10 best cars for college students

Factors in choosing a college car

The process of choosing a good car for college can be overwhelming. You need to consider factors like:

• Your budget. Whether you’re paying for it yourself or your parents are generously providing a down payment, college students generally aren’t going to have a high budget for cars. For this list, we included a top budget of $25,000 for new models and $15,000 for used. 
• Reliability. In addition to the costs of buying the car, you will likely want a car that is inexpensive to own and maintain and isn’t going to leave you stranded on the side of the road. 
• Fuel efficiency. Depending on how far your college is from your hometown, you will likely want a car that can go the distance without racking up high fuel costs.
• Safety. If you’re a parent buying a vehicle for your college student, safety features are likely going to be high on your list as your kid ventures off into the world. Newer models will tend to have more safety features, but will be more expensive.
• Cost to insure. Because we’re an insurance comparison site and because insurance costs for college-aged drivers tend to be pretty high, the cost to insure the vehicle will be a big factor in the total cost of ownership.

Now let’s look at some of our recommendations for the best cars for college students.

Best new cars

First, let's look at the top five new cars we recommend for college students. All of these vehicles are under $25,000 new, have decent gas mileage^[2] and have 4 or 5 star safety ratings^[3]. 

Best used cars for college students

Buying new isn't in the cards for every new grad heading off to college. But it can be hard to figure out where to start with used cars. We've gathered a few models and years to consider. Prices are based on average market value of the make and model of the earliest year listed, but may vary based on where you live and, of course, on the mileage and condition of the car.^[5]