First-Timers Best Choices
College is the time for many first time experiences, and if you didn’t get your first car in your junior or senior year in high-school, now is a convenient time to acquire one. Many students need a car; it’s not just a wish. Whatever the case may be, for already stretched student finances, it’s not easy to blend in the overall cost of a car. You must worry about buying a car and insurance, so fuel efficiency has the biggest impact on monthly maintenance.
What makes a good first car? Reasonable price is a great starting point, but not at the cost of quality and security. If you have a student loan and many other student budgeting issues, you don’t want to buy a car with poor fuel efficiency.
Best first car options
Environmental Protection Agency has estimates on the MPG you can expect. While these, and car manufacturers’ numbers, are not always accurate, they can serve as an excellent guide when looking for best cars for new drivers.
Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta is one of the most popular small fuel-efficient cars in the world. With EPA mileage rated between 27 and 37 MPG and satisfactory crash safety, this is an excellent choice for students. A new Fiesta starts at $14,200, and it comes as a four-door sedan or hatchback, with six-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission.
Honda Insight
A hybrid, the Honda Insight is one of the most fuel-efficient cars with EPA of 54 mpg, which even tops the Toyota Prius. This is a bigger car, a four-door sedan, and comes with a higher price tag, starting from $22,930.
Kia Niro FE
The crossover/SUV category is still one of the most popular, and Kia showed that this type of vehicle could be among the best in fuel efficiency. Unlike most 4×4 SUV vehicles, the 2WD Kia Niro Hybrid has a competitive price that starts just under $23,000 and has a great EPA rating of 50 mpg combined. You will have a room for five comfortable seats, and you will be able to drive your 6’7’’ friends to basketball practice.
So you can take your tall friends in the car and go to a workout. Along the way, you have the opportunity to discuss your university affairs; you can share tips how to do assignments. There are lots of tasks sometimes, so you may need to ask some assignment help from . Make friends, enjoy life, party, but study hard and be ready to face some difficulties after your decision to buy a new car while studying in the same time.
Mazda3
Big in Europe and a solid performer in the US, Mazda3 combines great driving performance with a highway fuel-efficiency rating near 35 mpg. The Mazda is equipped with most new safety features like a rear-view camera, front crash prevention system and others. It also comes with a high-end infotainment system, and the starting price is around $21,000. Mazda 3 comes in hatchback or sedan option with both automatic and manual transmissions.
Honda Fit
Another Japanese car is known for its fuel efficiency. Its 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine comes with EPA rating of combined 36 mpg. Fit, known as Jazz in other markets, is a five-door B-segment supermini. Although marketed as a small car, with its monospace design, it challenges larger vehicles in interior volume. The starting price is a notch above $16,000.
Toyota Yaris
Toyota subcompact car has EPA mileage set at 30 and 36 mpg. With starting price under $16,000, it does offer a slew of new technologies and solid crash safety that is enhanced with modern features like lane departure alerts, pre-collision deterrence system and automatic high-beams. Yaris comes in a sedan version currently, but older versions include a hatchback. This is an excellent choice for a used car, with so many reliable models from past generations on the roads.
Chevrolet Malibu
The midsize sedan comes in a couple of editions, with a hybrid model that has the Chevrolet Volt’s engine topping the EPA rating with 46 mpg overall. It’s a really quiet car with two four-cylinder turbo engines as options. The cockpit has a MyLink infotainment system, and rear seats are spacious. Malibu’s base models start from $22,000.
Bottom line
Fiesta, Yaris and Fit are long-time favorites for affordable fuel-efficient cars and are among best first cars. We listed some larger, more comfortable cars if you have to drive long distances between campus and home.
When buying a new car, try to find models that have new technology advancement in safety, and, by all means, try to find a cool infotainment system and squeeze all that into your student budget.
Consider warranty and maintenance costs and find quality reviews and hand-on experiences before going to the car dealership.
