Video: Best cars for teens and seniors
Aug 4, 2010 2:35 PM
Consumer Reports featured picks for young, old, tall, and small drivers in the September 2010 issue.
Often parents think that putting their child in the biggest car is the safest thing they can do, but that's ignoring the active safety aspect or the ability of the vehicle to avoid the accident in the first place. Teens are the most inexperienced drivers on the road, so you want to make sure they're driving something that handles well, brakes well, is agile and has as many safety features as possible—especially electronic stability control.
Consumer Reports recommends choosing a teen car with features like electronic stability control, antilock brakes, and curtain air bags, as well as good crash-test results. Avoid trucks and large SUVs because they tend to have clumsy handling, poor fuel economy, and their high centers of gravity make them more prone to roll over. Sports cars or other high-performance cars are another bad idea, with a higher rate of accidents than other cars and insurance rates to match.
Admittedly, the best cars for your teen may be more expensive than budgeted, but we urge families to consider the benefits of making the right choice. Teenagers are four times as likely to crash than older drivers, and car crashes are the number one killer of teens. (See affordable, safe cars for teens.)
Often the best car is not simply handing down the family car. Having an easy-to-drive vehicle with the core safety features and attributes is key, and reliability is a greater concern for students attending school away from home.
Many states have graduated licensing programs that progress teens through a series of steps to achieve the full freedom of driving, by restricting driving hours, passengers, and cell-phone usage. Even if your state doesn't have such a program in place, you can implement one at home. Studies have shown that there are biological risk factors that diminish as your teen becomes a young adult, signaling immaturity as a significant concern. Limiting risks when the teen is 16 and even 17 years old can increase the chances of responsible, accident-free driving.
A teen can benefit from going beyond a basic driver's education course to participating in a defensive driving class. We recently followed four teens through such a program, and testing before and after found both confidence and skills improved, better preparing them for safe driving and handing emergency situations.
All the models on Consumer Reports' lists have at least average reliability and are Recommended vehicles. In the September issue, we named only one car suitable for all four driver types—young, old, tall, and small drivers—the Honda Accord.
Recommended cars for teen drivers
Small sedans: Hyundai Elantra SE (2008-2010), Mazda3 (2007-), Scion xB (2008-)
Midsized sedans: Acura TSX (2004-), Honda Accord (2008-), Kia Optima (2007-)
Small SUVs: Honda CR-V (2005-), Nissan Rogue (2008-)
ESC is standard or optional starting with the years listed
"When it comes to finding the right cars for seniors, we recommend vehicles that offer easy access, good visibility, a roomy driving position and comfortable seats," Champion added.
Recommended cars for senior drivers
Minivans: Honda Odyssey
Small SUV: Subaru Forester XT Limited
Upscale sedan: Hyundai Azera
Family sedan: Honda Accord
Microvan: Kia Rondo
—Jeff Bartlett
Related:
2010 Best cars for teen drivers
2010 Best cars for teen drivers: More affordable alternatives
Car crashes in teens connected to early school start
Admittedly, the best cars for your teen may be more expensive than budgeted, but we urge families to consider the benefits of making the right choice. Teenagers are four times as likely to crash than older drivers, and car crashes are the number one killer of teens. (See affordable, safe cars for teens.)
Often the best car is not simply handing down the family car. Having an easy-to-drive vehicle with the core safety features and attributes is key, and reliability is a greater concern for students attending school away from home.
Many states have graduated licensing programs that progress teens through a series of steps to achieve the full freedom of driving, by restricting driving hours, passengers, and cell-phone usage. Even if your state doesn't have such a program in place, you can implement one at home. Studies have shown that there are biological risk factors that diminish as your teen becomes a young adult, signaling immaturity as a significant concern. Limiting risks when the teen is 16 and even 17 years old can increase the chances of responsible, accident-free driving.
A teen can benefit from going beyond a basic driver's education course to participating in a defensive driving class. We recently followed four teens through such a program, and testing before and after found both confidence and skills improved, better preparing them for safe driving and handing emergency situations.
All the models on Consumer Reports' lists have at least average reliability and are Recommended vehicles. In the September issue, we named only one car suitable for all four driver types—young, old, tall, and small drivers—the Honda Accord.
Recommended cars for teen drivers
Small sedans: Hyundai Elantra SE (2008-2010), Mazda3 (2007-), Scion xB (2008-)
Midsized sedans: Acura TSX (2004-), Honda Accord (2008-), Kia Optima (2007-)
Small SUVs: Honda CR-V (2005-), Nissan Rogue (2008-)
ESC is standard or optional starting with the years listed
"When it comes to finding the right cars for seniors, we recommend vehicles that offer easy access, good visibility, a roomy driving position and comfortable seats," Champion added.
Recommended cars for senior drivers
Minivans: Honda Odyssey
Small SUV: Subaru Forester XT Limited
Upscale sedan: Hyundai Azera
Family sedan: Honda Accord
Microvan: Kia Rondo
—Jeff Bartlett
Related:
2010 Best cars for teen drivers
2010 Best cars for teen drivers: More affordable alternatives
Car crashes in teens connected to early school start
Learn more about car safety, and see our guide to kids and car safety.
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