Best Affordable Cars To Buy

Sometimes, aggressive styling can help cover an otherwise mediocre car, but that's not the case with the 2021 Hyundai Elantra. Style and substance play together here to create an affordable compact sedan that's one of the best you can currently buy.

best affordable cars to buy

You can't have a list of great affordable cars without mentioning the Toyota Camry, bastion of the midsize sedan segment. Sure, most people talk about the Toyota Camry like they talk about a package of envelopes they bought at Staples, but that's for good reason: For decades, the Camry has stood as good, reliable, affordable transportation for families of all shapes and sizes.

Unsurprisingly, the Camry is showing no signs of slowing down. The non-hybrid Camry is supremely affordable, yet it's still loaded with tons of tech and safety systems as standard equipment, even on the base LE model. It's quite the smooth operator, too, returning a well-cushioned ride that makes long trips feel much shorter.

With 212 net hp and 232 net lb-ft on offer, the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid is plenty peppy in real-world use, but stay light on the accelerator and you'll reach the EPA-estimated fuel economy of 44 miles per gallon city, 41 mpg highway and 43 mpg combined. The battery hangs out behind the rear seats, so it doesn't mess with interior volume, nor does it impugn on trunk space, which bests both the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. An 8-inch touchscreen is standard across the range, too, offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the former of which is available wirelessly on EX trims and above.

The Veloster N gets its motive force from a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 producing 250 hp (270 hp with the optional Performance Package) and 260 lb-ft. A six-speed manual is standard, but new for 2021 is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic that can provide the same hilariously fun backroad experience for folks who don't want to row their own. It is so much fun to drive, and like every other new Hyundai, the Veloster N is packed with all manner of safety and creature-comfort tech. Load the thing up to the gills and you still won't hit the $40,000 mark, which gives it some powerful value among similarly powered performance cars.

The 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid is like a nice night out at a sensible restaurant. Good times abound, but not in a way that will make your wallet cry in agony. The CR-V Hybrid's powertrain is capable of producing 40 mpg in the city and 35 on the highway, which is solid for an all-wheel-drive vehicle, and the ride quality errs on the comfortable side. Throw in a sub-$30,000 base trim and a range-topper that caps out at about $37,000, and you have a wide variety of affordable trims on offer.

The Bolt EV is no longer the only affordable electric car in Chevrolet's portfolio. Now, there's a higher-riding crossover version, the Bolt EUV, which looks mostly the same but actually shares no common sheet metal with its sibling. All the same great things from the Bolt EV are here, including a nicely styled interior with better materials and some solid standard tech. It may not look this way in pictures, but the EUV is actually half a foot longer than the EV, with the increased interior space to match.

Available on higher trims, the CX-5's optional 2.5-liter turbocharged I4 produces a solid 250 hp and 320 lb-ft, the latter of which makes for some very exciting starts and on-ramp antics. A solid body and properly damped suspension allow you to have a surprising amount of fun in corners, and in the right spec, its interior trimmings put some actual luxury cars to shame in terms of both materials and styling.

Believe it or not, we drove them! Everyone at Roadshow is constantly evaluating new vehicles in all types of situations, whether it's hauling mulch or just getting the family from Point A to Point B. Our vast library of published reviews allows us to look at every car in context and determine what makes a properly good vehicle. The names you see on this list represent some of our favorite affordable cars from all corners of the auto industry -- except the super expensive ones, naturally.

Don't forget, though: Your mileage may vary, and not just literally. Everybody's needs are different, and what's good for one goose may not be for the gander. We're flattered if you want to take this list as canon, but we implore you to get out there and actually take a spin in these cars, and others, to get a feel for what you, dear reader, truly want in a vehicle.

Here are the most affordable EVs currently available to U.S. consumers. They are ordered by the price of the most affordable trim line, excluding the tax credit available to most buyers but not to people leasing EVs. Lessees may get a reduced lease price equal to much but not all of the $7,500.

The most economical cars are those that consume the least amount of fuel. These are typically vehicles with hybrid powertrains. Hybrids can generate and store electricity for use while driving by harvesting the forces created during braking or by siphoning small amounts of engine power. Hybrids can then use the stored electricity to travel short distances or to keep vehicle functions operating while the vehicle is stopped. The most economical hybrids include the Honda Insight, Hyundai Ioniq, Toyota Corolla Hybrid and Toyota Prius.

That is, measuring requirements like safety options against fuel economy and price against utility. Several considerations should influence a buying decision when shopping for cars for college students, but sometimes they conflict.

There are so many variables to weigh in picking any car, let alone one for a college student. The process can be overwhelming. We started with a price ceiling of $25,000. That may seem high, but we wanted to include some new models. You can find several picks among our used cars that cost much less than that ceiling.

Other than the occasional trip home for a weekend, college students tend to do most of their driving in an urban setting. Although a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) might not be practical for dorm or apartment living, a traditional hybrid (HEV) will certainly save a few trips to the pump. HEVs tend to cost a bit more than gasoline-fueled cars. Therefore, a used HEV may be a better choice.

Safety features and ratings should always be a key qualifier in purchasing a vehicle for anyone, regardless of age or purpose. As you narrow your choices, check out the crash-test scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Our picks scored high with most of them. You can see what crash tests entail in our story on the best cars for teens.

Several factors have conspired to reduce inventories of both new and used cars. The microchip shortage and issues with the supply chain remain two of the primary culprits. Inventories of new and used cars are the lowest in modern history. The results mean stubbornly high prices and limited choices.

The Honda Civic has a solid reputation for comfort, safety, and reliability. It offered a great value when it was new, and that continues as a used model. However, as you travel back in model years to score a more affordable vehicle, you will find yourself making compromises. For example, neither Apple CarPlay nor Android Auto was available in the Honda Civic during these model years, but Bluetooth and Pandora streaming are standard.

At CARFAX, we collect events from the lives of millions of used cars from 20 European countries, as well as the USA and Canada. We can then create a vehicle history for every car in our database and make it available to you.The information helps you to check sales data, avoid expensive follow-up costs and negotiate a fair purchase price.

What are the best new cars of 2022? Whether you're looking for the best cars for gas mileage, the best cheap cars, or the best luxury cars, J.D. Power can recommend one that ranks highly for quality, overall appeal, or both. How do we know which models are the best cars to buy? J.D. Power surveys tens of thousands of verified new-vehicle owners every year, and people like you tell us what they like and don't like about the vehicle they purchased. Based on this Voice of the Customer feedback from people who own new vehicles, we can share the following list of the best cars of 2022.

Instead of relying on a handful of experts, J.D. Power calculates car ratings based on what the people who own them tell us about the new vehicles they purchase. First, J.D. Power verifies that the tens of thousands of people who participate in the company's surveys actually own the make and model they're rating. Second, based on millions of data points provided by those new-vehicle owners, the company analyzes and summarizes owner sentiment in the annual Initial Quality Study (IQS) and Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. Based on this year's study results, if you're looking for the best new cars, they're on this list.

The highest-quality Small Premium Car is the BMW 2 Series. The ranking encompasses the all-new, second-generation 2 Series coupe as well as the existing 2 Series Gran Coupe. The Gran Coupe is an entirely different car that shares little more than a name with the Coupe. The redesigned 2 Series Coupe has rear-wheel drive (RWD) or available all-wheel drive (AWD) and comes in two trim levels: 230i and M240i. Meanwhile, the 2 Series Gran Coupe is a 4-door coupe with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or available AWD. It comes in 228i and M235i trims. All 2022 BMW 2 Series cars have a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. 041b061a72