Recently did the same and went with an Si. Wanted a manual transmission.

 

A nice choice!

In our case we are sticking with non-manual transmission.

 

I would go woth Civic Hatch Sport Touring or CRV. I would personally favor the Civic, but that is just me. Would be nice to have the additional space for travel home between semesters and for holidays.

 

IIHS Top Safety Pick+

How lucky of her to get a brand new top trim car as her first car. I personally would get the smallest Honda or Toyota she is comfortable with driving. Cars nowadays are so big and difficult to maneuver and park. As a new driver, I would cringe at having to drive the boat of a new Accord or CRV.

For practicality, I would go with a Civic or Corolla Hatchback

 

IIHS Top Safety Pick+

How lucky of her to get a brand new top trim car as her first car. I personally would get the smallest Honda or Toyota she is comfortable with driving. Cars nowadays are so big and difficult to maneuver and park. As a new driver, I would cringe at having to drive the boat of a new Accord or CRV.

For practicality, I would go with a Civic or Corolla Hatchback

It’s interesting, the Civic and CRV are almost the identical length, but the Civic feels much shorter.

 

My daughter learned to drive and took her driver's test in my 9th-gen Si.

 

Civic Sedan Touring would be a nice choice that would be my pick

 

If you're worried about insurance, go with the CRV. At least with Progressive (who I have, and Travelers/state farm were the same whom I had previously) rates are lower for our coverage on the larger car we have vs my Civic and a Sonata. CRV is also a very practical and safe car. Good useable volume, potentially AWD depending on trim I believe, top safety pick. Ultimately though, let her have a say in the model/year she wants. If you are giving her any say at all, then let her make a large portion of the decision. If she's not paying a dime, then you can make it and I'd say that's fair. I digress.

CRV for a rising college student going out of state IMO. Civic if you/she likes good gas mileage and something that's a bit nimbler. Can't go wrong with any of them though. RAV4s and Camrys also in the same boat. I'd just look for something that is the best value. Long and well-kept service records, lots of highway miles, and get it checked by a mechanic before you buy. If you're going through a stealership for a certified or new one, then just get one at or below MSRP or the KBB/market value, with good support for maintenance, and in a color she likes.

 

Obviously new FL5.. you know for keeping her safe. Lol

 

My daughter learned to drive and continues to drive my 2019 EX Civic Hatch. She's off in college now and the hatch will be great for packing all of her stuff in the car. I can personally vouch for how safe the car is because I totaled my first '19 EX hatch when somebody came across traffic right in front of me when I was going about 35 mph. My airbags deployed and I walked away without a scratch. The Honda Fit that I hit didn't fair out nearly as well, though the driver walked away also. This was 2 weeks after I purchased the car. Fortunately they had an identical one on the lot that I was able to get after the insurance money came through.

She really enjoys the car. It has a nice smooth ride, some nice pep, and handles well. It's also very practical with the hatch. I was a gigging musician when I bought the car and I could fit all of my gear in there that I used to transport with my wife's Toyota Highlander. Gas mileage is amazing getting over 40 MPG regularly.

We've turned into a civic family. My son, who was interested in learning how to drive manual, is learning to drive my '20 Si. Another example of a nice combo of practicality, safety, and fun.

My youngest is already eyeing my '23 Si, but we'll see when he gets his driving permit in a few years.

 

How ironic we have a teen driver also. She just got her learner's permit not long ago. She will be getting the 2022 Civic sport non touring hatchback. It's currently the vehicle she is learning in right now. We will be acquiring another Honda at full licensed point. I'm looking seriously at the HRV 2023 with the K series engine. She's also learning how to maintenance maintain the vehicle. To answer your question why that vehicle? It's small it's safe it's nimble and excellent on fuel. Since she has no experience with a manual transmission. The CVT will be just fine. It has a very good history also if maintained properly. Paramount though for us was the history when it comes to components. We want something that will last her a very long time. After looking over the history of the 1.5 L turbo offered in the higher trim. Then looking over the history of the 2.0L offered in the lower trim. For us that was the deciding factor anybody in the Honda world will attest the K series engine is legendary for a reason. It does not feel slow at all considering how light the vehicle is. The hatchback gives you a lot of flexibility with cargo space. You can literally take two or three bikes fully assembled and put them in the back of there. Paired with the mpg saving CVT it has met all our expectations and exceeded them. It won't just be given to her though. 🙂 She's gonna have to work for it and she's already well on her way.

 

My daughter loves our 2022 civic hatchback. I made her learn to drive on a LS460 so she learned to judge dove but Thai car fits her much better and way easier to park.


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I think a Civic hatch would be great, very safe, and the hatchback offers some versatility.

A CR-V has a lot of room, good for moving things back and forth, it is very safe as it sits higher and offers a good field of view, and being bigger in general. It might be too big for a new driver but it has some advantages.

The Civic will have better fuel economy. I just sold my CR-V , insurance was higher than my Civic as CR-V;s are major theft targets, often on the upper end of the yearly theft lists. It has high rates of vehicle theft and catalytic converter theft (easy access underneath), more so than a Civic which is often on the theft list itself.

 

I'm incredibly grateful for all of these comments, stories, and suggestions! So far I am inclined to look a bit closer at the Civic hatchback for the many reasons noted.

I welcome any and all additional comments! Thanks!

 

I have a teenage daughter who will soon be getting her license, and we are trying to decide what vehicle will be best for her as a first car. My priority is for it to be safe, so able to avoid accidents as best as possible, and able to walk away from them as best as possible also.

Additionally, we would like something that is enjoyable to drive, reliable, and a good value.

Our top pics are 4 Hondas:
Civic Sedan Touring
Civic Hatch Sport Touring
Accord Hybrid EXL
CRV hybrid sport touring

We live in the suburbs of New Jersey, and she will likely go to college in New England or the Carolinas.

I know that there is no one right answer, but I would appreciate your subjective and personal thoughts. If you were in my shoes what would your top pick be and why?

thanks!

We got our daughter a 2022 Civic Touring Sonic Gray and I highly recommend it (except for the sticky steering issue, hope yours doesn't have it). Touring is nice because of all the comforts/conveniences and helps her focus on the road. She's getting about 37mpg which is incredible and the car has a plenty of pep with its 1.5T to speed up when she needs to. We have a Honda Accord as well, but it's bigger and harder to see the nose of the car. Civic has a great visibility from the inside. We love it.
Forgot to mention that it's the perfect size for a new driver. Easier to maneuver, easier to park, etc. I taught her how to drive on our 2022 MDX and that was not a good experience

 

Buy her a civic sport. She doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. She’s going to be hitting curbs. Backing into things and shit. Why spend all that money to be damaged? It’s a first car.

 

Only thing about the civic sport is things like the seat adjustments are all manual. We have a 2022 sport hatch as well and my son drives it, but he's more of a seasoned driver. There were times we'd start driving and the seat position wasn't quite right, so we'd have to pull over because trying to adjust the manual seat during driving can be super hazardous.
My daughter enjoys the sunroof as well, whereas being in my son's sport makes it feel super dark (i know it doesn't help that the windows are also tinted).

Oh one more thing, the parking assist, SUPER helpful for new drivers. These seem like little things, but will help her avoid the usual accidents during parking, etc.

 

I have a teenage daughter who will soon be getting her license, and we are trying to decide what vehicle will be best for her as a first car. My priority is for it to be safe, so able to avoid accidents as best as possible, and able to walk away from them as best as possible also.

Additionally, we would like something that is enjoyable to drive, reliable, and a good value.

Our top pics are 4 Hondas:
Civic Sedan Touring
Civic Hatch Sport Touring
Accord Hybrid EXL
CRV hybrid sport touring

We live in the suburbs of New Jersey, and she will likely go to college in New England or the Carolinas.

I know that there is no one right answer, but I would appreciate your subjective and personal thoughts. If you were in my shoes what would your top pick be and why?

thanks!

I think the Civic Sedan Touring. For a college environment, it’s the right sized car, safe, and fun to drive. All college students are crappy drivers and it will get dinged whether it is her fault or not. I think it might be the cheapest to insure and fix. I have a college aged son and nephews and niece. Fender benders will happen cause everyone suck at driving at that age. I have a 22 Civic Touring and a 23 CRV Sport Touring. The civic is more fun to drive. I would hesitate driving the larger CRV onto a crowded campus. Just my opinion. Let us know what you decide!

 

Thanks so much for these suggestions! I will definitely let everyone know what we decide! Hopefully during May we’ll make a decision.

 

I have a teenage daughter who will soon be getting her license, and we are trying to decide what vehicle will be best for her as a first car. My priority is for it to be safe, so able to avoid accidents as best as possible, and able to walk away from them as best as possible also.

Additionally, we would like something that is enjoyable to drive, reliable, and a good value.

Our top pics are 4 Hondas:
Civic Sedan Touring
Civic Hatch Sport Touring
Accord Hybrid EXL
CRV hybrid sport touring

We live in the suburbs of New Jersey, and she will likely go to college in New England or the Carolinas.

I know that there is no one right answer, but I would appreciate your subjective and personal thoughts. If you were in my shoes what would your top pick be and why?

thanks!

My daughter was relocating from NYC to Los Angeles and we all know you most definitely need a car when living in LA.
I bought her a used low mileage 2019 Honda Fit Sport with auto trans. She absolutely loves the car.
Fun to drive, super easy to park, dead reliable, great on gas and has an amazing amount of useable cargo space.
Unfortunately they don’t import them any longer.
If you’ve decided on a new car the Civic Hatchback is a great car as well. The hatchback is really accommodating when it comes to useable cargo space as well And gets great mpg’s.
Best of luck,

 

So today I called 4-5 nearby Honda dealers and found just one with a 2023 Civic Hatchback Sport Touring in stock. It was white, and 6 speed manual. No way is my daughter interested in a manual, but I decided to take the 30 min drive to check it out.

What a sweet car! Just beautiful inside and out. And the rear hatch area is enormous and super practical for a future college student, or anyone else.

I took it on a test drive to get a feel for it, and LOVED it! I also loved the 6 speed manual! Can’t remember the last time I had that much fun in a car!! Now considering one for myself as well. But first things first, I’m eager to get my daughter to test drive one as soon as we’re able, and can locate one with an automatic.

Thanks for all the encouragement, camaraderie, and suggestions!

 

How about HR-V? Small, lower on power, I'm guessing it's more forgiving about rolling over stuff than a Civic.

 

Yeah, I would have thought the HR-V was a very attractive option compared to the Civic Hatchback but for the power deficit.

After being used to borrowing my wife's 2016 Civic EX-T with the 1.5T, the HR-V would have felt VERY pokey and boggy... Not sure why they don't equip it with the 1.5T as well!

And the added weight makes it noticeably less fuel efficient, too: 27 mpg combined for the 2023 HR-V EX-L versus 31 mpg for the Civic HB EX-L, and 30 mpg highway compared to 37 mpg for the Civic EX-L.

The HR-V EX-L had AWD for about $500 more than the Civic HB EX-L, that was a plus, but in the end the hatchback won out for the better fuel efficiency and being more fun to drive (a lot more power, lighter, lower to ground, more nimble), while not being all that less practical with the hatch.

 

That'll be my next purchase HRV with the K series engine. I think in Indonesia Malaysia other domestic markets they put the turbocharged L series. I would like to see them turbocharged the K series drop in there 😁. A Type R engine in an HRV that sounds fun.

 

I have a teenage daughter who will soon be getting her license, and we are trying to decide what vehicle will be best for her as a first car. My priority is for it to be safe, so able to avoid accidents as best as possible, and able to walk away from them as best as possible also.

Additionally, we would like something that is enjoyable to drive, reliable, and a good value.

Our top pics are 4 Hondas:
Civic Sedan Touring
Civic Hatch Sport Touring
Accord Hybrid EXL
CRV hybrid sport touring

We live in the suburbs of New Jersey, and she will likely go to college in New England or the Carolinas.

I know that there is no one right answer, but I would appreciate your subjective and personal thoughts. If you were in my shoes what would your top pick be and why?

thanks!

I have a Civic touring and I love it because of the looks. The reliability is in the name so you can go wrong with a Honda. I believe suvs are more safer because of its size. Just ask her which car she likes and that's that. Life is unpredictable and we shouldn't stress over things you can't control.

 

CRV for 4WD in winter plus room for college. Insurance will be slightly less as well. GL

 

The CR-V AWD system can be a bit tricky for new drivers in winter. I own one and I'm not a big fan of that AWD system, the transfer of power from front to back once slippery conditions are experienced causes some rear end sway and oversteer. I much prefer my Subaru's AWD system as there is much less weight and power transfer. The CR-V is a nice vehicle but I wouldn't want a young driver driving it in tricky winter conditions.

 

We had a good discussion about it at dinner a couple of nights ago and she expressed a little bit of a preference for CRV because of the higher riding position. My present car is a Toyota RAV4 prime, and that is what she is learning to drive on, so it makes sense that a CRV is more appealing.

Many thanks for all the insights and suggestions! I welcome any other comments or personal stories.