5 Safe and Efficient Starter Cars for College Students

These are the top cars for college students in 2025, based on their efficiency, safety, reliability, and utility.

Alexandre Mouravskiy | 

Aug 14, 2025 | 4 min read

Getty Images

When it's time for teenagers to prepare for higher education, parents often face the question: What car should I send with my teen to college?

For some, the answer is whatever spare car is available. But for those in the market for a new vehicle, here are five of the best cars for college students based on the following categories:

• Efficiency: How fuel efficient is the vehicle? With limited incomes, some college students prefer not to spend a fortune on fuel.
• Safety: What safety features are available to help young drivers avoid crashes?
• Reliability: How likely is the car to break down, and how expensive or difficult will it be to get it back on the road?
• Utility: How does the car stack up when considering interior space, features, and general usefulness?

These ratings were compiled based on reviews by automotive experts, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety ratings, J.D. Power consumer ratings, and EPA fuel-efficiency ratings.

Subaru

2025 Subaru Forester

• Starting at: $31,000
• Efficiency: 7/10
• Safety: 9/10
• Reliability: 8/10
• Utility: 9/10

When automotive expert Christian Wardlaw reviewed the 2025 Subaru Forester, he praised its affordability, practicality, and safety systems, calling it "an excellent compact crossover SUV." The Subaru stands out for its spaciousness, offering 69.1 cubic-feet of cargo space when the rear seats are folded. Subaru's EyeSight advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) also receives recognition, although blind-spot monitoring is only available as an upgrade on higher trims.

As a downside, the Forester's fuel efficiency is reasonable but could be better. The boxer engine sends 180 horsepower through a continuously variable automatic transmission, yielding an EPA-rated 26 mpg to 29 mpg in combined city and highway driving.

Honda

2025 Honda CR-V

• Starting at: $31,000
• Efficiency: 8/10
• Safety: 9/10
• Reliability: 9/10
• Utility: 8/10

Spacious, affordable, and reliable, with high safety ratings, the Honda CR-V offers 76.5 cu-ft of cargo space with the back seats folded down, making it the most spacious vehicle on this list.

The Honda CR-V is EPA rated for up to 30 mpg for the gas-only powertrain and up to 40 mpg for the hybrid in combined city and highway driving. Though, as noted by automotive expert Benjamin Hunting in his overview of the 2025 Honda CR-V, the real-world implications of the higher hybrid fuel mileage may not be all that large.

Toyota

2025 Toyota Corolla

• Starting at: $24,000
• Efficiency: 9/10
• Safety: 9/10
• Reliability: 9/10
• Utility: 7/10

The Toyota Corolla can be a practical first car for college students. And with the new FX trim added for 2025, it might even turn a few heads on campus with performance styling, according to the 2025 Toyota Corolla FX review from Wardlaw.

Toyota's safety technology, Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, encompasses nearly every ADAS feature available, although blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are optional. Despite its compact body, the Toyota can fit four adults and their luggage, while averaging an EPA-rated 35 mpg in combined city and highway driving.

Mazda

2025 Mazda3

• Starting at: $25,000
• Efficiency: 8/10
• Safety: 9/10
• Reliability: 8/10
• Utility: 7/10

Practicality may be first on parents' lists, but teens might want something more stylish. Wardlaw's review of the 2024 Mazda3 sedan noted that it has "style, quality, refinement, and driving dynamics to justify a price premium."

The Mazda3 gets an EPA-rated 31 mpg in combined city and highway driving, and a five-star crash safety rating from NHTSA (plus an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ rating). The driver assists even include standard blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The infotainment is unobtrusive and simple to use, featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Toyota

2025 Toyota Prius

• Starting at: $30,000
• Efficiency: 8/10
• Safety: 9/10
• Reliability: 8/10
• Utility: 7/10

The original Toyota Prius was an exceptional commuter car, but it was often criticized for its bland look. The 2025 Prius is anything but — a major redesign in 2023 for the fifth generation has made the Prius as exciting as it is practical.

Automotive expert Jim Resnick praised the packaging and top-level technology in his review of the 2025 Toyota Prius. The car features Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 and receives high marks from IIHS and NHTSA. It also gets an EPA-rated 57 mpg in combined city and highway driving while offering 194 horsepower in some trims. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity comes standard, along with a spacious hatchback interior featuring 23.8 cu-ft of cargo space.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Alexandre Mouravskiy

Alexandre Mouravskiy has worked as a freelance writer for almost 20 years, covering pop culture, politics, and automobiles. He’s written about road tripping across the eastern seaboard, replacing broken wheels in a blizzard as an amateur rally navigator, and once drove from the Gulf to the Hudson Valley in a single day. When he’s not writing, Alexandre can be found wrenching on one of his project cars or teaching people to drive stick, whether they want to learn or not.