A list of recommended new vehicles for teen drivers has been compiled by Consumer Reports (CR) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The two organizations created the list of 18 cars following their recently published joint list of recommended used vehicles for teens.

“While buying a new car for a young driver is less common than buying used, new vehicles offer the latest in both crash avoidance and crash protection technologies,” said Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center.

The recommended vehicles are all winners of the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, meaning they have good ratings in all six of the Institute’s crashworthiness tests, advanced or superior ratings for front crash prevention, and acceptable- or good-rated headlights.

The 18 new models which make it into the list are:

Small cars:

  • Honda Insight
  • Mazda 3 (sedan and hatchback)
  • Toyota Corolla (XLE/XSE sedan + Advanced Lighting; XSE hatchback + Preferred package)

Midsize cars:

  • Subaru Legacy
  • Honda Accord (excluding Touring 2.0T and Touring Hybrid)
  • Mazda 6
  • Nissan Altima (SR, SV, SL and Platinum trims)
  • Subaru Outback (built after October 2019)

Small SUVS:

  • Mazda CX-3
  • Subaru Forester
  • Mazda CX-5
  • Chevrolet Equinox (LT only)
  • Honda CR-V (Touring and all hybrid trims)
  • Lexus UX (with Triple-Beam LED Headlamps with Auto-Leveling)
  • Kia Sportage (SX Turbo only; built after September 2019)
  • Toyota RAV4 (Hybrid Limited only with Adaptive Front Headlight System)

Midsize SUVS

  • Hyundai Santa Fe (SEL trim with Premium package or Limited trim)
  • Mazda CX-9 (built after December 2019)