It’s a momentous day when your baby bird leaves the nest and heads off to university or college for the first time. For parents, anxiety is a given as we send our children out into the world, hoping we’ve provided them with the tools they’ll need to succeed. Frankly, there’s enough to worry about, so let’s make sure the car you’re sending your student to school with isn’t one of them.
What makes a good first car for a student? Safety is clearly a top concern. You’ll also want to make sure it’s reliable since dealing with car issues from a distance is a hassle. Plus, price is a major factor for many families. Adding a second car payment of hundreds of dollars just isn’t feasible for many families today.
Below, you’ll find a list of the best cars for students in Canada. While we’ve focused on university and college students here, these would be good first-car candidates for high school students as well. These vehicles all come with great reputations for safety and reliability, reasonable car insurance rates, and relatively low up-front prices. If you’re buying a used car, follow our steps provided here to ensure you get a good deal. And don’t forget to budget for scheduled maintenance and a quality set of winter tires!
Any prices provided include destination charges and dealer fees but exclude options and sales taxes. While they were current as of publication time, pricing is subject to change.
The Best Cars for Students in Canada
- Honda Civic
- Hyundai Elantra
- Kia Soul
- Kia K4
- Mazda3
- Mitsubishi Mirage
- Nissan Kicks Play
- Nissan Sentra
- Subaru Impreza
- Toyota Corolla
- Chevrolet Trax
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic has been a student car of choice in Canada for generations. As this was Canada’s best-selling car for nearly a quarter century running, there are plenty of used examples floating around to suit all manner of taste and budget. Sold in sedan and hatch body styles, the Civic is a little pricier than average when buying new. The 2025 Honda Civic has a starting in Canada of $29,506. The 2025 Civic receives a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It’s worth noting if you’re shopping for a pre-owned vehicle that the nameplate hasn’t been as successful in past years, and the Honda brand currently sits below average in J.D. Power’s dependability studies.
Hyundai Elantra
The Hyundai Elantra sedan is a fantastic choice for a student car. The latest redesign features edgy styling and cool tech such as a touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to go with the usual Bluetooth connectivity. The 2025 Hyundai Elantra has a starting price in Canada of $24,809, and it’s well-equipped at that price with heated seats and lane keep assist. Consider getting a used car that’s four to five years old, though, as the Korean brands have lost significant ground recently in J.D. Power’s dependability studies in recent years. In the 2022 study, which applied to 2019 model year vehicles, the Elantra was listed as one of the top three compact cars for reliability. The 2019 Elantra was an IIHS Top Safety Pick+, the institute’s highest, while more recent years receive Top Safety Pick rankings.
Kia Soul
The Kia Soul has long been a favourite for drivers who want a small SUV that offers something different. Its funky looks and upright shape make for a great combination of uniqueness and practicality. The Soul benefits from Kia’s consistently high rankings as a dependable brand according to J.D. Power. (While related brands Hyundai and Genesis have dipped lower recently, Kia has remained above the industry average.) The Soul lots its Top Safety Pick ratings from the IIHS recently, but that’s mostly due to concerns around the car seat anchors. The Soul is therefore sure to please both the students and parents in the car-buying equation. The 2025 Kia Soul has a starting price in Canada of $25,530.
Kia K4
Kia has retired a slew of its cars this year — including the Kia Forte compact sedan, Kia Forte5 hatchback, and Kia K5 sedan — and replaced all of those cars with the entirely new 2025 Kia K4. The base engine is the same, but overall design and technology have been modernized. The 2025 Kia K4 has a Canadian starting price of $26,580. On the other hand, since there no difference in power and Kia’s tech has been among the best in recent years, you may find a late-model Kia Forte is a solid student car. Kia performs well in reliability studies as a brand, but the Forte does have a Poor rating in the updated side crash testing from the IIHS.
Mazda3
Granted, the Mazda3 is not the outright cheapest car on this list. The 2025 Mazda3 sedan has a starting price in Canada of $28,187, while the 2025 Mazda3 Sport hatchback —perhaps the most sporty-looking car on this list — starts at $28,937. Either way, the Mazda3 does come with stylish looks, great drive dynamics, and excellent safety and reliability credentials. The IIHS gave both versions of the 2024 Mazda3 a Top Safety Pick+ rating, which they’ve mostly retained over the past few years. Mazda also consistently scores higher than average in the J.D. Power U.S. Dependability Study. If you opt for used, though, note that older Mazda3s have a reputation for being susceptible to rust issues. (We’re talking much older here, though. While some owners continue to report later problems, this was mostly resolved by the 2010 model year.)
Mitsubishi Mirage
Sadly, the Mitsubishi Mirage is no longer available as a new car in Canada. However, since it was one of the cheapest cars in Canada when new, it will remain affordable used for many years to come. Note, though, that the 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty that came with new models is not transferrable to a new owner. The balance of the 5-year, 100,000-kilometre new car limited warranty does transfer, though. At a combined estimated average fuel economy of as little as 6.2 litres per 100 kilometres according to Natural Resources Canada on later models, the Mirage will save your student money at the pumps. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) was the default on later model years, but you’ll find manual transmissions among two-year-old or older units. Because the Mirage is a very small car, you’ll give up some cargo space and performance to buy at this price. The Mirage also falls short in driver’s side front overlap crash testing according to the IIHS.
Nissan Kicks Play
For 2025, a new Nissan Kicks debuts, but it’s not much like the previous Kicks. In fact, it’s more like the Nissan Qashqai, which was discontinued at the end of 2022, and that’s the car the new Kicks is intended to replace. But the car we’ve known as the Kicks until now carries on in Canada under a new name, the Nissan Kicks Play. It’s a fun and frugal little front-wheel-drive subcompact crossover. The 2025 Nissan Kicks Play starts in Canada from a price of $25,385. It comes in a slate of bright colours—including the base model, which can be bought with red or blue metallic paint for $250 extra—and its driving experience is surprisingly entertaining for the price. Plus, the base model comes with blind spot monitoring, which is unusual at this price point. However, Nissan does fall slightly below average as a brand in reliability according to J.D. Power, meaning you may spend more time at the dealership getting repairs. It also falls short of a Top Safety Pick rating with the IIHS due to some crash test results that scored Acceptable instead of Good.
Nissan Sentra
Nissan’s compact sedan is one of the better values on the market right now for two reasons. One is that a manual transmission is still available for the base model, so if your student is willing to learn to drive stick, you can get a Sentra S for cheap. The 2024 Nissan Sentra S with a manual transmission sells in Canada for $26,505, or $27,180 with a CVT. Either way, the 149 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque from the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine feels sufficient. The other is that the base Sentra is well-equipped for that price with standard features like emergency braking with pedestrian detection, cruise control, and blind spot monitoring. Note that Nissan tends to score below average in J.D. Power dependability studies, and the Sentra underperforms on the updated side crash test from the IIHS.
Subaru Impreza
Looking to equip your student with all-wheel drive (AWD) at the lowest price possible? Check out the Subaru Impreza. The Subaru Impreza entered a new generation for the 2024 model year. While it’s no longer available with a manual transmission, many more safety features and driver assistance technologies are now standard equipment. The 2025 Subaru Impreza starts in Canada at a price of $29,270. Its standard AWD provides one of the most affordable entry points to this feature in the Canadian market. Subaru tends to perform very well in IIHS safety ratings, and the 2024 Impreza is no exception as it earns a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS. However, it’s worth noting that Subaru ranks lower than average for reliability according to J.D. Power.
Toyota Corolla
Your student may groan at the suggestion of driving a Toyota Corolla, but feel free to insist. It comes with a long list of standard safety features including emergency braking and automatic high beams. With Toyota’s consistent reliability record, and a Top Safety Pick ranking for both the sedan and hatchback body styles in 2024 models, the Corolla is too good a commuter car to dismiss out of fashion concerns. The 2025 Toyota Corolla sedan starts in Canada at a price of $26,565, while the 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback starts at $26,970. You’ll find many examples of the Toyota Corolla on Canada’s used car market. You’ll pay more for these than the alternatives due to their higher resale value. But given their legendary reliability and longevity, it’s easy to recommend paying extra to get your student a car they can count on. You may even be able to afford a used Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which is excellent for fuel efficiency.
Chevrolet Trax
While much of the auto industry is pushing vehicles upward in price, Chevrolet launched a new generation of the Trax last year and still kept it affordable. The 2025 Chevrolet Trax has a starting price below $27,133. The front-wheel-drive subcompact crossover looks great, drives well, and offers excellent technology features your student will appreciate. The 1.2-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder engine making 137 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, matched with a six-speed automatic transmission, performs surprisingly well for its size.
More used cars to consider
Since budget-oriented new vehicles are becoming scarce in today’s automotive market, there are some used vehicles you might want to consider. The Honda Fit, Kia Rio, and Ford Fiesta have been discontinued, but there are still plenty of pre-owned cars around. You might also consider an older Honda Accord or Toyota Camry if your student is looking for more space, or a used Toyota Prius if you want rock-bottom fuel efficiency. For more ideas, check out our list of the best cars you can buy used for under $10,000 in Canada. If you really want a compact SUV like a Toyota RAV4 or a Honda CR-V on a budget, take a look at our recommendations in our list of the best used SUVs in Canada for under $10,000.
Note: Images may show US models.
