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4 Safe, Affordable Used Cars To Give as Gifts in 2024

September 9, 2024

3 min Read

Written by Gina Hagler

Edited by Nicholas Morine

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When you’re looking for a used car, price, reliability, safety and fuel economy top the list. If the car is intended as a gift, your priorities might shift their order to safety, reliability, price and fuel economy — especially if the car is intended for a teen.

We’ve set our sights on a price point under $10,000 with safety as the top priority.

US News & World Report identified these four safe, affordable used cars to give as gifts in 2024. Prices quoted are as of late 2023.

2016 Nissan Versa

First on our list with a U.S. News Safety Score of 9/10 and a price point of $9,906, the Versa is available as a sedan or hatchback. It’s not the most impressive for handling or high-end materials, but it is roomy for its class and boasts excellent fuel economy.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also rate the Versa high on safety. A rearview camera is standard.

2014 Ford Focus

This compact car is also available in sedan and hatchback. With a U.S. New Safety Score of 9/10 and a price point of $9,079, it has an upscale cabin and good handling. Add that IIHS named it a Top Safety Pick, and NHTSA gave it a 5/5 for overall crash protection.

The one drawback is that parking sensors and a rearview camera are not standard.

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2015 Chevrolet Spark

This subcompact has excellent fuel economy (31 mpg city/38 mpg highway). The four-person hatchback has a Wi-Fi hotspot as standard equipment. It earned a U.S. News Safety Score of 9/10 with a price point of $9,035.

The Spark earned similarly high safety ratings from NHSTA and IIHS.

2014 Scion tC

This compact car has seating that seats adults comfortably. The hatchback has plenty of room for your stuff. It earned a U.S. News Safety Score of 9/10 with a price of $8,885.

It does not have blind-spot monitoring or parking sensors, but it was an IIHS Top Safety Pick, and NHTSA gave it a perfect score for overall crash protection.

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