For the first time since 2020, most college graduation ceremonies were almost normal in 2024. Congratulations, graduates! Now, it’s time to put college in your rear window (unless you’re continuing to grad school). Maybe it’s time for a new rear window – in a new car!
While you studied for your finals, we studied the automotive landscape, thinking about what makes the best car for a recent college graduate. We settled on three criteria for our list.
- Candidates must have a starting price under $30,000, including a destination charge
- NHTSA 5-Star Overall Safety Rating
- At least one cool feature
According to the analysts at Cox Automotive (Autotrader’s parent company), the average price of a new car in the United States hovers above $47,000. As a recent college graduate, you don’t need to spend that much to get a good car, maybe your first new car. We’ll show you some superb choices that start under 30 grand. We have to say, if you’re very savvy, you might study this list and decide to seek a used car instead of a new one. We applaud your decision and suggest you consider a certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle if you go in the used direction.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) collects crash-test data for new cars and publishes its rankings for public consumption. Their top safety rating is “5-Star” – and as a recent college graduate, you deserve the best.
Not only do you deserve safety, but you have also earned a reward by making it all the way through college and earning a spot at graduation. In the automotive world, that reward is a cool feature of your car. This cool thing might be functional; it might be part of the design; it might be something unexpected. But it’ll be a feature you’ll appreciate, and it will remind you how very cool you are about completing this stage of your education.
Without further preamble, here are the 10 Best Cars for Recent College Graduates, presented alphabetically by brand.
1. 2024 Chevrolet Equinox
- Starting price: $27,995, including a $1,395 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: cavernous interior
Okay, maybe your parents drive a Chevrolet Equinox — or at least your parents’ friends. But don’t discount the coolness of having 63.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind your front row of seating. You can now load up that free armchair at the curb or transport all your worldly belongings to your new fifth-floor walkup apartment. That’s cool. If you can stretch your budget to the Premier trim, you’ll get a power liftgate you can open by waving your foot under your rear bumper — power move.
See 2024 Chevrolet Equinox models near you
2. 2024 Honda Civic Sedan and Hatchback
- Starting price: $25,045, including a $1,095 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: Honda reliability
You’ll probably be driving your first post-graduation car for quite a few years. The Honda Civic has a well-earned reputation for reliability and durability. Choose the hatchback version for an extra $1,000, and add some utility to your toolbox. Take care of this car, and it will take care of you. You’ve had enough uncertainty getting through college in these trying times.
See 2024 Honda Civic models near you
3. 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz
- Starting price: $28,275, including a $1,375 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: An open bed with concealed storage
The United States is pickup crazy. You can join the fun without throwing your budget out the window by selecting Hyundai’s take on the pickup truck: the Santa Cruz. This efficient, compact truck has just enough bed space and interior room without a gigantic footprint (and thirst for fuel). The Santa Cruz even has a sealed under-bed storage compartment you can use as a cooler with a convenient drain plug. Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty just sweetens the deal.
See 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz models near you
4. 2024 Kia Niro Hybrid
- Starting price: $28,315, including a $1,375 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: Hello, hunky hybrid!
Let’s cut to the chase: The Kia Niro Hybrid gets 53 mpg city/54 mpg highway/53 mpg combined. Those figures are better than the other SUVs on this list. But it wouldn’t have made this list without its other cool feature – its futuristic look, inside and out. The Niro is sleek, modern, attractive, and worth driving at any price. But starting below $30K and getting 53 mpg combined? It’s a slam dunk. Kia includes one year of Kia Connect service with a new Niro Hybrid, and that service can give you extra security with Stolen Vehicle Recovery — in case your hunky hybrid falls prey to theft.
See 2024 Kia Niro Hybrid models near you
5. 2024 Mazda3 Sedan and Hatchback
- Starting price: $25,355, including a $1,185 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: Zoom-zoom
You deserve some fun, and the Mazda3 can give it to you. Engineered by the same geniuses who tune the MX-5 Miata, the Mazda3 is the best-handling and driving car you can buy for under $30,000. It’s also sophisticated, reliable, and beautifully put together. The sedan and hatchback versions fit under our cap, so you can pick the one that suits you best. While most competitors rely on a touchscreen interface for infotainment, Mazda wants you to keep your hands on the wheel and drive better. So the infotainment screen’s touch function doesn’t work while the car is in motion and instead uses steering-wheel-mounted controls or a big multifunction control knob in the center console.
See 2024 Mazda3 models near you
6. 2024 Nissan Versa
- Starting price: $17,820, including a $1,140 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: It’s the cheapest car on our list – but it doesn’t feel cheap
Your budget may not stretch to $30,000. It may not even stretch to $20,000. Nissan’s got your back with the Versa sedan. Unlike budget cars of the past, the Versa comes nicely equipped with a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, high-beam assist, rear automatic braking, and more. The base Versa S features a 5-speed manual transmission so that you can pick up a critical driving skill, or you can get it with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) for $19,490, including destination charge.
See 2024 Nissan Versa models near you
7. 2024 Subaru Forester
- Starting price: $28,440, including a $1,345 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: Go-anywhere character
College can be a grind. Now that you’ve graduated, you’ve earned the right to escape it all. The Subaru Forester is ready to take you anywhere, even to places beyond the pavement. With standard all-wheel drive and genuine chops, the Forester will be your willing companion for an epic road (and off-road) adventure. When you drive at night, you’ll notice the Forester’s LED Steering Responsive Headlights pivoting with your steering inputs, which will help you negotiate tricky terrain should your adventures last past sunset or start before dawn.
See 2024 Subaru Forester models near you
8. 2024 Subaru Impreza
- Starting price: $24,115, including a $1,120 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: Standard all-wheel drive
Subaru vehicles dominate the roadways in places where the roads are hilly and get slick in the winter. Standard all-wheel drive (AWD) is part of the reason. Good old-fashioned value is another. The redesigned Impreza hatchback is the entry-level Subaru model, a cute compact 5-door with plenty of grit and a great starting price. If you crave AWD’s security and all-weather capability at a friendly price, the Impreza could be your match.
See 2024 Subaru Impreza models near you
9. 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Starting price: $29,950, including a $1,095 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: Stealth
You probably didn’t picture yourself behind the wheel of a Camry when you were putting on your cap and gown for graduation. Guess what? The Toyota Camry Hybrid may be one of the smartest automotive buys on our list. It’s incredibly fuel-efficient as a hybrid with an EPA-reported estimate of up to 51 mpg city/53 mpg highway/52 mpg combined. The Camry is comfortable, roomy, dependable, and pleasant to drive. It’s a car that can travel incognito, never getting unwanted attention while you and your friends ride in its serene, quiet confines – as adult college graduates do.
See 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid models near you
10. 2024 Toyota Prius
- Starting price: $29,045, including a $1,095 destination fee
- NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5-Star
- Cool feature: It brought sexy back
The Toyota Prius used to be the butt of automotive snobs’ jokes. It was slow. It looked like a vacuum cleaner. It was an appliance. Those complaints have disappeared since the Prius got a total makeover last year. The fifth-generation Prius is now sexy, fun to drive, and remarkable. The Prius leads our collection of grad-friendly vehicles in fuel economy with 57 mpg city/56 mpg highway/57 mpg combined, and it might be the best-looking of any car we’ve recommended here.
See 2024 Toyota Prius models near you
Best Cars for Recent College Graduates
- 2024 Chevrolet Equinox
- 2024 Honda Civic
- 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz
- 2024 Kia Niro Hybrid
- 2024 Mazda3
- 2024 Nissan Versa
- 2024 Subaru Forester
- 2024 Subaru Impreza
- 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid
- 2024 Toyota Prius
