Many parents dread the day they have to send their teens out on the road, worried about their inexperienced young drivers getting into accidents. Fortunately, vehicles have grown safer over the years, and many now abound with advanced safety features. The 2021 Toyota Corolla is one such vehicle. And it’s a great choice for teenagers for many reasons. 

An overview of the 2021 Toyota Corolla

Toyota is known for building reliable and practical vehicles, and the 2021 Corolla is no exception. This compact car provides a smooth ride with responsive controls, and it gets incredible gas mileage. According to U.S. News, the 2021 sedan gets about 38 mpg on the highway, and the hatchback gets around 37 mpg. If you opt for the larger 2.0-liter instead of the 1.8-liter engine, you’ll get not only more horsepower but also better gas mileage. The 2.0-liter Corolla sedan can get a whopping 40 mpg on the highway.

Your teens are more interested in the infotainment system. Though the Toyota Corolla doesn’t offer a super-long list of standard features, it still provides a commendable amount of modern tech. Expect a 7.0-inch touchscreen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alex, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and more. Those are pretty good perks for a car whose base model starts at $20,025. 

However, one common complaint is its small cargo area. The Toyota Corolla hatchback debuted a few years ago to combat that problem. It boasts over four additional cubic feet of space. That’s still pretty small for a hatchback. But if your teenager isn’t hauling around a ton of stuff, that’s probably not a huge deal. 

The 2021 Toyota Corolla’s safety features

Teens might not care much about safety features, but most parents do. Fortunately, the 2021 Toyota Corolla boasts tons of safety features and excellent crash test ratings that will elicit a sigh of relief from anxious parents. 

The 2021 Corolla comes standard with impressive driver aids. They include lane-keep assist, lane departure warnings, a rearview camera, automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, pedestrian detection, and adaptive cruise control. You can also upgrade to get advanced safety features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive headlights. These features work together to prevent accidents, but the Corolla does an excellent job of keeping occupants safe in the event of a crash. 

According to MotorTrend, the 2021 Toyota Corolla sedan and hatchback both earned IIHS Top Safety Pick honors. Both models also garnered an overall 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

A good buy for teenagers

The 2021 Toyota Corolla’s safety features, fuel efficiency, and high predicted reliability rating make it a great new car for just over $20,000. Most parents don’t want to shell out too much cash for their child’s first car, but they also don’t want an unsafe vehicle or unreliable ride. 

The Corolla provides the perfect balance between price and features. Although teens might rather drive cars they think are cooler or more stylish than a sensible Toyota, they can’t argue with its practicality.