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.
