One day, you’re holding your babies in your arms, and then next day you’re helping them move into their university dorm rooms. At least, that’s as quickly as the time seems to fly. We spend their entire lives worrying about them. Are they eating enough? Are they in with the right crowd? Am I setting them up for a good future? The last thing anyone needs to add to this list of worries is whether the cars your kids will be driving to school as students will keep them safe.
What makes a good first car for a student? Obviously, it should have a solid safety record. Reliability is important, too. No one wants to deal with frequent breakdowns and repairs on cars our kids need for their commutes to class. And ultimately, price matters. Most students and their families can’t add high car payments to their list of financial responsibilities.
Whether your university or college student is going to school in Ontario, B.C., Quebec, the Maritimes, or anywhere in between, we’ve created this list of the best cars to buy for students in Canada with these factors in mind. The vehicles you’ll see here are reasonably priced whether you opt for a new or used car, have a reputation for safety and reliability, and shouldn’t cost a bundle in car insurance. Remember, even if you can’t afford all-wheel drive (AWD), a good set of winter tires goes a long way toward driving safety. Happy hunting!
The Best Cars for Students in Canada
- Honda Civic
- Hyundai Elantra
- Hyundai Venue
- Kia Soul
- Kia Forte
- Mazda3
- Mitsubishi Mirage
- Nissan Kicks
- 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. The 2024 Honda Civic has a starting in Canada of $28,754 (all prices include destination charges and other fees). The 2023 Civic received 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.
Honda Civic Review
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 2024 Hyundai Elantra has a starting price in Canada of $24,506, and it’s well-equipped at that price with heated seats and lane keep assist. Plus, Korean brands have been hovering toward or at the top of J.D. Power’s dependability studies in recent years, and the Elantra was listed in the top three compact cars for reliability in the 2022 study. The IIHS ranks the 2023 Elantra as a Top Safety Pick.
Hyundai Elantra Review
Hyundai Venue
Crossovers are hot, and a front-wheel-drive subcompact SUV can be a smart and frugal choice for small households or individuals such as students. The Hyundai Venue is an affordable small crossover backed by Hyundai’s excellent ranking in recent J.D. Power U.S. Dependability study and a 2023 Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS. The 2024 Hyundai Venue starts at $23,556. It’s also available in some funky colour combinations that will help your student stand out in a crowd, or a parking lot.
Hyundai Venue Overview
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 unique and practical. The Soul benefits from Kia’s consistently high rankings as a highly dependable brand according to J.D. Power. Add in the Top Safety Pick from the IIHS and the suite of great exterior colours that pop, and a Soul is sure to please both the students and parents in the car-buying equation. The 2024 Kia Soul has a starting price in Canada of $25,333.
Kia Soul Overview
Kia Forte
Kia’s small car is a big bet in terms of value. The 2024 Kia Forte has a Canadian starting price of $23,483. For that, you receive a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine making 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. Technology features include an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus cruise control, six airbags, and heated front seats. Kia performs very 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 2024 Mazda3 sedan has a starting price in Canada of $26,953, while the 2024 Mazda3 Sport hatchback starts at $27,703. But it does come with stylish looks, great drive dynamics, and excellent safety and reliability credentials. The IIHS gives the 2023 Mazda3 a Top Safety Pick+ rating, and Mazda 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.
Mazda3 Review
Mitsubishi Mirage
Canada’s cheapest new car may not have all the latest bells and whistles, but it does come with a 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty, which is currently the best in the business. It’s also very fuel-efficient at a combined estimated average fuel economy of as little as 6.2 litres per 100 kilometres according to Natural Resources Canada, which will save your student money at the pumps. The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage starts at $19,481. Note this includes a continuously variable transmission (CVT) as the manual transmission has been dropped. Because the Mirage is a small car, you’ll give up some cargo space to buy at this price. The Mirage also falls short in driver’s side front overlap crash testing according to the IIHS.
Mitsubishi Mirage Overview
Nissan Kicks
Nissan’s front-wheel-drive subcompact crossover is not only a frugal choice, it’s a fun one, too. The 2024 Nissan Kicks starts in Canada from a price of $24,979. It comes in a slate of bright colours—including the base model, which can be bought with blue metallic paint for $135 extra—and its drive dynamics are 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 Kicks Overview
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 $25,249, or $27,084 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.
Nissan Sentra Review
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 enters 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 2024 Subaru Impreza starts in Canada at a price of $29,167. 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.
Subaru Impreza Overview
Toyota Corolla
Your student may groan at the suggestion of driving a Toyota Corolla, but feel free to insist. With a long list of standard safety features including emergency braking and automatic high beams, Toyota’s consistent reliability record, and a Top Safety Pick ranking for both the sedan and hatchback body styles in 2023 models, there’s too much good going on here to dismiss out of a desire to be the coolest kid on the block. The 2024 Toyota Corolla sedan starts in Canada at a price of $26,165, while the 2024 Toyota Corolla Hatchback starts at $26,965.
Toyota Corolla Overview
Chevrolet Trax
While much of the auto industry is pushing vehicles upward in price, Chevrolet launched a new generation of the Trax this year and still kept it an affordable car with a starting price below $25,000 fees in. 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 performs surprisingly well for its size. In Canada, the 2024 Chevrolet Trax carries a starting price of $24,530.
Used cars to consider
While affordable new cars are becoming scarce in today’s automotive market, there are some cars you might want to consider buying used. The Honda Fit, Kia Rio, and Ford Fiesta have been discontinued, but there are still plenty of pre-owned cars around.
Note: Images may show US models.