While a lot of attention is given to the most powerful or luxurious vehicles on the road, there's a lot to be said for small, fuel-efficient, and affordable new cars. A traditional compact car or small SUV combines the best of a variety of factors, including reliability, style, technology, comfort, and handling. It might be surprising to learn that drivers can score all of this and more with affordable cars for less than $20,000. These values offer consumers amazing value, allowing them to drive high-quality cars with impressive standard features for years after they are paid off. The eight most cost-effective cars include the 2019 and 2020 models of the Kia Sportage, Subaru Impreza, Honda Civic, Jeep Renegade, Hyundai Kona, Hyundai Veloster, Nissan Rogue, and Volkswagen Jetta. We also really love the 2020 Mazda 3 and Mazda CX-3, both of which bring excellent performance and features for shockingly low price points. These compact SUVs and sedans, small crossovers, hatchbacks, and other vehicles are excellent options that are loaded with features. If you're looking for cars that cost less than $25k, then you're in luck, because here are brand-new cars with surprisingly low MSRPs!
Coming in a sedan and a hatchback, the 2020 Subaru Impreza comes in the base 2.0i, Premium, Sport, and Limited trim levels. Each Impreza has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. Standard features include remote locking and unlocking, cloth upholstery, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, a USB port and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, and a 60/40-split folding rear seat. With a base MSRP starting at just $18,595, it's hard to beat this value!
The 2020 Honda Civic comes as a sedan, coupe, and hatchback offered in five trim levels: LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, and Sport. The base sedan comes with a lot of features for the money, including a 60/40-split folding rear seatback, automatic climate control, a 5-inch central display screen, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, and a USB port. The standard Civic has a base MSRP of just $19,550 and comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque. Honda Sensing is now standard on all trims.
The attractive 2019 Hyundai Kona is a four-door compact SUV that comes in SE, SEL, Limited and Ultimate trim levels. The base level trim starts at $19,990 and is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower. Standard features include remote keyless entry, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a 7-inch touchscreen with smartphone integration, as well as a variety of driver assistance safety features.
Powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 181 horsepower, the 2019 Kia Sportage starts at $23,750. It comes in three trim levels: LX, EX, and SX Turbo. The LX comes with air conditioning, a 5-inch display, six-speaker audio, Bluetooth, satellite radio, USB connectivity, and more. The SX adds a 240-horsepower engine, a panoramic sunroof and an upgraded infotainment system.
The redesigned 2019 Volkswagen Jetta is available in five trim levels: S, SE, R-Line, SEL and SLE Premium, and the S trim carries an MSRP of just $18,745. The S trim level has a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 147 hp. Features include an MIB II infotainment system with 6.5-inch display, four-speaker audio, Bluetooth, and a VW Car-Net App-Connect system than includes MirrorLink and Android Auto.
The new 2019 Nissan Rogue is a comfortable and enjoyable SUV now available with a wave of new features including lane departure warning, emergency braking, intelligent lane intervention and so much more. On top of this, a Special Edition package is now available on S trims. Speaking of trims, the trim levels available are S, SV, and SL. The Rogue features a 170 horsepower four-cylinder engine and offers an exceptionally comfortable interior. Features include a 7-inch display, Bluetooth and smartphone integration. The Rogue starts at $24,800.
The 2019 Hyundai Veloster is an unusual three-door compact car powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with 201 hp.and 195 lb-ft of torque in most trims. There are five trim levels: 2.0, Premium, Turbo R-Spec, Turbo, and Turbo Ultimate. The base level has a 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, while the Premium Edition adds a panoramic sunroof, keyless ignition and entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a navigation system. The Veloster is available for cheap with a low MSRP of just $18,500.
Want a cheap, cool-looking off-road vehicle? The 2019 Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover powered by a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. Standard features include remote locking and unlocking, push-button ignition, a rearview camera, a 60/40-split folding rear seat, cloth upholstery, Bluetooth, and a 5-inch touchscreen. It's available with a low MSRP of just $22,025.