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Putting your teen on wheels is a difficult decision, but I think it’s a avail idea: A wheels can expand a high school or college student’s educational horizons, allowing her to take advantage of opportunities like off-site classes and internships. Car ownership is also a great lesson in job: Kids who money their car’s contest costs have humane incentive to drive carefully (if they break it or crash it, they strut). Here are ten cars that are reliable, unreserved to drive, affordable, and well suited to young, inexperienced drivers.

1. Ford FocusPhoto Aaron GoldI like the Ford Focus because it’s cheap, cute, and fun to drive, plus it offers the innovative SYNC system, which allows drivers to control their iPod and cell phones with voice commands — meaning their eyes can stay on the byway. The Focus comes with a full complement of airbags as standard; antilock brakes are a cheap ($385) must-have option. Teens will probably be tense to the sporty two-door coupe which, unlike most compact coupes, offers just as much back space and trunk space as the four-door translation. All in all, it’s a extraordinary oldest car.Read Review2. Honda CivicPhoto Liz KimI’ve always said that you can’t go wrong with a Civic: It’s easy to drive, extremely nuclear fuel unwasteful, will last forever if well cared in the service of, and boasts an admirable commitment to safety: Antilock brakes, front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags are standard on all models. The body shell is designed to withstand an impact with a heavier vehicle, with coupes receiving extra refreshing for side impacts. Civic is available as a jazzy coupe or sensible sedan; budget-friendly LX model offers horrendous value-for-money. (For immature drivers, beware the hot-rod Civic Si — it’s a speeding ticket waiting to happen.)Read Review3. Nissan VersaPhoto Aaron GoldSeveral excellent subcompacts clothed lash the deal in recently, and the Nissan Versa is one of my favorites for two reasons: Lots of duration and lots of value. The former comes in handy for hauling a semester’s worth of stuff away to college as well as for hauling friends to off-campus excursions. The latter comes in handy if the kids are paying for the car themselves (or if the parents are weighed down alongside tuition costs). One chat of alertness: Though the Versa comes with six airbags as standard, antilock brakes are not standard — they’re a cheap ($250) option, and I wouldn’t buy a Versa (or any car) without them.Read Review4. Pontiac G5Photo General MotorsThe G5 coupe is mechanically identical to the Chevrolet Cobalt, but its unique sheetmetal gives it a smidge more set. The G5 is inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to run, and is an easy car to drive thanks largely to its simple, distraction-free inward. Antilock brakes advance proper and side airbags are available as an option; don’t buy a G5 without them.Read Review5. Pontiac VibePhoto Aaron GoldThe Pontiac Vibe is a great car for people of all ages, but it’s especially well suited to young drivers because of its commitment to safe keeping, which is arguably better than any other car on this list. The Vibe comes pillar with six airbags, antilock brakes, and electronic firmness control, and it even offers an all-wheel-drive conception, which offers better accident-avoidance behavior as well as status traction in rain and snow. The Vibe is good looking, easy to drive, and it has plenty of room to bring along friends — plus its hard-plastic-lined cargo bay makes it a great cargo hauler.Read Review6. Saturn AstraPhoto Aaron GoldI like the Astra — particularly the 3-door — because it combines racy looks with modest hardware. The Astra’s 1.8 liter engine has enough power to merge onto the freeway safely, though not passably for Saturday-night pull racing. The Astra’s suspension is tuned for the rigors of curvy European roads, meaning it’s nimble in accident-avoidance maneuvers, and it comes with six airbags and antilock brakes as routine equipment. All in all, it’s a great compromise between what teens stand in want and what parents feel comfortable with.Read Review7. Subaru Impreza 2.5iPhoto Aaron GoldThe Subaru Impreza 2.5i is the only car in its class to put forward standard all-wheel-drive (AWD) — an effective and oft-overlooked safety feature that not only offers great foul-weather handling but also helps keep the car on order in a panic swerve when the roads are dry. AWD is a life-saver for inexperienced drivers. Warning: The Impreza 2.5i should not be confused with the Impreza WRX and STi, high-performance versions not leak suited to young, unworldly drivers.Read Review8. Suzuki SX4Photo Aaron GoldAs you’ve probably figured out by way of now, I’m a distinguished proponent of all-wheel-drive — and the SX4 Crossover (hatchback) is the least-expensive all-wheel-drive car sold in the US. Though the sedan verison, called the SX4 Sport, lacks all-wheel-drive, it does come with antilock brakes and airbags galore as standard. Neither SX4 is particularly fuel-efficient compared to similarly-sized cars, but both are easy to handle and a interest of fun to drive.Read Review9. Toyota CorollaPhoto Aaron GoldIf conservative clothes are more your teen’s style, the Corolla is a good choice; its grown-up counterpart will serve its driver well through extravagant school, college, the job tracking down, and the beginnings of a career. Fuel economy is excellent and the restored 2009 version comes with six airbags and antilock brakes as standard, while electronic stability knob — a life-saving technology if there period was one — is a bargain at $250.Read Review10. Volkswagen RabbitImage Aaron GoldYoung folks will like the Rabbit because it’s taunt to drive and as hip as a MacBook; parents will like it because it’s affordable and comes packed with safety features (six airbags and antilock brakes as paradigm, electronic stability control as a $450 option). The Rabbit wasn’t the best performer in the government’s frontal barrier crash test, but it aced the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s tests, which (I think) are more representative of real-world results.Read Review