Safest possible car for a Teenager £5k - £15k
Discussion
There was a recent RTA near us where a teenager driving a corsa type vehicle collided head on with an Audi Q5 type.
Youngster sadly died but only minor injuries in Q5.
I have a niece similar age plus I'm a dad (my lad only 7 so luckily a few years off driving)
But it got me thinking, what car would you choose for your child if safety is a priority? Obviously you still have to factor in things like cost, insurance and how fast that vehicle can go (particularly if you have a teenage boy)
We've got cars with lane assist, auto brake if you've let go of the wheel/ about to crash etc. Not sure if these electric (software heavy) cars can be speed limited via app / tracked etc
I've set a £5k - £15k budget as that's probably what my niece could stretch to on her own bottom end and £15k top end with help from family.
Youngster sadly died but only minor injuries in Q5.
I have a niece similar age plus I'm a dad (my lad only 7 so luckily a few years off driving)
But it got me thinking, what car would you choose for your child if safety is a priority? Obviously you still have to factor in things like cost, insurance and how fast that vehicle can go (particularly if you have a teenage boy)
We've got cars with lane assist, auto brake if you've let go of the wheel/ about to crash etc. Not sure if these electric (software heavy) cars can be speed limited via app / tracked etc
I've set a £5k - £15k budget as that's probably what my niece could stretch to on her own bottom end and £15k top end with help from family.
If looking purely at the safest possible then something daft like an XC90 would do it. IIRC there was a ridiculous statistic for a while that they had not been involved in any occupant fatalities or similar.
You could get a reasonable late-ish Mk1 example for say £7.5k and then put the remaining £7.5k aside for maintenance, insurance and fuel.
You could get a reasonable late-ish Mk1 example for say £7.5k and then put the remaining £7.5k aside for maintenance, insurance and fuel.
Could pick up a Merc S Class for that budget. When Princess Diana died in one Mercedes reportedly said (slightly oddly) that no-one dies in Merc S Classes other than in "catastrophic" accidents.
It's such an unlikely car for a teenager that the insurance might be reasonable - think there was a student on here with one a few years ago.
It's such an unlikely car for a teenager that the insurance might be reasonable - think there was a student on here with one a few years ago.
Newest car possible, 5 star Euroncap rating. B or C segment.
Even better if it s an IIHS top safety pick +, although being an American testing organisation, they only test larger cars.
The standards have gotten tougher over the years. Modern ADAS systems are proven to reduce insurance claims, so would be paying particular attention to those EuroNcap ratings.
Most important is driver training. I d get them on Pass Plus, then an Advanced Driving Course, so they have support after they have passed. The British driving test is woefully inadequate.
Even better if it s an IIHS top safety pick +, although being an American testing organisation, they only test larger cars.
The standards have gotten tougher over the years. Modern ADAS systems are proven to reduce insurance claims, so would be paying particular attention to those EuroNcap ratings.
Most important is driver training. I d get them on Pass Plus, then an Advanced Driving Course, so they have support after they have passed. The British driving test is woefully inadequate.
Edited by wyson on Thursday 31st July 18:53
Advanced driver training is on the cards for niece as it’ll bring insurance down.
I do wonder if restricted features such as acceleration and top speed would drive insurance down. A bit like a black box.
A 2 tonne X90 vs a 1 tonne corsa probably means the first gets crumpled in a head on regardless of ncap rating?
Other problem based on stereotype if you probably wouldn’t want 17 year old boy racer driving round potentially crashing into someone else in an x90
I do wonder if restricted features such as acceleration and top speed would drive insurance down. A bit like a black box.
A 2 tonne X90 vs a 1 tonne corsa probably means the first gets crumpled in a head on regardless of ncap rating?
Other problem based on stereotype if you probably wouldn’t want 17 year old boy racer driving round potentially crashing into someone else in an x90
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