & World Report Unveils the Best Cars for Teens

Advanced safety and driver assistance features keep teens safe and encourage good driving habits.

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Aug 21, 2018, 00:01 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, publisher of Best Cars for Families and Best Cars for the Money, today unveiled the Best Cars for Teens. The new and used cars on the list have strong safety and reliability ratings, as well as features that can help prevent crashes and give parents the tools they need to help their teens develop safe driving habits.

The 2018 Best New Cars for Teens
To see the full list, click here.

Cars	Price Range
2019 Honda Fit	$20,000 and under
2018 Hyundai Ioniq	$20,000 to $25,000

SUVs and Crossovers	Price Range
2018 Kia Sportage	$25,000 to $30,000

The 2018 Best Used Cars for Teens

Cars	Class
2015 Buick LaCrosse	Large Cars
2015 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid	Midsize Cars

SUVs and Crossovers	Class
2014 GMC Terrain	Small SUVs

"While driving is a rite of passage for many teens, it's also a major source of worry for parents," says 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 – which alerts the driver if the car strays out of its lane – and lane keeping assist, which can also help keep the car in its lane. 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.

Since 2007, U.S. News Best Cars, the automotive channel of U.S. News & World Report, has published rankings for the majority of new vehicles sold in America. Each year, U.S. News also publishes the Best Cars awards, including Best Vehicle Brands, Best Cars for the Money and Best Cars for Families. U.S. News Best Cars had more than 65 million visitors over the past year, with the majority of consumers actively shopping for a car. Eighty percent of active shoppers reported that the U.S. News Best Cars site influenced their car purchasing decision.

About U.S. News & World Report

Celebrating its 85th year, U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and Civic, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report