A lot of parents ask me what I might recommend as the best car for a new driver.
My best advice is to think about how they will use this car. If you have 8 kids and four really big dogs, a small car may not be the best fit for the family. If your kiddo loves to ski and plans to drive up mountains in the snow, maybe 4-wheel drive will be important. If they do a lot of stop-and-go city driving, a standard transmission might be a poor choice unless they like standing on a clutch. You want to feel good about the car, and you want them to like the car. Of course, some are more interested than others in things like the color, number of cup-holders, and aux-cord availability. New cars may have all the modern safety features you are looking for, whereas a used car may be more affordable.
I think reliability should be the first priority. I think safety is also important. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put out this article about the latest safety ratings for cars for teen drivers. Cost will also certainly be a factor. Think about the costs of not just the car, but insurance, maintenance, gas mileage, and/or repairs.
Think about the tone of the discussion too. If you are telling your teenager that an old beater is the best choice because you think that they are likely to ding it up, that’s not a great vote of confidence for them. On the other hand, if you are getting them a brand new dream car, it may be overpowered for them and you may be sending the message that a new car is no big deal and that if they wreck it, it’s no problem, you’ll just get them another one. Think about how you want them to feel about the car. I would try for something in the middle where they will respect the car and try their best to take good care of it, but also not be beside themselves if something small happens to it.
Buying a car is an emotional purchase, and we all remember our first car. Think about how you felt about yours, and find that balance between practical, safe, and really liking the car. They only get one first car, make it a good one. Good luck!