Buying your teenager their first car is an important milestone for the parents as much as the child. If you’re buying a car for your teenager you might get bombarded by choice, however. There are a few important factors to consider as well as cost and safety. You need to think about the car in terms of comfort, convenience, and cost-to-own after paying the initial price. You might have certain priorities to weigh up when choosing a car for your teenager. Here are some useful tips to help you.
Stay Within Your Budget
As is the case for most parents, you are probably the one paying for the car. This means it’s your decision how much you want to spend and you need to stick to your budget. If you’re helping your teenager pay for their own car, make sure you go over their budget carefully. They might have saved up some money but it’s important to remind them about the costs of running a car as well, especially if it’s their first.
Choose a Low Cost-to-Own Car
Choose a car that is cheap and efficient to run as well as cheap to buy. You might save money initially with an older used car but you need to help your teenager calculate how much they’re going to need to spend. Set aside some time to teach your teen how to live with their first car and some cost-cutting solutions. Do your research as well and compare vehicles according to reliability and dependability.
Safety Features
Safety should always be your priority so whichever car you choose must meet safety standards. Some safety features to look out for include electronic stability control, dry braking distances of 145m or more, roof strength, and head restraints. Give your teenager a refresher lesson about the importance of safe driving and remember you can get in touch with the best car accident lawyers in town if they do experience any issues on the road.
Don’t Neglect Comfort and Convenience
As well as safety, comfort and convenience are also important. Your teenager will survive, of course, without luxury features such as heated seats and an infotainment screen. You do, however, want them to have proper back support and an ergonomic steering wheel. You could also look out for systems that enable parents to have visibility on their driving habits for safety purposes. Try to prioritize which high-tech features are more important for you and your teen.
Consider Going Used
When choosing a car for a teenager there’s always going to be the new vs. used cars debate. On the one hand, you want a safe, comfortable, state-of-the-art vehicle, but most parents also need to compromise on cost. If you opt for a used car you can still get a very new model it just will have some mileage and won’t be fresh out of the dealership. All cars need to be compliant with safety standards so you shouldn’t need to worry about this. The most important thing is to do your research and find out how reliable that particular model is.
Shop Around For Insurance Deals
Unfortunately, teenagers and young drivers are always going to have to pay higher premiums for car insurance. This is because they are not considered particularly safe drivers due to lack of experience, which is understandable. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of insurance when choosing a car for your teenager and shop around for deals on the best car insurance for teens and young drivers. If your teenager is paying for this themselves explain to them about how much it will cost and make a budget.
Read Online Reviews
The more research you can do when choosing a car for your teenager the better. Go online and read reviews so that you can compare the best cars for teens. There are plenty of helpful websites that compare new and used cars from small city cars to big SUVs. You can compare different aspects of the vehicle such as cost, convenience, reliability, and all the different features. Customer reviews are usually a good way to tell how well a new model has been received in comparison to other similar cars.
Get your teenager involved with choosing their new car. The car you choose will have an important impact on their life. Go through all the factors to consider with them and ensure they understand the cost and responsibilities involved. This way they’ll appreciate the purchase more and become a better driver.
