Choosing a vehicle for your teen driver is a tricky task. You want something that’s safe, reliable, and affordable at once. Perhaps you’ll purchase a spacious family vehicle with the longevity to become your teen’s first car in a few years. If you need something now, a new or used sedan can meet all their needs in a neat, compact package. Consider these contenders for your teen’s new car.
Chrysler Pacifica
The Chrysler Pacifica is a great family vehicle with seating for seven. You might purchase a Pacifica for yourself as your daily driver while you’re shuttling kids to practices and games, then plan on passing this vehicle along to your teen when they’re old enough to drive. The 2021 model delivers 28 MPG highway and 19 MPG city to make your daily trips more affordable. Choose the Pacifica Hybrid and you’ll get a stunning 82 MPGe combined and a range of 520 miles.
The Chrysler Pacifica regularly earns a five-star safety rating from NHTSA. It’s the highest-rated minivan in the TCC’s rating system. In models from 2019 forward, you’ll find features like forward collision warning with active braking and LaneSense lane departure warning with lane keep assist. The parallel and perpendicular park assist features make tricky parking tasks much easier for new drivers who can use the extra help.
Teens will also love the technology features in the Pacifica, like Uconnect with a free WiFi hotspot that lets your kids log in to their favorite apps from the car. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto let your young driver stay focused on the road and control music, maps, messages, and calls by voice alone.
Chrysler 200
A midsize four-door sedan, the Chrysler 200 is a good choice when you don’t want your teen to have too much room to transport a lot of friends. If you’re looking for a used model, the 2017 is a good place to start. You’ll enjoy a wealth of helpful features like a back-up camera and auto-off headlights. Keyless start allows your teen to warm up the car before heading off to school. The wireless cell phone hookup makes it easy for young drivers to connect their devices.
The Chrysler 200 is one of the cheapest Chrysler models to repair with an average cost of just $204 for fixes. It offers 18/28 MPG city/highway to help keep fuel costs manageable. The 2017 Chrysler 200 enjoys a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA, so you’ll enjoy peace of mind when your teen heads off in this vehicle.
Chrysler Voyager
The Chrysler Voyager is another great minivan to consider if you want a family vehicle for right now that will become a great car for your teen driver in the future. The Voyager is extremely similar to the Pacifica, but comes at a lower price point with fewer bells and whistles. The KBB called the 2020 Voyager the 5-Year Cost-to-Own champion. The base model has all the essentials including a tire pressure monitoring system to help your teen keep up with maintenance and hands-free Bluetooth integration to keep your driver’s hands on the wheels.
Offering 19/28 MPG city/highway, this is an efficient choice for hitting the road. NHTSA gives this vehicle a five-star safety rating. It offers traction control, a blind spot monitor, brake assist, and electronic stability control. This minivan covers all the bases and provides a versatile range of features that make it as efficient for your teen as it is for the entire family.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee offers a smooth, safe ride that will give new drivers confidence and parents peace of mind. Features include a forward collision warning system to alert the driver to obstacles in their path, a lane departure warning to keep teens from drifting from the center of the road, and a backup camera that will make it easier than ever to get out of tight spots and keep from backing into unexpected hazards.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee offers eight cup holders, so your teen and their friends have plenty of places for their beverages as they’re cruising around town. The Jeep connects wirelessly to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so young drivers can keep their hands on the wheel. The car’s built-in touchscreen navigation system will make sure the driver can never get lost, even if their phone dies.
Offering 19 MPG in the city and an impressive 36 MPG on the highway, the Jeep Grand Cherokee helps keep gas expenses low. If you’re looking for a vehicle to send your teen to college in, this spacious pick is sure to have space for all their bags. It can hold 24 pieces of luggage with the seats down, so loading into the dorms will be an easy one-trip affair.
Dodge Durango
Dodge vehicles are cheaper to maintain than those from other automakers, making them a great choice for a teenager on a limited budget. The Dodge Durango is one of the most affordable Dodge vehicles to own with average repair costs of just $144. The 2019 Dodge Durango offers 19/26 MPG city/highway making it a competitive choice in terms of fuel costs.
With a 2019 or newer model, you’ll enjoy safety features like ready-alert braking to ease the severity of a forward collision and rain brake support to make it easier to maintain control of the vehicle in wet conditions. Blind spot monitoring, parking assistance, and electronic stability control help teens out as well. Support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an 8.4-inch screen with navigation will give teens access to all the information they need while keeping their attention on the road and not their phones.
We understand all the complexities of picking a car for your family. Come visit our team at Huffines CJDR Lewisville for expert guidance in finding the best vehicle for your needs. We’ll help you explore both new and used options to pinpoint the best vehicle for your teen, then help you navigate financing, incentive programs, and other deals so you get the best price possible for your find.
Image via Flickr by crash71100