A new report out from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has listed what it says will help parents pick the safest used cars for their teen drivers.

First-ever list of recommended safest used cars for teens

The IIHS puts the focus on safety features like airbags, electronic stability control (ESC) and anti-rollover systems.

“A teenager’s first car is more than just a financial decision,” says IIHS President Adrian Lund. “These lists of recommended used vehicles can help consumers factor in safety, in addition to affordability.”

When picking a car for their teens, the IIHS recommends parents to follow these guidelines:

– Avoid high-power vehicles that could tempt teens into speeding.

– Select bigger cars that have the mass to protect occupants in an accident.

– Put young drivers in vehicles equipped with electronic stability control, which helps a driver maintain control of the vehicle on curves and slippery roads.

– Parents should also pick vehicles with good Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration safety ratings.

“Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to get a safe vehicle for a teenager at the prices most people are paying,” says Anne McCartt, IIHS senior vice president for research. “Our advice to parents would be to remember the risks teens take and consider paying a little more.”

All the recommended used vehicles by the IIHS have standard ESC and provide good protection in moderate overlap front crashes. Those considered “best choices” for under $20,000 (about R214 181) also have good ratings for side crash protection, good head restraints and seats for rear crash protection, and good roof strength to protect occupants in rollover crashes. Vehicles considered “good choices” for under $10,000 (about R106 916) have good or acceptable side crash protection and head restraints rated better than poor.

Vehicles rated by NHTSA were included in the recommended lists only if they earned four or five stars in the front and side tests under the agency’s original testing regime. Or if they received an overall rating of four or five stars under the newer, more stringent rating system that began with 2011 models. One vehicle, the Hyundai Santa Fe, was excluded from the list of best choices because its 2012 model had an overall rating of just three stars.

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