IIHS and Consumer Reports list safest cars for teen drivers

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Consumer Reports released their annual list of safest vehicles for teen drivers on Wednesday.

The ranking covers 96 new and used models chosen for crash protection, brakes, headlights, display systems and emergency handling.

"We curate this annual list specifically for teens because driving holds extra risk for them," said Rebecca Weast, senior research scientist at the IIHS.

Twenty-nine used vehicles priced under $20,000 made the top tier. All have highly rated headlights and automatic emergency braking. Another 45 used models under $10,000 earned good crash-protection ratings. Model years for the used cars range from 2012 to 2025.

The list also includes about two dozen 2026 models that passed IIHS crash tests and earned safety awards from both groups.

Vehicles were left off the list if they had too much horsepower for their weight or were sold as performance cars. Minicars were excluded for weak crash protection. Large SUVs and pickups were left out because they are harder to handle and raise risk for others on the road.

Top used vehicles under $20,000 include the Mazda 3 hatchback and sedan from 2019-2025, the Subaru Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid from 2019-2023, the Nissan Maxima from 2020-2023, the Subaru Legacy from 2020-2025, the Toyota Camry from 2019-2025, the Kia K5 from 2021-2024, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 from 2023-2025, the Mazda CX-5 from 2018-2025, the Subaru Forester from 2019-2025, the Hyundai Tucson from 2022-2025, the Mazda CX-9 from 2020-2023 and the Ford Explorer from 2020-2024.

Used vehicles under $10,000 include the Mini Countryman from 2012-2024, the Nissan Sentra from 2015-2025, the Kia Soul from 2015-2025, the Hyundai Elantra from 2017-2025, the Honda Civic from 2014-2025, the Chevrolet Malibu from 2014-2025, the Honda Accord from 2013-2025, the Chevrolet Equinox from 2014-2024, the Nissan Rogue from 2014-2020, the Volvo XC90 from 2013-2024 and the Audi Q5 from 2015-2025.

The 2026 models on the list are the Mazda 3, Toyota Prius, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Hyundai Kona, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-30, Mazda CX-50, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry.