With the average transaction price for new cars approaching $50,000, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn you can still buy a new car in 2024 loaded with features for under $30,000.
Unlike the “penalty box” economy cars at the base-model side of the price spectrum in decades past, these are well-equipped vehicles with a good list of standard safety, infotainment, and comfort and convenience features. Every single vehicle on this list has air conditioning, power windows, power locks, anti-lock brakes, traction control, and a backup camera as standard equipment.
Several cheap cars have been eliminated over the last few years, but there are some new options emphasizing affordability, too. You’re no longer limited to subcompact and compact cars. We’ve included some midsize cars, a couple of SUVs, and even a pickup truck, each at a reasonable entry price.
The Cheapest New Cars of 2024
- Chevrolet Trax
- Ford Maverick
- Hyundai Venue
- Kia Forte
- Kia Soul
- Mazda Mazda3
- Mitsubishi Mirage
- Nissan Versa
- Subaru Impreza
- Toyota Corolla Hatchback
Chevrolet Trax
Best for: Tech enthusiasts
While absent from Chevy’s lineup for a year, the Trax returns for 2024 and we are happy to report this all-new model carries over none of the frumpy looks or overall cheapness from the first generation. It’s longer, lower, and wider, and sports more premium materials and features. Even its fully loaded trims come in well under $30,000.
The Trax comes well equipped with a standard 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, power windows and door locks, and even active noise control. You also get standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, something once exclusive to BMW only a few short years ago. Upper-level trims move up to an 11-inch touchscreen, and a fully digital instrument cluster.
Standard safety features are generous and plentiful, including automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, automatic high beams, and a following distance indicator. Buyers can also opt for adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear park assist. Like most Chevys, the Teen Driver system comes standard and automatically activates certain safety features.
Ford Maverick
Best for: Truck buyers
We’ll cop to the fact that it’s still exceedingly hard to buy a Maverick XL at the base price, even if it’s increased by almost $3,000 since this hot little truck was introduced.
The Maverick is not only the least expensive truck in the marketplace by at least $3,000, it’s also the least expensive truck available with a hybrid engine in America. But unlike the steak we saw advertised at that casino in Vegas, it’s more than just the price that makes it good. We loved the Maverick for its right-sized utility and EPA-estimated 37 mpg combined when equipped with the available hybrid. It lived up to all of the expectations we had for it. It’s not quite the electric car or even the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that some of us hoped for, but it’s getting there.
The new vehicle market is settling down, and it won’t be long before you can simply buy one of these off the lot. In the meantime, consider ordering the truck you want when order windows are open.
Hyundai Venue
Best for: Vacation tourers
The Hyundai Venue is one of two models we’d call a “crossover” on our cheap cars list, although neither quite meets the qualifications of what most people would call a crossover. Neither the Hyundai Venue nor the Kia Soul is available with all-wheel drive (AWD), though Kia keeps saying a Soul AWD is just around the corner.
The Venue gets a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine putting out 121 horsepower, making it one of the least powerful vehicles on our list. Hyundai discontinued the manual, so all of these vehicles rock the same powertrain.
Unlike Kia, Hyundai packs a lot of advanced safety equipment in every trim level, which should attract both first-time and older drivers. However, it does put equipment like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert only on the SEL and Limited trims.
Kia Forte
Best for: Sporty car fans
The Kia Forte slots in just below the more Honda-Accord-sized Kia K5. It’s a smashing little car for $200 less than the Soul. It looks great, it’s well-equipped, and it’s fuel-efficient: With the base LX trim featuring an automatic transmission, the EPA estimates you’ll see fuel economy of up to 41 mpg on the highway.
If safety technology is appealing to you, every Forte is equipped with the Kia Drive Wise suite of technology standard, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-follow assist, driver-attention warning, and rear occupant alert. That’s a huge advantage over other manufacturers that make this equipment optional, and only on the upper trim levels.
Even the base LX trim is well-equipped, featuring cruise control, an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth wireless technology, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, rare in this segment.
Kia Soul
Best for: Weekend travelers
A minimal price increase of $100 makes the Soul a terrific value for anyone who’d like the size of a compact crossover, but doesn’t necessarily care about all-wheel drive. The Soul is perennially one of Kia’s best-selling models. It’s really no wonder. The Soul is a capable, entertaining, incredibly useful car that’s only gotten better with time. It’s got all the things we loved about the discontinued Kia Rio, but in a body style that's great for road trips and gear-hauling. Got luggage? No problem. Have dogs? They’ll love it.
As is the case for some other models in this class, Kia pushes you to the next trim level to get some of the more advanced safety features. The Soul S features them as standard equipment, but it bumps the MSRP to over $22,000. Those interested in the most sporty-looking Soul will want to head to the GT-Line trim, featuring unique appearance accents inside and out, as well as available two-tone paint. For 2024 a CVT automatic transmission is the standard and only available transmission.
To sum it up, there’s a really good reason why you see so many Souls around.
Mazda Mazda3
Best for: Driving enthusiasts
The Mazda3 has long been a favorite among performance drivers, especially in the more expensive trims. Though the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus is a fantastic little car, it’s hard to call it “affordable” at $35,450. But the bargain-basement 2.5 S is still enjoyable to drive with 191 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque.
If AWD is something you need to have, the Mazda3 is one of a few inexpensive sedans to offer it. But it requires stepping up to the 2.5 S Carbon Edition trim, which starts at almost $30,000.
We recommend sticking with the 2.5 S trim level and spending $1,000 on the best winter tires money can buy.
(2023 Mitsubishi Mirage pictured)
Mitsubishi Mirage
Best for: First-job commuters
While it’s experienced a moderate $450 increase in price from last year, the Mirage ES with a CVT is one of the least-expensive cars available of any type, and even the fully equipped BE trim level tops out at just $1,900 more.
In the base ES trim level, the Mirage comes well-equipped with a peppy engine, standard continuously variable transmission (CVT), 7-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth wireless technology, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic climate control, remote keyless entry, steering-wheel controls, cruise control, and a six-way adjustable driver’s seat. Inside the Mirage, there’s really no point in going higher than the ES, because the only notable convenience feature you get with the higher trim levels is a driver's armrest. That said, even the most expensive SE trim level—which includes LED headlamps, automatic high beams, push-button start 15-inch alloy wheels, leather-wrapped shift knob and wheel, and heated front seats—comes in at just over $18,500.
Nissan Versa
Best for: Families just starting out
The Versa experienced a small $150 price bump heading into the 2024 model year, but it’s still the most affordable new car in America.
In its fifth year since a major redesign, the Versa still offers a ton of standard safety features at every trim level in Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite of driver-assist features. This includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear automatic braking.
This is equipment that you wouldn’t have been able to buy in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class a few generations ago. It’s great to see features once exclusive to luxury cars make their way into the most affordable price category.
Subaru Impreza
Best for: Winter warriors
There’s a big jump in price between a vehicle like the Nissan Versa and the Subaru Impreza, but factor in that with the Impreza, you get standard all-wheel drive (AWD). It’s the only car in this list with such a feature, and one of just two where it’s available at all.
On top of that, the Impreza is all-new in 2024 and offers your choice of hatchback or sedan, along with over 100 cubic feet of passenger space. The hatchback and the sedan are both equipped with EyeSight Driver Assist Technology standard. Looking for a little spice in your Impreza? Revived for 2024 is the availability of the RS trim, featuring a sport-tuned suspension and a larger 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.
(2023 Toyota Corolla Hatchback pictured)
Toyota Corolla Hatchback
Best for: College students
Hatchbacks were on the endangered species list for a time there, but they seem to be making something of a comeback, most notably in the form of the Corolla Hatchback. The idea here is to offer an entertaining little car for not a ton of money. The Corolla Hatchback is equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 169 hp and a CVT regardless of the trim level you select. Even if you choose the XSE, your base price is still under $27k.
And even in base format, this isn’t a stripped-down, bare-bones vehicle. You get an 8-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus three months of SiriusXM for free. Choosing the XSE provides a set of eight JBL premium audio speakers with an amplifier.
Making the bottom line seem even more enticing, Toyota throws in the first two years or 25,000 miles of scheduled maintenance for free.