IIHS and Consumer Reports List of Best Cars for Teens Includes 14 Subarus

Here are a few facts about parenting that everyone knows but often still wrestle with. If you have kids, they will become teenagers. When they become teenagers, they will want to learn to drive. After they’ve learned to drive, they will probably want their own cars. Many parents welcome this change, as it frees them from playing chauffeur to and from school. Kids can get themselves to school, outside activities, and even part-time jobs. Moreover, if they have their own cars, they are not driving yours.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports (CR) collaborated to determine the best vehicles for teens. Since auto insurance companies tend to charge higher premiums for teens while wanting to minimize benefit payouts, IIHS prioritizes vehicle safety. Consumer Reports considers all aspects of a vehicle and has developed programs to measure reliability and repair costs. Their combined efforts resulted in a list of 122 used models and 22 new vehicles recommended for teens. Twin Falls Subaru is proud to announce that 14 new and used Subaru models made the list, including three new vehicles. Used models were categorized into Best Choice and Good Choice, with Subaru having five models in each category. 

2025 Model Year Vehicles: 

• Subaru Ascent $38,910 

• Subaru Forester (excluding Wilderness trim) $29,995 

• Subaru Solterra $38,495 

Best Choice Used Vehicles: 

• Subaru Ascent (2021 or newer) $19,900  

• Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid (2019) $19,300 

• Subaru Forester (2019 or newer) $13,000 

• Subaru Legacy (2020 or newer) $15,700 

• Subaru Outback (20202 or newer) $17,400 

Good Choice Used Vehicles:  

• Subaru Crosstrek (2014 or newer) $7,300 

• Subaru Forester (2014-2018) $6,000 

• Subaru Impreza sedan or 5-door (2014 or newer) $5,700 

• Subaru Legacy (2015-2019) $7,200 

• Subaru Outback (2015-2019) $7,600 

New model prices are based on each model’s starting MSRP.  

Used vehicle prices are derived from Kelly Blue Book averages across the U.S. for the lowest trim level and rounded to the nearest $100. 

“Subaru of America is proud to have fourteen of our vehicles recommended as safe and affordable options for younger drivers by IIHS and Consumer Reports this year,” said Jeff Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer, Subaru of America, Inc. “Safety is at the core of what we do at Subaru. Being recognized by IIHS and Consumer Reports as a top choice for teen drivers reinforces our ongoing commitment to building vehicles families can trust.” 

Determination Factors 

The selection criteria of the two research companies closely align with those of most parents. Safety is the most obvious concern. Regardless of how responsible the teen is or how well he or she performed on the driver test, he or she lacks experience. IIHS crash tests evaluate survivability and the chances of injury in various impact scenarios. They also assess the effectiveness of driver safety technologies and headlight performance as measures to avoid initial impacts. It takes a combination of high scores in both categories to earn the prestigious TOP SAFETY PICK and TOP SAFETY PICK+ designations, which are mandatory for all new vehicles on the list.  

Additionally, vehicles must obtain a “Good” rating in the seat belt reminder evaluation and be equipped with standard automatic emergency braking. Used vehicles must achieve a “Good” (the highest) rating in moderate overlap front, driver-side small overlap front, original side, roof strength, and head restraint tests. Best Choice vehicles feature standard automatic emergency braking systems that receive an advanced or superior rating from IIHS in either the original vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test or the daytime pedestrian front crash prevention test. Furthermore, they have headlights that earn “Good” or “Acceptable” ratings from IIHS. 

CR examined their comprehensive vehicle tests of current and past models, focusing on emergency handling, braking, and the ease of use of controls. General requirements for all vehicles include average or better scores for emergency and routine handling (scoring at least 3 out of 5) and CR usability scores for controls and displays (at least 2 out of 5). Other factors include a curb weight of over 2,750 pounds and used vehicle prices ranging between $5,000 and $20,000. 

If you have a teen who is ready for his or her own vehicle, we invite you to visit Twin Falls Subaru to see our new vehicles or browse our used vehicle inventory for the models listed above, and we hope this makes your teen’s vehicle shopping a little easier.