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What car would keep your teen safest on the road? Here is what experts say

FILE - A person walks through a parking lot (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) (Matt Rourke, Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – For teenagers, the combination of inexperience and lack of driving judgment makes driving especially risky. Car crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens, so choosing a car for your teen driver is no simple task. Luckily two safety groups have come together with a list of used cars that are safe, reliable, and ideal for your young driver.

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To help you strike a balance between cost and safety Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) identified more than 50 used cars under $20,000 with top safety and reliability ratings.

On the list, you’ll find some popular names, like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Tucson. And luckily, as cars continue to get safer, and prices on the new and used market have stabilized. So, CR and IIHS have been able to point families to even better options this year!

Consumer Reports says that proven safety features like forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot warning – are worth considering. A teen driver’s first vehicle should be a balanced, not too small, not too big, and not too fast!

Those who want and can splurge for a new vehicle have many recommended models to choose from- one benefit is the bumper-to-bumper warranty that usually comes with new cars.

Click here to see the full list from Consumer Reports. Click here for the report on safe vehicles from the IIHS.


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