Best First Cars for Teens & New Drivers in 2023
The best first cars for new drivers and, younger drivers, and teens are usually cheap and practical. But they don't have to be boring.
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Buying your first car can be a difficult decision. It feels like everyone has advice for you, and if you're an enthusiast, it probably feels like every normie is telling you to buy the least expensive beige-mobile you can find. It's true that you probably shouldn't blow a ton of money on your very first car. But practical, safe and affordable doesn't mean you can't have fun.
2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI
Price: $31,625
Few cars offer a mix of approachable performance, practicality, and fun like the Volkswagen GTI. It's a daily driver that's as fun as many of the best sports cars on the market. The the latest version is a sweet spot as it offers a turbocharged four-cylinder and a choice of manual or dual-clutch automatic transmissions. It's quick, but not too quick for an inexperienced driver.
2023 Honda Civic Si
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.
2024 Jeep Wrangler
Price: $33,690
One of the most practical ways to make sure your first car isn't oppressively boring is to buy one that you can take on off-road adventures. It might not be fast or luxurious, but you can't deny how fun a Wrangler is to drive just about anywhere. Even one that's unmodified will get you much further away from civilization than you might expect.
2024 Ford Mustang
Price: $32,515
Starting out driving a brand new 5.0-powered Ford Mustang Dark Horse is a recipe for disaster for most drivers. The EcoBoost inline-four powered 'Stangs provide some surprising performance, making as much power as a V-8 from a decade ago. You can have plenty of fun in this affordable rear-drive coupe, despite it not having a manual transmission this time around.
2023 Subaru BRZ
Price: $29,615
Want a fun balanced sports car, but don't like Miatas? Luckily for you, Subaru has just the car. The Subaru BRZ is a lightweight, rear-wheel drive coupe that produces plenty of smiles behind the wheel, that, thanks its 228-hp naturally aspirated boxer-four, keeps speeds to a minimum.
2023 Subaru WRX
Price: $31,625
The Subaru WRX might not be at the cutting edge of affordable AWD performance cars, but its available turbocharged boxer-four and manual transmission mean it ticks all the boxes for most people looking for a year-round enthusiast car. Plus, it's not insanely quick, so first-time drivers won't be overwhelmed.
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.
2023 Mazda MX-5 Miata
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.
2023 Mini Cooper Hardtop
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.
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.
2023 Toyota GR86
Price: $29,495
Whether you choose the Subaru BRZ or the Toyota GR86, you can't go wrong. But slight differences in suspension means we actually prefer how the '86 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.
2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI
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.
Brian Silvestro is Hearst Autos' Lead Deputy Editor for rankings content. He spent over seven years as a staff writer for Road & Track Magazine, and still contributes regularly with car reviews, industry interviews, and more.
He also has a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
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