How to Pick the Best Car For Your Teenager

 How to Pick the Best Car For Your Teenager

It’s the day every parent looks forward to and dreads at the same time—your kid finally has their driver’s license. Now, it’s time to unleash them onto the city streets of Goleta, but before that happens, you’re gonna need to help them buy their first car.

Picking the best cars for teens in Santa Barbara can be a daunting task for parents. It’s a big decision, but luckily, we’ve got some pointers for all of you first-time car buyers out there. Here’s how to find the best car for new drivers.

Include Them in the Process

Before they even get their license, it’s a good idea to start conversations with your teenager about the whole deal. Remember, this isn’t just about picking the right car—it’s a chance to gain knowledge that can help them for the rest of their lives.

When you’re shopping for a car, the first step is setting a budget. Sit down with them and help them tally up all the expected expenses. If they’re paying cash for a used car, how long will it take to save up for what they want? If you’re helping them finance, what kind of down payment and monthly bill can you expect? What about gas money? Maintenance? Insurance payments?

Even if Mom and Dad are footing the whole bill, talking to them about the money aspect of things is a golden educational opportunity. It’s usually a good idea to have them pay for something like gas or insurance, because this will give them some skin in the game and teach some responsibility.

Once the finances are hammered out, it’s time to get a general idea of what they want. Buying a Civic Type R with 315 horsepower may be tempting, but it’s probably a good idea to steer ‘em toward something a bit more sensible and save the sports car for when they get a little more road time.

Safety Is Key

Having a safe ride is important for pretty much everyone, but it’s especially important for teenagers who lack driving experience.

According to the IIHS, teenage drivers are almost four times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers aged 20 or older, and risk is highest at 16 years old. Apart from inexperience, teenagers are pretty famous for risky behaviors. You can’t be there to monitor your kids all the time, but finding the safest vehicle for teens can buy some peace of mind for everyone.

When researching the safest cars, both the IIHS and the NHTSA are great resources. The IIHS publishes extensive crash test results, and also gives annual Top Safety Pick awards for the safest vehicles. The NHTSA rates vehicle safety and crash testing on an easy to understand five-star scale, and also gives information about open recalls.

As a rule of thumb, small cars are less safe in a crash than larger ones, but bigger vehicles like trucks and large SUVs are more difficult to drive. Most experts agree that large sedans and midsize SUVs are the safest for teen drivers because they’re not too small, but they’re also not unwieldy, making them the easiest cars to drive for a beginner.

Go For Fuel Economy

Statistics tell us that teenagers drive less than most other age demographics, but it’s also not uncommon for a kid to go buck wild with the driving when they get their first ride, and this can result in some serious miles.

Because most teenagers are still in school, many of them don’t have a job, and the ones that do aren’t usually earning a ton of money. Grabbing a car with the best gas mileage is a great way to offset the cost at the pump. A good number to shoot for is at least 28 miles per gallon on the highway. Hybrids are also a fantastic option because of their improved city gas mileage.

A wallet-friendly four-cylinder may not be the most exciting whip, but your kid will thank you in the long run, especially if they keep the car after high school when they enter the job market or have to drive back from school in San Jose.

Consider Insurance

It’s no secret that adding a teen to your car insurance will make your premiums jump up considerably. There’s no real way around this, but there are ways you can lessen the blow.

The type of car you buy has a noticeable impact. Performance cars with powerful motors are seen as a liability, and luxury cars with tech out the wazoo can cost more to insure because of the potential cost of replacement. Even certain makes and models can result in a higher insurance bill, so picking specific models can go a long way toward lowering insurance (according to MarketWatch, Honda is one of the five cheapest brands to insure, wink).

There are also a few things the kiddo can do to lower insurance. Taking a driver safety program can get you a break, and some insurance companies also offer a good student discount for teenagers with solid grades and attendance.

To Buy New or Buy Used?

A little north of 80% of parents will go for a used vehicle for their kid’s first car. Used cars have the advantage of being considerably cheaper to buy, they cost less to insure, and shopping used can give a wider variety of choices.

On the other hand, buying a new car for a teenager living near Lompoc has its perks. New vehicles tend to cost very little to maintain, and they have the latest safety and driver assistance features.

There’s no single right answer, but consider this: According to recent data, many teenagers drive cars that their families already owned, and some end up driving older vehicles without modern safety tech, which can be extra dangerous. It’s worth thinking about buying a more recent model with features like electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, and advanced driver assistance features, if it fits your budget.

Thankfully, many pre-owned models have the best of both worlds—for instance, the 2015 Honda CR-V won an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, and it has plenty of modern safety technology at an affordable price.

Bring Them Shopping

Once you’ve done all your shopping and you have a good idea what you want, it’s finally time to hit the dealerships and see some cars in person. Bringing your teenager along to check out the process first hand is another crucial learning experience.

This is your chance to book a test drive so the young’un can get a feel for the car. Test driving is a key part of the buying process, and it’s a good idea to schedule it during off-peak hours so you have ample time with the car; sometime through the week is often your best bet.

Buy From the Most Trusted Dealerships Around

When you buy from Santa Barbara Honda, you can shop with confidence knowing that you’re getting a quality vehicle. We offer Carfax vehicle history reports and offer plenty of certified pre-owned models, which go through extensive inspections before they hit our lot near Ventura. Be sure to ask us about our used vehicle specials, which include some of the best cars under 15k around Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.