West Herr picks five cars ideal for the college student

West Herr Auto Group said its staff has compiled a list of five best cars for college students based on cost, fuel efficiency, safety, and interior and cargo space.

Cost is a major factor since school itself can be expensive, and most full-time college students are on limited budgets, West Herr said on its website. Fuel efficiency matters when traveling between school and home or work, and safety is important because many college students are young drivers. Interior space matters for hauling friends, classmates and personal belongings.

West Herr said the 2017 Kia Soul is a great choice for students, as it ranks among the top in the compact-cars category and has a suggested retail price of $16,100. The Honda Fit is also a great option, ranking first in the sub-compact category. Its price is comparable to the Kia Soul's, the release said. The Toyota Prius hybrid is extremely fuel efficient, making it ideal for long commutes or road trips The Ford Focus is loaded with technology, such as a touchscreen interface and voice-activated features and it has a park-assist function that is great when it comes to parallel parking. Pricing starts at less than $17,000. The Chevrolet Cruze is the final option on the top-five list from the dealership, priced about the same as the Focus. The Cruze has a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring.