“According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Mazda, Subaru, GMC, and Toyota make some of the safest and most affordable models for young drivers. If you are buying used, you should probably stay away from anything made prior to 2009.
The Mazda3 is relatively safe for a small car, but a Subaru Legacy is a larger car that may hold up better in the event of an accident. If you are looking for a larger vehicle, the Toyota RAV4 and GMC Terrain are both very good SUV options.“