Are you headed off to college? Is your son or daughter? Whether staying on campus or at home, college offers students new experiences and, for many young adults, independence.
Students need a safe, reliable, and efficient vehicle to make it all come together when navigating campus, getting to work, and heading home.
Here are 15 of the best cars for college students, focusing on value and unique choices for various college campuses and needs.
Toyota Prius Prime
The Toyota Prius Prime is perfect for college students with consistent access to EV chargers. You might scoff at the $32,795 MSRP, but a used Prius is a more budget-friendly option. The Prime has a 45-mile electric battery and a gas-powered engine, so students might not even need to fill up for a weekend trip home to do laundry.
Subaru Outback
The Subaru Outback has a couple of essential features for college students. The wagon-like SUV provides enough space to fit friends and cargo. It’s also loaded with safety features and an all-wheel drive system to give parents and kids peace of mind. You won’t find many better choices when traversing wet or snowy roads.
Mazda3
A student headed to school in an urban area would love a Mazda3. Choose between a hatchback or sedan, both of which are small enough for easy parallel parking while offering excellent fuel mileage—up to 37 MPG. They are reliable vehicles that won’t leave you stranded on campus with a hefty repair bill. We would choose the hatchback version due to its larger rear door and spacious 47.1 cubic-foot storage space with seats folded down.
Hyundai Elantra
Since many college students are inexperienced drivers, extra standard safety features are helpful. The Elantra includes automatic emergency braking and driver attention warnings in case the driver gets distracted. The Elantra, with a good 36 MPG rating and a low $21,875 base MSRP, won’t break the bank for fuel costs.
Kia Seltos
The Seltos provides many standard safety features with more space than the Elantra, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection, which is great for college campuses with plenty of vehicle and foot traffic. Students will also love this subcompact SUV because of its intuitive and flexible backseat system that can range from 26.6 cubic feet to 62.8 with the seats folded down.
Nissan Sentra
The biggest benefits of the Sentra are its safety features, efficiency, and price. Starting at $22,320 new, it’s one of the most affordable cars available. Trips around campus and home won’t be a burden to the wallet with up to 40 MPG. Finally, the Sentra is safe for young drivers thanks to its Safety Shield 360 system, which has many advanced warning features to prevent crashes. On top of all of that, the Sentra earned a 5-star National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration rating.
Kia Soul
The Kia Soul is a great college vehicle at a solid price, starting at $22,790. For the money, you get a solid, reliable vehicle. According to RepairPal, Kia is now ranked 3rd for overall cost of ownership among all manufacturers. Students will also appreciate having up to 62.1 cubic feet with the seats folded down. For a small SUV, the Soul gets excellent gas mileage at 35 MPG, so college students won’t be asking for money to fill up too often.
Mazda CX-30
The CX-30 provides college students with standard all-wheel drive. Parents and students will like this pick as a small SUV is easy to park. It’s also an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with solid crash test scores and lots of standard safety equipment like emergency braking. However, there is one downside: although its 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine provides solid torque and acceleration, it only gets up to 33 MPG.
Hyundai Kona
The Kona is available in an electric or gas-powered model. As a compact SUV, students can easily slip the Kona into tight parking spots. Along with Kia, Hyundai offers a terrific warranty— 10 years or 100,000 miles. The warranty covers most issues, leaving college students with low maintenance costs.
Ford Maverick
Not every college student wants a small car for parking. A truck can be an excellent option for students entering a trade or who need to travel in snow or through rugged terrain. Height is also a factor, as trucks give more headroom. The Ford Maverick is among the best choices because of its low $23,815 starting MSRP. This truck is surprisingly fuel-efficient, offering up to 42 MPG for the hybrid 2-wheel drive model, while the 4-wheel drive non-hybrid still gets up to 30 MPG on the highway.
Toyota Camry
According to RepairPal, the Camry has been around for a long time and is known to be a reliable vehicle. It has ample room for passengers and many standard safety features for a reasonable price, starting at $26,420. This makes it great for road trips and heading to work without feeling cramped.
Hyundai Santa Cruz
A solid 87 J.D. Power reliability score makes the Santa Cruz an excellent alternative to the Ford Maverick in the small truck category while potentially lowering maintenance costs for penny-pinching students. This truck also features a crossover unibody design, meaning it drives like an SUV while offering plenty of cargo space in the bed for moving gear to and from campus.
Honda Accord
College students and their parents often focus on a balance of safety features and reliability for their money. For $27,985, they get legendary Honda reliability, up to 37 MPG, and a slew of safety features alongside a spacious trunk with 16.7 cubic feet. It’s tough to beat for the price and is a vehicle that will last well beyond the college experience.
Chevrolet Trax
Chevrolet gave the Trax an excellent update for 2024. Students get more space, up to 54.1 cubic feet, and a cabin with superior materials. The Trax is also perfect for getting around urban campuses and parking in small spaces. Its folding 60/40 rear seat is flexible for transporting classmates or equipment. At $20,400, Chevrolet made their smallest SUV a fantastic deal that college students should check out.
Subaru Crosstrek
When it comes to serious value, the Crosstrek is tough to beat. While the price is higher than many vehicles on our list at $25,695 and up, you get standard all-wheel drive alongside many safety features from Subaru EyeSight, giving students and parents confidence. You’ll also have peace of mind knowing that Subaru won the Consumer Reports award for the best mainstream automotive brand for reliability and owner satisfaction.
15 Best Cars For College Students
There we have it: the best cars for college students based on space, flexibility, value, and mileage. Which vehicle features are essential to you? What would you want to send your son/daughter to college with as a parent? Thankfully, with current vehicle lineups, there are plenty of options.
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