Here Are All 28 Cars Available In The U.S. Right Now For Less Than $30,000

Back in 2020 at the height of our COVID-induced economic crisis, I made note of the fact that there were very few vehicles left in dealership showrooms with an MSRP under $20,000. Back then the nearly-extinct inexpensive car population numbered just 17. By 2023 that number was down to just six. The last of them died in 2025. In 2024 I started tracking how many vehicles were left under a new higher number, $25,000. Back then there were 18, but today we're down to just a handful. So I have been forced to raise the number once more to a massive $30,000. Inflation is a heck of a thing, isn't it? At the risk of dating myself, I remember when $10,000 could still buy you a brand new car from a Nissan dealer. Oh right, that wasn't even 20 years ago. 

Sometimes it's good to keep an eye on what the new car market is doing, especially as many automakers are threatening to drop their least expensive models from production if the President doesn't walk back some of his deleterious trade policies. We're at a tipping point right now in American economic history, and increased inflationary action will only continue to hurt America's blue collar working class. To put things in context, about one third of American workers earn $30,000 or less per year. Cars are already more expensive than ever, loan terms are longer than ever, and monthly payments are higher than ever. With gasoline prices and insurance costs soaring, it's certainly not a good time for anybody's pocketbook.

So let's get to the list. Which automakers are still interested in selling you a car for less than 30 bands? It's a lot fewer than you would think. There isn't a single Ford or Dodge on the list, for example. For the purposes of this experiment, we're including the manufacturer-mandated delivery fees on top of the base MSRP. 

A popular New York Times article a few weeks ago claimed that there were just four cars under $25,000. Namely they were the Hyundai Venue, Kia Soul, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Versa. Because it seemed to agree with my already-established biases, I initially thought nothing of it. Recently it has started to eat at me, and I decided to dig a little more. Sometimes it's good to challenge the information you're presented. First of all, both the Versa and the Soul are dead, so you can strike those from the list. 

Hyundai Venue – $22,650

The Venue used to be on the under-20K list back in the day, but inflation has hit the compact crossover with a big stick since. This model is near the end of its life, but Hyundai has committed to another generation of the Venue. Will it come back to the U.S. market? Time will tell. 

Chevrolet Trax – $23,495

We rather like the Chevrolet Trax at Jalopnik. It punches above its weight class, and does a lot with a little. It's cheap and cheerful, and has room for you and your family. It's hard to call the driving experience inspiring, but it's a good commuter and reasonably sippy at the fuel pump.

Kia K4 – $23,535

When Daniel drove the Kia K4 back in January, he called it "a pretty sweet deal" and it's still got one of the best warranties in the industry. It's an "easy winner" for pretty much anyone looking for stylish and inexpensive transportation. I love what the Koreans are doing with new car styling, and the K4 is a big winner in that regard.

Nissan Sentra – $23,845

I've never had much to say about the Sentra. It's fine, I guess. It's a stylistic mess, but at least it's different. It's not quite as uninspiring as its larger and more expensive Altima brother, so I'll give it that. It's cheap, for sure.

Hyundai Elantra – $23,870

A perfectly acceptable sedan, this was also under 20K a few years ago. It's got good style and decent standard features. If you can't afford a Honda Civic on your budget, you're probably getting one of these. You can even get the SEL Sport package with 17" black alloy wheels and a spoiler for $5 under the 25K mark. Neat!

Nissan Kicks – $24,275

The Kicks is actually a pretty good car. Better than it should be, really. This might be the dark horse under-25K winner. It's stylish and has lots of great features. You can't really add any options without kicking over the 25 large mark, but if you have that kind of budget, it'll just squeeze in. 

Toyota Corolla – $24,320

This is probably the right choice for most drivers, in spite of its boredom-inducing design and driving character. Toyota has earned its reputation for building long-life low-cost vehicles that operate more or less correctly forever. The base Corolla LE is probably one of the few cars that will still be on the road in 30 years. If you can afford the extra $1200, get the hatchback. If you absolutely must get a crossover, the Corolla Cross is a decent choice. 

That's seven cars still available under $25,000. It's a shame that there aren't any less expensive options, but you can probably still afford a new car with a $300-ish monthly payment if you have decent credit.

While the sedan and hatchback sedan segment is almost completely obliterated from the U.S. market, there are still a handful of them available, and some with a reasonable price tag. If you're looking for a new car that isn't a crossover, and doesn't break your entire bank, these are pretty much your only choices. 

Mazda 3 – $25,785

Looks great, drives great, and doesn't cost a whole lot. I'd pony up the extra cash for the hatchback if I were you, but the 3 makes a great daily driver. If aesthetics are important to you, then this is probably your best bet. Good buy. 

Honda Civic – $25,890

You have never been able to go wrong buying a Honda Civic. They're all pretty good. They've gotten a little boring and heavy, but still reliable and solid fun to drive. 

Mini Cooper C Oxford Edition – $26,675

I wasn't sure whether to include this one or not. The original Mini Cooper Oxford Edition was reserved for recent college graduates, but the current example has been opened up to everyone on a first-come-first-served basis. Mini is calling it a limited edition model, but doesn't say how many were built. Maybe they're all gone already, I'm not sure. If you miss out on it, the standard Cooper C will cost you well over $30,000.

Subaru Impreza – $27,790

If you're one of those folks who absolutely believes you have to have all-wheel drive to get through a rainstorm or occasional snow, then this is probably your choice. You're wrong about that, but we don't have time to argue about winter tires. 

Hyundai Sonata – $28,695

I don't have a lot to say about this one. I liked the old design better, but it's fine. Good warranty, decent fuel mileage, good interior. There aren't really bad choices anymore. Cars are baseline pretty good. 

Kia K5 – $28,735

The Optima was renamed as the K5 and it carries on that car's tradition of being the quirkier Honda Accord. It isn't for everyone, but I like the look of the front end treatment. I wish the rest of the car was as bold as the front bumper is. The small turbo engine was, in my opinion, better than the new naturally aspirated 2.5-liter, but so it goes. 

Nissan Altima – $28,825

Do you really want to be known as the Nissan Altima driver? Do you have Big Altima Energy? It's your life, do what you want. 

Honda Accord – $29,590

This is the first Accord that I haven't really liked looking at or driving. It's perfectly acceptable, but it's a little on the vanilla side for a Honda. If you're stuck on an Accord, just keep your old one for a while. 

It seems like everyone and their brother wants a new crossover these days, or at least that's what the dealers and manufacturers are pushing because they can bake in more profit margin. The crossover has become the standard in 2026, so if you have to keep up with the Joneses without dumping a ton of dosh, you can get one of these. 

Chevrolet Trailblazer – $25,095

Just barely over the 25K line, this is a decent price for a regular car these days, but I think I'd rather go for the Trax on the same lot for a little less. If you don't need the negligible space difference between the two, save your pennies.

Kia Seltos – $25,285

The second-generation Seltos was just rolled out in December and it seems to already be selling pretty well. I've seen a lot of them on the street. 

Buick Envista – $26,240

Based on the much cheaper Chevrolet Trax, there isn't anything inherently wrong with the Korean-built Buick, but I think the Trax is good enough that I'd rather save the difference in cash than get the Buick. And that's coming from a former Buick driver. 

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport -$27,030

I wouldn't, if I were you. 

Hyundai Kona – $27,100

The Kona is a size up from the Venue and has the price to match. I like the look of the Kona better, for what it's worth. 

Mazda CX-30 – $27,470

Once again Mazda is killing it with the design here, but the CX-30 is maybe the least effective version of the corporate design language. It's also getting a little long in the tooth, as it was introduced in 2019. It's a good size and drives well enough. You could do a lot worse. 

Volkswagen Taos – $27,975

It's exactly what you think it's going to be. 

Buick Encore GX – $27,995

Another Korean-built import for Buick, this time related to the Trailblazer. It was refreshed in 2024 and already looks about as dated as you would have expected. It's not a bad car, but you can do better. 

Honda HR-V – $28,050

This is the kind of car your coworkers drive. If you don't want to be interesting or say anything with your wheels, here's your NPC car. There's nothing inherently wrong with it. It just is. 

Subaru Crosstrek – $28,415

Another one for the AWD-is-mandatory crowd. It's basically an Impreza hatchback that has been lifted, so don't expect it to wow the pants off of anyone. It'll go farther off road than you would think, but so will just about everything on this list. If you're a Subaru person, you're probably not cross-shopping anything else. Just get it if you want it, whatever. 

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross – $29,990

Come on Mitsubishi, just add $10 to the price so I don't have to talk about this anymore. 

If you're looking to save a few bucks at the pump while saving a few bucks at the dealership, there are a couple of choices for you right now. For less than $30,000 there are exactly two hybrids and one EV that you can buy. 

Two of the hybrids available under $30,000 are drivetrain upgrades for vehicles that have already been listed, namely the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla. The Elantra Hybrid Blue will set you back just $26,695 and delivers a solid 54 miles per gallon combined on the EPA test, backed by a killer warranty. The Corolla, meanwhile, will cost you $26,170 and returns 50 MPG combined. Either is a pretty decent choice, but in 2026 what you really want is an electric vehicle, and there's only one choice. 

Kia Niro – $28,885

Kia's Niro is a perfectly acceptable hybrid crossover. It looks fine, drives fine, and works pretty well. It'll even get 53 miles per gallon combined. If you can't jump to a pure EV because you don't have reliable access to charging infrastructure, or you frequently drive more than 300 miles in a day, grab a Niro, you'll probably like it.

Chevrolet Bolt – $28,995

If you can look at this list and choose anything other than a brand new Chevrolet Bolt for under 30 grand, you're kidding yourself. An EV for this little money is plain silly. I can't believe GM is building this in 2026. Do yourself a favor and go buy one right now. Gas is $5 per gallon in Cleveland, Ohio for God's sake. Save yourself a fortune at the gas pump and get an EV right now. Never buy gas again. Do it. Don't be silly. 

If you can stretch your budget a little from $22,000 to around $29,000, you'll be better served getting something with incredible fuel mileage, or better yet an electric vehicle. We have no idea how expensive gasoline will get before we get out of this new forever war in the Middle East. Will we see $10 per gallon? I don't have a crystal ball, but I wouldn't bet against it.