These Are the New Cars Under $25,000

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• Only seven new vehicles remain that start at under $25,000.
• No qualifying vehicle has all-wheel drive.
• The list consists of compact sedans and subcompact SUVs.

With the average listing price of a new car hovering around $50,000 on Cars.com, the day of the sub-$20,000 car is over, and only a few models now start below $25,000. There are seven such models, in fact, in multiple trim levels. They tend toward the base trims of each nameplate, so some corners have to be cut to stay in this price range, but you may be surprised by the number of features if you haven’t bought a car in the past 10-15 years.

Related: These 8 New Cars Have the Best Value

Seven Remaining Unique Models

The seven remaining models that start under $25,000 include only two body styles: compact sedans and subcompact crossovers. Not every trim level of each vehicle makes this list, but several of the qualifiers have multiple trims under $25K. Here’s the list of model-year 2026 vehicles, and you can see the trim levels that qualify in the table below.

• Hyundai Venue
• Chevrolet Trax
• Kia K4
• Nissan Sentra
• Hyundai Elantra
• Nissan Kicks
• Toyota Corolla

Hyundai Venue

At a starting price of $22,650 (including $1,600 destination), the Hyundai Venue is the most affordable vehicle in the U.S. All three trim levels of the Venue come in under $25,000. This subcompact takes on the shape of a crossover, but it offers only front-wheel drive. Power is modest at just 121 horsepower from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, and the transmission is a slushy continuously variable automatic, but fuel economy is 31 mpg in EPA combined ratings.

Chevrolet Trax

The Trax is the smaller of Chevy’s two subcompact SUVs and the only one that makes this list. Like the Venue, the Trax looks like a crossover but comes only with FWD. It also uses a CVT, but it has more power than the Venue thanks to a 137-hp, turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder that is rated at 29 mpg combined. Three of the Trax’s five trim levels start under $25,000.

Kia K4

Kia offers the K4 in sedan and hatchback body styles, but only the sedan’s LX and LXS trim levels make this list as the hatchback starts at a higher trim level called EX. The K4 trims that qualify here use a 147-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a CVT good for 33 mpg combined; buyers have to spend close to $30,000 to get the 190-hp, turbo 1.6-liter four-cylinder and eight-speed automatic transmission with 28 mpg combined.

Nissan Sentra

The redesigned Nissan Sentra is a big improvement over the outgoing model. This FWD compact sedan makes 149 hp from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine hooked to a CVT rated at 33 mpg combined. The S and SV models qualify for this list, but the SR and SL models are too well equipped to keep the price down.

Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai has two vehicles on this list, one the Venue subcompact SUV and the other the Elantra compact sedan. Hyundai offers the Elantra in six trim levels, but only two make our list: the SE and SEL Sport. They draw their power from a 147-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder hooked to a CVT and get better fuel economy than the Venue with 35 mpg combined. Hyundai offers a hybrid powertrain and two more powerful four-cylinders, including the N variant with up to 286 hp, but they cost far more than $25K.

Nissan Kicks

Nissan’s second entry on this list is a subcompact SUV in the vein of the Venue and Trax, but it offers both FWD and AWD. Only the base Kicks makes this list and only with FWD, however — AWD bumps the starting price to $25,775. A 141-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder sends power through a CVT to motivate every Kicks variant, and fuel economy is 31 mpg combined with FWD.

Toyota Corolla

The Corolla comes in compact sedan and hatchback body styles, but the hatchback misses out on qualifying here by $775. That leaves only the base LE trim level on the sedan to make the list. Under the hood sits a 169-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder linked to a CVT with 35 mpg combined. Toyota also offers hybrid and hot GR Corolla variants, the latter with 300 hp, but they miss this list by thousands of dollars.

What Do You Get in a Sub-$25K New Car?

Automakers obviously have to cut some corners to offer a vehicle at less than $25,000. As such, you typically get fewer standard features, though buyers in today’s market expect some basic amenities that used to be optional. Most cars today have alloy wheels, power door locks and windows, cruise control, air conditioning and at least some type of infotainment touchscreen. Even the most affordable model on this list comes with some advanced safety features standard, including forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian protection, as well as lane departure steering assist.

However, an automaker can save money by choosing lower-quality interior materials. You’ll often find lots of hard plastics on the dash and other surfaces, a basic urethane steering wheel, and cheaper cloth upholstery (there are levels).

The vehicles are low on power, often come with cheaper-to-build CVTs, and if they offer AWD, that version doesn’t sell for less than $25,000.

More From Cars.com:

• Here Are the 10 Cheapest New Cars You Can Buy Right Now
• Here Are the 10 Cheapest New SUVs You Can Buy Right Now
• Research the Best Value Used Cars Under $20K
• The 12 Most Fuel-Efficient New Cars You Can Buy for Under $35,000
• Add Cars.com as a Preferred Source on Google

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.