Scion tC leads USAA's Top 10 for Teens list

USAA's list, where Scion tC leads, judged vehicles based on cost, safety and reliability.

USAA has just published a new survey titled the Top 10 for Teens List, which details the best cars for adolescent drivers. In order to choose the best vehicles for teens, the USAA surveyed parents to discover the factors they consider most important. The results indicated that parents were primarily concerned about reliability (81 percent), safety rating (73 percent) and auto insurance affordability (62 percent). USAA then took this information to identity the top 10 USAA Preferred and Best Value vehicles possessing similar characteristics.

"As a parent, I know how challenging it can be to feel confident in the car your teen drives, especially if it's a much older model," said Lauren Fix, Automotive expert of The Car Coach. "USAA's Top 10 for Teens list gives parents a place to start their search for a new vehicle that gets top marks in the areas they care most about — reliability, safety and reasonable insurance costs."

USAA’s Top 10 for Teens list:

1. Scion tC
2. Nissan Cube
3. Honda Fit
4. Scion xD
5. Scion xB
6. Toyota Yaris
7. Honda Civic
8. Hyundai Elantra
9. Honda CR-Z (hybrid)
10. Kia Forte

Even though there are pre-owned versions of the ten vehicles available USAA argues that newer vehicles are preferable due to their safety features. 2012 standard safety features like Electronic Stability Control and mandated air bags edge out older models despite the greater cost. "You can always tint windows and add seat covers," said Fix. "You can't add ESC or air bags."

Despite their inclusion on USAA’s list, both the Scion xD and xB were discontinued by Scion earlier this month. Although the xD and xB were popular amongst teens due to their unique style, both cars suffered poor sales in recent years, contributing to them getting the ax. Scion has reported that the two models will be replaced, but has not specified their successors.

USAA Preferred is a rating system designed to help customers find the right vehicle. USAA Preferred rates vehicles based on a number of criteria including cost, safety and reliability. Cost includes purchase price, insurance and fuel costs, while safety consists of ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In order to evaluate reliability, USAA identifies vehicles with the lowest maintenance costs. A full listing of USAA’s Preferred and Best Value vehicles can be found at www.usaa.com.

Source: USAA

Photo: Scion

Also read: Scion axes xB and xD models