IIHS and Consumer Reports Name 2026's Safest Used Cars for Teen Drivers, Starting at $13,100

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Consumer Reports released their 2026 list of safest used vehicles for teen drivers on May 27, naming the Toyota Camry, Mazda CX-5, and Subaru Forester among the top picks. Prices on the recommended models start at $13,100, and 45 of the qualifying vehicles cost under $10,000.

Adding a 16-year-old to a parent's policy averages $5,740 a year, according to Bankrate. Choosing a vehicle that insurers favor can trim hundreds of dollars off that premium before the car ever reaches the driveway.

What Made the 2026 List

IIHS and Consumer Reports built the 2026 guide around three hard cutoffs. Every qualifying vehicle weighs more than 2,750 pounds, earns a good rating in the IIHS driver-side small overlap front crash test, and posts strong braking and emergency-handling scores from Consumer Reports. Models in the higher Best Choices tier add two requirements: automatic emergency braking rated advanced or superior, plus headlights graded acceptable or good.

Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota dominate the rankings. The Mazda CX-5 leads on price at $13,100 for 2018 and newer versions built after March 2018, trailed by the Mazda 3 at $13,200 and the Subaru Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid at $13,600. Midsize sedans cluster between $15,200 and $18,700, with the Toyota Camry landing at $17,300 and the Subaru Outback at $18,700. Four electric vehicles cleared the bar at this price point, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 at $16,700 and the Kia EV6 at $18,700.

The automatic emergency braking requirement reflects a wider safety shift. HLDI data shows crash-avoidance features cut insurance claims, and IIHS now treats those systems as a baseline for any car it recommends to a new driver.

Top Best Choices and What They Cost

Vehicle	Body Style	Used Price From	Teen Insurance Note
Mazda CX-5	Small SUV	$13,100	About $440/mo on a shared parent policy
Mazda 3	Small car	$13,200	Low repair costs, moderate horsepower
Subaru Crosstrek PHEV	Small car	$13,600	All-wheel drive, plug-in hybrid
Subaru Forester	Small SUV	$15,900	Near $1,891/yr as a standalone teen policy
Hyundai Ioniq 5	Small SUV (EV)	$16,700	Electric; confirm higher repair and premium cost
Toyota Camry	Midsize car	$17,300	High reliability, inexpensive parts
Subaru Outback	Midsize car	$18,700	About $440/mo on a shared parent policy

Used prices reflect IIHS and Consumer Reports estimates as of May 2026 for the listed model years. Insurance figures come from MoneyGeek, Bankrate, and The Zebra and assume a 16-year-old driver with full coverage; actual premiums vary by state, ZIP code, and driving record.

What the List Means for Your Insurance Bill

Auto-news coverage of the list stops at sticker prices, yet the bigger number for most families is the insurance premium. The Zebra pegs the cost of adding a new teen driver at nearly $8,000 a year, and a parent's policy that runs $3,184 on its own can climb to $7,699 once a 16-year-old joins it. Vehicle choice moves that figure in both directions.

Several IIHS picks rank among the cheapest cars to insure for teens. MoneyGeek data places the Subaru Forester near the bottom of the cost scale at roughly $1,891 a year as a standalone teen policy, and lists the Subaru Outback, Honda CR-V, and Mazda CX-5 around $440 a month for full coverage when a teen shares a parent's plan. All three carry low repair costs and moderate horsepower, the two traits insurers reward most.

None of that is accidental. Insurers price a car on how often it files claims and how much each claim costs to settle, so a heavier crossover with a strong crash record and cheap body panels beats a sporty subcompact on nearly every rating factor. Our breakdown of why a 16-year-old now costs $5,740 a year to add shows how much the right vehicle can offset.

Why Bigger and Slower Wins for Teen Drivers

The size rule traces directly to how teens crash. Drivers ages 16 to 19 carry a fatal crash rate per mile nearly three times that of drivers 20 and older, and the risk peaks at ages 16 and 17, according to IIHS. That same rate runs roughly four times higher at night than during daylight hours.

Single-vehicle wrecks drive much of the toll. In 2023, 43% of teen drivers ages 16 to 19 involved in fatal crashes had run off the road or struck a fixed object with no other vehicle involved, the highest share of any age group, and 3,048 teenagers died in U.S. crashes that year. A vehicle over 2,750 pounds absorbs more crash energy than a minicar, which explains why compact SUVs and midsize sedans fill the list while subcompacts and high-horsepower coupes are shut out.

IIHS pairs the used list with new-vehicle picks for buyers with bigger budgets. Mazda and Hyundai each placed six models on the 2026 new-car list, and shoppers can cross-check those against the 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick winners before signing a loan.

What You Should Do Now

Looking Ahead

IIHS refreshes the teen list every spring, and the 2027 edition will likely fold in more 2023 and 2024 model years as their prices fall. Expect additional electric models to qualify as used EV inventory grows and repair networks expand past the four that made the 2026 cut. For now, the cheapest safe pick on the board is the $13,100 Mazda CX-5, and rates on every model are worth comparing before the next school year starts.

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