Yahoo Autos Best First Cars for Teens and New Drivers in 2024 and 2025
Buying a first car can be a difficult decision. It feels like everyone has advice for you, and if you're a car enthusiast, you're probably tired of being told to buy the least expensive beige-mobile you can find. Fortunately, we've found plenty of options to prove that buying a practical, safe, and affordable car doesn't mean you can't have fun. Here, we've ranked our picks for the best first cars for teens and new drives from least to most expensive. All of these new sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, SUVs, and pickup trucks have base prices of less than $35,000, meaning you don't have to break the bank to find a satisfying vehicle.
More Car Rankings: Cheapest SUVs | Affordable Sports Cars | Hybrids with the Best MPG | Best Small SUVs | Best Small Cars
Price: $29,615
Want a fun, balanced sports car, but don't like Miatas? Subaru and Toyota have just the car. The Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 twins are lightweight, rear-wheel-drive coupes that produce plenty of smiles behind the wheel. Plus, the 228-hp naturally aspirated boxer-four is just quick enough to be fun without getting you into trouble. The two cars are nearly identical, but slight differences in the suspension mean we actually prefer how the Toyota drives. It's easier to slide and more balanced on the limit—perfect for those looking to get into performance driving for the first time.
Price: $29,895
Everyone knows that the Honda Civic offers practical, efficient, reliable transportation for the masses, but many of them are genuinely fun to drive too. That's especially true for the Civic Si. Every generation Civic Si is manual-only, and it's a great car for learning to drive stick. Over 200 hp from a turbocharged inline-four keeps things fun too.
HERE'S WHY WE LOVE THE INTERIOR
2024 Acura Integra
Price: $32,695
It would be easy to dismiss the Acura Integra as nothing more than a tarted up Honda Civic, but doing so would mean missing out on the enjoyment of driving one of the most talented front-wheel drive sport sedans in the last 15 years. Even though the power goes to the "wrong" wheels, it's still a precise handler that any new driver could enjoy immensely.
Price: $29,215
If a list of fun cars doesn't include the Mazda MX-5 Miata, it better be called "10 Fun Cars That Aren't the Mazda MX-5 Miata." It's that much fun to drive. In fact, the Miata is so good, it's almost cliche to include it because it's such an obvious choice. Driving one will make you a better driver, but it may also ruin other cars for you.
READ OUR GUIDE TO EVERY GENERATION OF MIATA
Price: $24,395
Minis aren't as "mini" as they used to be, but if you're a new driver, that's a good thing. There's modern safety equipment and more space to put your stuff and carry people around. But Minis are still quirky, so if you want to stand out—and what young driver doesn't?—it's a great choice.
CHECK OUT OUR REVIEW OF THE MINI JCW GP
2024 Mazda 3
Price: $25,335
It may not be as exciting as the Miata, but the Mazda 3 is seriously fun for what it is: a practical, economical, reliable hatch with plenty of space and a surprisingly nice interior. So if you want a Miata but need room for more than yourself and one person, the Mazda 3 is the car for you.
Price: $32,680
Want a GTI, but don't want to deal with all the hot hatch hype? Pick up a GLI instead. They're essentially the same underneath, except the GLI uses the Jetta's more traditional sedan body style. And delivers the same amount of fun.
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