The best new car options for young drivers will feature a high level of quality, reliability, safety, and technology that helps prevent accidents, which are common in inexperienced drivers. The prices of these cars range from $20,000 to $40,000. If you aim for the higher-priced vehicle, it will most likely be big enough to accommodate a family, so this would be a good multi-use family vehicle.
Unfortunately, the price of cars tends to start with a base price, which is unlikely to include all the safety, comfort, and entertainment options, most desired by young drivers. So, it might be that you will need to consider the higher-priced car to cover these features for the new or young driver in your family.
Not necessarily suited to everyone's budget, a new vehicle will categorically carry better safety and reliability technologies, and although more expensive an outlay in the beginning, the lower running costs will balance that out in the long term.
Let's start with the lower end of the budget and work our way to the top.
2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid: Prices Ranging From $20k-$25k
This sedan is a model in the current Hyundai range and comes in at the lower end of the budget, between $20,000 and $25,000, with some surprising features for a base range model. Being a hybrid, the Elantra has stunning fuel economy, an obvious bonus to any young driver. In addition, it has some really valuable safety features, including lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and a blind spot monitoring system.
The Elantra is also a fan of the planet and harnesses powertrain technology that allows the car to reach an impressive 53mpg in the city and 56mpg when driving on the highways.
The Elantra is charged using an electric motor, and an internal combustion engine (ICE) is used to recharge the battery when the electric motor runs out of juice. Although hybrid car technology is still fairly new to us, it is believed the hybrid battery will last between 10 and 15 years.
All this safety, economy, and planet support for just US$23,550. And it also ticks the 'family size' box, making it a functional vehicle.
2021 GMC Terrain: Prices Ranging From $25k-$30k
The GMC Terrain is a great-looking, rugged, capable SUV but comes with a significantly higher price tag than the Hyundai models. The SLE models begin at $28,400, but you will need to add on the GMC Pro-Safety Plus Package, costing $695, to secure the blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning, auto emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and rear cross traffic alert features.
The Terrain also features GM's Teen Driver Technology as standard. This will track the behavior of young drivers behind the wheel and will also allow the parents to set speed limits and to access reviews on speed, distance, and any activation of the forward-collision warning system.
Safety standards on the Terrain are excellent, with a five-star rating for the crash test. The Terrain achieved a higher than average reliability score from JD Power. This car ticks all the boxes for a young driver in terms of safety and reliability. It also looks very cool.
2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid: Prices Ranging From $30k-$35k
Even at the higher end of the budget, the base model of the Kia Sorento Hybrid comes with a number of safety features included as standard. On top of that, this model also comes with reverse automatic braking and Kia Connect. Similar to the GMC Terrain, this technology allows parents to receive alerts if their young driver has breached any set boundaries.
The Sorento is a self-charging hybrid, which uses electric power and a combustion engine, guaranteeing exceptional fuel efficiency and lower emissions. The beauty of hybrids is that charging stations are not required. The Sorrento can recharge its battery while the car is being driven, using regenerative braking.
Due to its fuel efficiency and a number of safety features, the Kia Sorento Hybrid, is another good choice for a young driver, particularly as it would, once again, work well for the whole family to use.
2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid: Prices Ranging From $35k-$40k
This sedan from Toyota is one of the safest and fuel economic vehicles to be considered for young drivers. Achieving a combined (city and highway driving) MPG of 52 makes it one of the most economic cars that you can buy today. In addition, the Camry Hybrid offers many safety features as standard, such as the Toyota Safety Sense function, which includes automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assist. Other features like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are available but at an additional cost.
Like the GMC Terrain and the Kia Sorento, Toyota has introduced similar technology, called Toyota's Remote Connect, which again allows parents to receive alerts about speed, location, and curfew boundaries.
Hopefully, this article will provide a clear idea of what options there are for young drivers and their families.