Prius For Fuel Economy
One of the oldest and most fuel-miserly cars, the Prius is a great choice for teen drivers. IIHS named 2013 and newer Priuses as Good (their highest rating) in most of the tested safety features.
U.S. News named the 2018 Prius Prime as one of the Best New Cars for Teens in the $30-$35k category. Fuel economy is top — 53 mpg in the city and 55 on the highway. If using electricity alone it gets 133 MPGe. The Prius Prime has standard features like lane departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection and collision warning. Advanced features (which cost extra) include blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.
Don’t be put off by the modesty of the Prius. It’s a great first car.