5 Safe, Affordable New Cars To Give as Gifts in 2024

For years, you’ve seen holiday commercials where a lucky spouse or child is brought outside into the pristine snow with the promise of one final gift. One that can’t quite fit under the tree. You’ve watched the actors’ eyes widen in absolute glee as they behold a new, bow-wrapped car — and you’ve wanted to see the same expression on the face of your own loved ones. 

Whether you’re getting your kid a new car for their birthday, showing your partner how much you appreciate them or giving a friend a new set of wheels that can help them enter a new phase of life, buying a new car as a present is not a small thing. If you’re going to spend that kind of money, you want to make sure you’re giving a car that will be safe and reliable for a long time to come. 

GOBankingRates took a look at some of the safe, affordable new cars that will bring a smile to the face of any recipient. 

When Kelley Blue Book compiled its list of Best New Cars for Teens Under $30,000, the 2024 Toyota Prius came in number one.

The publication singled out numerous safety features, such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warnings with steering assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alerts. Starting at $29,045, this model offers safety and economy in one sleek package. 

Coming in second in the Kelley Blue Book ranking, the 2024 Honda Civic is no slouch when it comes to safety. It’s equipped with forward collision warning, auto emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control.In addition to these safety features that could have your youngster dashing through the snow — at a reasonable speed limit, of course — the Honda also comes with connectivity technology that creates a more enjoyable ride for passengers, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a single USB port and Bluetooth connectivity. That’s a lot of value for the relatively low price of $25,045. 

Reporting on the new requirements for vehicles to earn the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+  designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Consumer Reports shared that the 2024 Acura Integra has received the IIHS designation.

Leading the list for small cars, the 2024 Integra is no stranger to high praise. Car and Driver rhapsodized about the Type S model’s sleeker, smoother ride. The basic MSRP starts at $31,800, according to Consumer Report.

The 2024 Kia Forte raced to the very top of the Cars.com list of new cars with the best value, in part because of its low starting price of $22,145. However, a low price still comes with high quality, with the Forte offering a smooth ride and good fuel economy.

In the Cars.com review, the Forte received praise for its “competitive suite of safety tech, with forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane departure steering assist all standard.”

If you know the person you’re gifting is on the hunt for a terrific subcompact SUV, they’d be lucky to receive a Kissan Kicks S. It comes at the low starting price of $22,440 and offers robust features such as the suite of NissanConnect Services on the SV and SR trims.

These services enable remote door locking and unlocking, as well as engine starting and stopping capabilities. Crucially, this car will also allow automatic calling through a connected phone.