The time has come, your teenager is no longer a child and they’re ready for their first car! When it comes to your teenagers choice of car, considerations such as safety ratings and fuel efficiency probably aren’t at the forefront of their mind – that’s where you, the parent comes in!
3 considerations when purchasing a car for your teenager
- Safety. Always check the vehicles make and models ANCAP safety rating and don’t purchase anything less than five stars! Investigate what safety features the car has that help prevent accidents from happening. Choose as many safety features as your budget allows! Collision warnings, emergency braking and blind spot alerts are great features to consider.
- Fuel efficiency. Cars with smaller engines are not only more practical, they are more cost efficient to run (added bonus – they also discourage speeding!). If your teen is old enough to drive a car, they should be old enough to run the car and the last thing you want is for them to have to shell out serious dollars each week to fuel the car.
- Used or new. A used car can be a great option for a first car as long as it has been well maintained and has good safety features. Always check the logbook for service history to ensure it has been well maintained and serviced in line with the manufacturers service schedule. However a new car may prove more reliable and if you have other children this could be used for their first cars too. If purchasing a used car, a qualified mechanic can conduct a pre-sale check so you can be confident in the safety of your teenager’s first car.
What to remember about your teens first car
A car purchase is a commitment from the moment you buy it. Purchasing a car for anyone comes with risk and this risk increases when it is a teenagers first car. However, with education, technology and research this risk can be reduced and you can feel confident in your child’s safety on the road!
