Today’s Ask is a tough one for me, because I find all new cars to be interesting. Some more interesting than others, of course, but even the cheapest models (which some, I assume, consider to be “least interesting” by default) I find to be very interesting, for two reasons. First and foremost, cheap cars are where my new-car budget is, and it’s only natural to be more interested in cars one can actually afford. That doesn’t mean I’m disinterested in the many, so many cars I can’t afford, but I’m not going to bother configuring cars with a base price twice what I can afford or poring over hypercar specs.
Second, cheap cars are interesting because the designers and engineers are so much more constrained, and every penny is pinched with a hydraulic press. I’m fascinated by where and how a little extra is spent and where corners were cut to make up for it. I recall my old Honda Civic DX’s glove compartment was a single piece of plastic with molded-in nubs that popped into holes to serve as the hinge points. Just a spectacularly cheap design, but hey, that allowed for a little extra cash to be applied to more important parts of the car.
That said, and with no research beyond a quick brain-racking, I’d say the cheap new cars I find most interesting are …
Chevy Trax. Every time I see a Trax, I think “those look good.”
Another “those look good:” the Kia K4 hatchback.
I just rented a Mazda 3 sedan in Hawaii and enjoyed it a lot, so it’s definitely on the list (and it would be even if I hadn’t, TBH. Give it to me in Soul Red Crystal with a hatch.
How about you? What cheap cars do you find most interesting?
It was the Soul. It is now the new Seltos.
The Trax (or better yet, Buick’s version: the Envista in that copper color) is interesting to me, but their drivetrains worry me as being disposable.
The Hyundai Venue is also interesting as it seems decently built/designed (better than some newer H/K products apparently) but now it’s only available with a CVT, instead of with your choice of a manual or real automatic as it was when it came out in 2020 (I test drove both and they’re fine… the cargo room in back isn’t as good as a Fit though).
The Chevy Bolt (the new rebooted one that’s already cancelled again) is interesting, and since it’s using the Bolt EUV body rather than the original hatchbacky Bolt, it’s a bit easier on the eyes. Price vs. specs are decent, but it’s a smallish lifted hatch-style crossover, and at least from what I recall about the original EUV, the ride quality ain’t anything to get excited about.
Like Jason, the Maverick would be the next (though we’re up to almost $30K as with the Bolt) but I’m really anti-Ford based on how the company released the Maverick originally, making it almost impossible to actually buy a Maverick for anything even close to MSRP until almost the third year of production, by which time the list price was about to be raised significantly. I think a base XL hybrid is in the $27 or 28K area now, as opposed to the theoretical $21,600. MSRP it had just 5-6 years ago (also, the truck hasn’t changed significantly in that time). So, BOO FORD!
The Slate is interesting, but I’d wait until see crash test ratings and the build quality on production models before committing $25K to get one (probably more like $28 how I’d probably spec it).
I LIKE cheap cars, and of course, if you’re not limited to what manufacturers bring into the US specifically, there are TONS of friggin awesome vehicles to choose from. All three French mfgrs. (P, R, and C) offer interesting small crossovers, hatches, and EVs under US$30K, and don’t get me started on Japan: Toyota’s Yaris Cross, regular Yaris, Aygo, etc… all look like good value for money provided a small car is what you want to drive. Honda’s N Box and Super One would make me consider driving a kei around town (if such a thing were possible, which it’s not of course here in CA).
The lack of truly cheap cars (none under $20K now, and very few under $25K) makes me sad. 🙁
Your hatred towards Ford is a bit unfair. Every car and just about every product (except the Costco hot dog, haha) has gone up in price, and/or lost content to maintain its price point. Let’s take the Nissan Versa, for example, as it’s long been among the cheapest – if not THE cheapest – new car sold in the US. In 2019 (pre-pandemic) you could get a base model for just under $10K. Now the cheapest new Versa is over $18K. Almost DOUBLE. Yes. There’s more content in a base 2026 than there is a 2020, but not $8K worth in 2019 dollars.
Yes, the Maverick started at $20K when it was first announced, but circumstances changed, and Ford prioritized more profitable and pricier builds. But folks and companies who ordered the $20K model (not that there were truly THAT many) did receive them and at the original price, eventually. A new base Maverick – which is a hybrid – is just shy of $29K before incentives, less than a 30% increase.
Let’s use a non-car example. A entry-level 2019 Microsoft Surface Pro (Surface 7) was $750 when new; the base 2026 Surface Pro is $1500, double the price. A dozen eggs averaged $1.40; today it’s about $3.60, more than double. A Five Star-brand 100-page college-ruled notebook was about $3.19 in 2019, but is now $5.09. The list goes on.
My dislike towards Ford has less to do wtih the inflation affecting all consumer goods than it does with the behavior of Ford and its dealerships (which set their own prices I know) and how that affects customers. Also, Ford’s well-documented history of quality control issues, plastic engine parts, design-for-failure decisions like wet belts, and of course their plethora of recent recalls does little to endear me to the company.
It’s hypocritical to dislike Ford for that but also champion GM and Hyundai/Kia in the same vein.
Who are you addressing? I dislike Ford for their actions and have explained why. I have not ‘championed’ GM and Hyundai/Kia ever, as far as I can recall.
What are you talking about?
You mentioned the Venue, trax, and Envista in your large comment above. “Championed” may not have been the best word choice for how you described them, true, but I chose it in the spirit of the question being asked of the article.
Yes, I don’t consider myself a ‘champion’ of the Venue, Trax, or Envista. They have some positive qualities (price, primarily) but I’d never buy a Trax/Envista and the same probably goes for the Venue too (though I look forward to the next one, if there is one).
Cheapest new car I would actually consider buying is the Trax – but I would likely buy a Trailblazer instead for a few thousand more with AWD and the 1.3L. I like the taller profile of the Trailblazer with better visibility. (I’ve rented both for a week)
Next Level up is the 2027 Bolt. I have a 2017 but the the larger EUV body combined with 3x faster DC charging would make it a vehicle that could be driven on longer trips. It could even be an only vehicle.
From there it would the the Maverick. I would own one today if I could have found one to buy back in 2022. Now that it can be bought as a Hybrid AWD and can be flat towed it is about perfect for our needs.
Moving up again would be a Civic Hybrid or RAV4 Hybrid. Nothing at all exciting about the but they are solid all purpose car. They would have to fight with the new Ford electric truck and the Equinox EV.
Above $35K for a new car and I’m out and even $35K is a stretch. I’ve never paid more than $24K for a vehicle and that was because I actually needed a vehicle back during the COVID shortages. Realistically I’d buy one of the vehicles list above used when they come off lease.
You know what is always the answer… Miata
It is also quite affordable. Almost could be considered cheap.
Interested in or interested in buying. I’m definitely interested in the Slate but not interested in actually buying one for myself.
Otherwise it has to be the Maverick as that is something that I could see buying and replacing both my daily driver and little pickup (F-150) That would me that the F-250 would see more use but difference in MPG is insignificant at the annual mileage I put on my pickups.
Mazda 3
Just today I was behind a car that I assumed was slightly upscale. To my surprise it was a new Sentra. Passing it, I was quite taken with its looks. Good job, there.
Rented a Sentra SR and it was surprisingly quick. The Android Auto connection was a little inconsistent, but the style and the mechanicals were way better than they should have been. The traction control didn’t like being anywhere near the limits on an on ramp however.
They really did nail the styling on the latest gen, and they’re well equipped for th price — seems like Nissan is actually producing some competitive cars now in 2026
While interesting cars are scarce in general, it’s the expensive cars I find least interesting. Not in the classic car arena, but certainly in the modern one. The Trax does seem decent for what it is, comes in real colors, and is an incredible improvement over the previous generation. Also, the twins, Miata, Prius, Civic Hybrid and Si, Maverick, and Slate (as much as I doubt their business model, it is interesting). The Mazda3 hatch looks good and different, but it’s auto-only and I think it’s overpriced. Yeah, some of my other choices are also auto-only, but it fits their purpose. Something like the 3 needs a manual if I’m to care at all.
I have good news for you: the Mazda3 DOES have a manual transmission. You can’t get it with the turbo engine though.
Oh thank goodness. I recalled that as well, but worried since I’d last checked, Mazda had ditched it. I actually like that it’s available on the less sexy model…reminds me of the days when a manual could be the difference between a boring econocar and a fun little ride.
Oh, I thought I read that they had dropped it on all versions. I didn’t care about the turbo because it’s AWD.
Already nailed it in the top shot: the Chevy Trax and the complimentary Buick Envista. Having sat in both during the auto show earlier in the year, they actually look decent both inside and out. Although I personally don’t like screens in vehicles, interior design has gone a long way such that cheap cars don’t look like massive penalty boxes anymore.
I’m also very Envista-curious, as the less-clad, more raked Trax sure seems to come within squinting distance of being a hatchback car. It’s only a few inches taller than my Focus!
For being technically crossovers, they sure look like tall liftback sedans in person imo.
I’ve really liked the Envista since it came out. If it had a different drivetrain, pref hybrid, I’d definitely be game. Yes it would be a badge-job, but they should have had a GNX package a few years to capitalize on the Kendrick Lamar tribute. (Other vote is since-cancelled base Versa with a stick. It is what it is, and I respect that)
I’m shocked that anyone finds the Envista decent to look at, let alone the trax. My imaginary design presentation for the buick is essentially a blobfish that got the Transformers treatment, and it got stuck mid-startled scream while transforming into the car form. The trax’s face is pretty bad (but getting more and more common as Kia and Hyundai adopt Nissan’s “sunken headlights” look that seemingly started with the Juke) but it didn’t seem very chevy-like (though it’s a Daewoo so that tracks, er, trax?) when the facelifted version came out, but now that almost all of the other chevy crossovers have adopted a similar fugly mug, I guess it’s the face of the brand now?
For me at least, I find the Envista decent because a lot of other crossovers look so much worse. It’s far from the best looking Buick but I like that it’s devoid of incoherent and excessive design elements, it’s not pretending to be more capable than it really is, the proportions aren’t weird for a crossover (like the BMW iX), and it doesn’t have an “oops all grille” face. The bumper taillights on the otherhand…that needs to stop being a thing.
In the US, I have to agree that the Trax is interesting. One, because it looks about 1000x better than the previous version. They should get an award for that. Two, because it does not look like one of the cheapest cars in the country. And three, it is within an inch or two in height, length, and width as my Jetta Sportwagen, which anyone would call a compact wagon. So it’s basically a compact wagon dressed up as a CUV. I want to see one lowered…
Legally the Trax is classified as a wagon but most people don’t see it as one. (Likely why Chevy is selling 200K of them a year.)
The Trax does look really good – just wish it didn’t come with a blown 3-cylinder engine that still doesn’t get great gas mileage. If it was a hybrid there’d likely be one in the garage.
I rented one and though it isn’t fast it does sound quite good. 3-cylinder engine note magic.
I rented a Peugeot 2008 last fall. My first 3-cyl experience. Wasn’t crazy about a lot of details about the car, but it was generally pleasant, and the engine was fun and did sound good. 6-spd manual.
For that matter if it still had the 2.0 Ecotec that was the best part of the late Cavalier and Cobalt. By now it’d be as evergreen as the LS and 3800.
Seeing the Trax (and Envista) are FWD, it really is mediocre mileage. The Corolla Hatchback is rated at 41 and is naturally aspirated if you can manage with a slightly smaller car.
If the Envista was a hybrid offering competitive fuel economy, I’d at least go check one out
Isn’t the Corolla significantly smaller, lighter and lower? All of which impact directly fuel economy.
Peter you say today’s question is a tough one, because you find all new cars interesting? Well then the cheapest car would be your answer. It is really tough for me because I don’t find any new cars cheap.
Miata
Actually I looked at a Fiata when they came out. I liked the design better and since it had the working parts from the Miata I would have gotten one except too pricey because I couldn’t find a manual in an interesting color. We should take the stance that interesting cars should not be available in white, grey/silver, or black ever.
Fiata was way better looking.
Huh… Weirdly enough, probably the Corolla Hatchback? It’s interesting because for 2026 it’s actually a properly compact hatch. It’s competitors have bulked up into midsizers at this point, making the Corolla hatch sort of an anomaly.
That would be a good choice too if it weren’t for the CVT.
I respect that others might be fine w/ that – I just can’t get past it.
Trust me I’m not a CVT fan. But at least the Corolla hatch has a trick real first gear, so that off the line it doesn’t feel like the usual ass CVT. I drove one once and came away pretty impressed.
Manual Corolla hatchback can’t be had new anymore but it is a great used buy. A perfect little lukewarm hatch
GR?
😀
Oh absolutely, but that’s a very different flavor of hatchback and definitely not cheap lol
The manuals are exceptionally rare. But if you can find one it’s a great option.
I can find something interesting about any new car.
That doesn’t mean I’m interested in buying it though.
If manufacturers were smart they would have set everything up so Corolla cheap new car for new drivers. Then Camry a little more expensive and a little nicer so Corolla driver aspires to it. Then Avalon nicer and pricier so a Camry driver aspires to it. Really a smart car company would keep making the low cost loser to entice the young buyers and have something at every level to keep them a customer. Not like American vehicles where that cheap car isn’t cheap and you scared away your customers
All of them. No, seriously. The new cheap car segment is my favorite segment because of all the constraints they need to work with. Where they make compromises and where they push the envelope.
It makes sense when a $250k Mercedes has an interesting or cutting-edge feature, it’s far more fascinating when that feature appears on a $25k vehicle. Plus, cheap new cars have to compete with used not-so-cheap cars. What makes them more compelling to a prospective buyer?
My go to recommendation for friends and family is Civic Hybrid or Corolla Hybrid AWD. If they need more car or want to spend a bit more, I go from there. I used to recommend the Trax but after working for GM and seeing the issues they’re having with the turbos on those engines, it’s off the list.
Is the Corolla (Hybrid) available with AWD?
It is Stateside – Not sure about ROW
Not in here. But you can choose between a 140bhp (1800cc) hybrid or a 200bhp (2000cc) hybrid. All front wheel drive.
I believed all hybrids were FWD. And that if you wanted AWD it had to be ICE.
The AWD they offer is of limited value as it’s just a weak electric motor on the rear axle. It probably offers more benefit for regen than meaningful traction.
Yep, I strictly recommend it on the Corolla for resale value. It’s more money but on the used market in Ohio, AWD is a big selling point.
I wish we got the larger hybrid engine here in the USA. Also the wagon. Combine the two and add AWD and we are near perfection
(Of course I’m only dreaming – that is a likely to happen in the USA as a RWD, manual diesel wagon – sold in real colors.)
Funnily enough both the hatchback and the estate have both engines, but whereas in the hatch the more powerful engine is only available with the GR Sport trim, in the estate it is available in all trims.
(The saloon is only available with the lower power options and a couple of basic trims, probably because it is aimed squarely at the taxi market)
Here the Corolla Hybrid only as a 138hp 1.8L engine. Even the heavier Corolla Cross AWD has that weak engine.
The 200 hp / 2.0L engine is restricted to the Prius. (Which is a pretty awful car (coming from someone that owned two Prius in the past)
Here the Corolla Cross has both (but curiously the 2 litre version only has 180bhp), the C-HR too and an additional 220bhp PHEV version.
Thank you for the insight
Couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. I love cars that punch above their class [looks at ’91 Miata in driveway]
Kia Picanto, just because it’s a teeny manual hatchback.
I had a 2021 KIA Picanto 1.4l na auto for 2 and a bit years / 27000kms. I bought it because I needed an auto for my wife and wanted the dumbest car mechanically based on my working in a service dept – so NA and a torque converter. Pretty good car and actually really good roadtrip car. Only sold it and bought a CX-5 because my new house has a huge lip on the garage and it kept scraping the underside / exhaust of it and my 2003 VW Polo. Last year I ran a 2011 Hyundai getz manual ( needed a cheap manual car since I missed my Polo) with the related 1.4 engine and that car though ostensibly a shitbox was a great little thing.
I didn’t know Picantos were available with such “big” engines.
At the time there was also a 1.0l turbo 3cyl too but the ‘robots saggy ballsack front end’ facelift – I think that’s what KIA calls it I might be wrong – ditched the big block 1400cc
Yeah the turbo three is the one got here, alongside 1 litre and 1.2 litre normally aspirated engines.
The Picanto / i10 with the turbo must have been fairly fast though…
I’ve been curious about getting the 1.0 100hp turbo 3 manual but there wasn’t much steering feel in mine so unless the rack or whatever has been changed or tha manual was particularly good it wouldn’t be worth it to have as a second car. I might buy another cheap manual like the getz or polo again but I just bought a motorbike
Correcting myself below – you were right, mine was a 1.2, not a 1.4
I find no new cars interesting, especially in my price range. I’d be into something SUV to replace the Outback, but they are too much cubic feet not enough length, unless you get something on a truck chassis.
2027 AMG GT it is then.
Slate. Nissan Leaf. New Leaf looks great. It could be an electric Ferrari with one stick-on side scoop.
Most interesting to me is the Nissan Kicks. I haven’t driven the face lifted version, but older ones were much better than the price/reputation had me believe. The face lift look really good, it comes in a huge variety of actual colors, even two tone with actual roof colors, not just black. I think it looks and works crazy good for 23k starting.
Good call. I liked the old ones too…I just disliked Nissan’s attempt to Scion the thing and cringily pitch it to kids.
How serious are you about the word “car”? I’m starting to see Ford Maverick Hybrid FWD XL for under $30k, and that strikes me as a lot of value for maybe $5k over the cheapest car you can buy, and $20k under the general ATP. Mazda 3 hatchback would be my next choice, and that’s more dependent on use case than any tangible value difference.
I’d say not very considering one of the examples was the Trax. While technically a station wagon most people consider it a crossover.
Any car is better than no car at all.
So on the basis Dacia Sandero SCe 65 – €13,490. 1000cc normally aspirated three cylinder, 65bhp and a five speed manual.
Car that actually find really interesting?
Mazda 3 2.5 Skyactiv-G Centre Line 5 door – €28,065. 2500cc normally aspirated four cylinder, 140bhp and a six speed manual. Actually came close to buying one recently.
Renault 5 E-Tech 110kW Evolution 52kWh – €29,650. 150bhp electric motor. I would’ve loved one but found BEV a bit of faff. Also there are cheaper versions with smaller batteries, but discarded.
Honourable mentions (cheaper than those two): Renault Twingo (80bhp BEV, €18,230) Leapmotor B05 (218bhp BEV, €23,775, interestingly rear wheel drive) and BYD Dolphin G DM-i (175bhp PHEV, €23,750, the first Chinese car designed specifically with Europe in mind).
Is there a tax penalty for the 2.5 in the Mazda where you are?
That was one of the most surprising things when I started talking to car guys in the UK. An engine displacement penalty in taxes or insurance sounded crazy to me, where one of my first cars had a 5.7l V8.
Not when buying, but road tax is impacted by displacement (and number of cylinders).
It’s been long since I last looked at it, but (at least back then) one of the thresholds were 1000cc 3 cyl and another one 1600cc 4 cyl. Probably the reason why a lot of European cars were in those brackets.
The differences aren’t huge though, today. The Alpine (1800cc 4 cyl) pays €145 annual road tax and with the M140i (3000cc 6 cyl) I used to pay €190 annually.
Here in Spain now the label the car carries also impacts what you pay. Both the BMW and the Alpine carried the C label (cleanest for non-electrified vehicles) and the Clio (which incidentally also has a 1800cc 4 cyl) has the ECO label. Ironically both MHEV and full hybrid share the same ECO label, and something similar happens with O emission label, PHEV with an EV range over 100km have it (as well as BEV, of course).
I’m pretty sure friends in the UK said they weren’t even able to drive anything larger than 2.5l unless they were older than 25.
I just realized that this was quite a few years ago, so I’m not shocked they have re-arranged classes by emissions.
I am not familiar with the UK market, but I very much doubt insurance bans (young) drivers based in displacement. Power maybe yea, though.
In general young drivers pay significantly higher insurance rates here, that is true.
An episode of TG showed the horrible cost for young men drivers in the UK. The insurance was actually More than the car cost.
Is the road tax the only annual tax you pay (I’m excluding insurance here) checking conversion rates €190 is not too much higher than my annual tax.
For the car yes. When buying a new car, apart from VAT you also pay registration tax which is based on CO2 emissions but you only pay that one once, when buying.
I think I gotta go with the new Panda. It truly looks so well done, and think if Fiat had come back to the US swinging with something like this in the first place, they’d be in a very different position.
Agreed. Although I love the 500, I would buy the Panda
I love the 500 as a 3rd or 4th car in the lineup.
I was pretty excited to see Fiat return to the US, but they came over with one limited-appeal model and a Miata with a more fiddly engine.
I will never complain about the sounds a 500 Abarth makes straight from the dealership. We need more of that type of crazy.
I was sorely disappointed with the sounds (and everything else, actually) of the standard Abarth 500. I test drove one in… when was it 2007? And it didn’t feel exciting at all. The Twingo RS was a riot though.
Maybe I’ve only heard modified ones. That’s entirely possible considering how enthusiastic Abarth owners were / are around here.
K4 sedan. I’ve become quite taken with its Blade Runner design ethos (“entropic design” it’s called I hear), which, almost for once, makes the de rigueur be-screened interior look appropriate.
The oddball rear quarter has even grown on me for its strangeness/uniqueness.
It absolutely looks like it could be a lower-end ride in Cyberpunk 2077.
Mazda3 – For sure.
But I’d really like a Renault Twingo EV, or a VW Polo EV
Outside of a Dacia Spring (the mother of all penalty boxes), the Twingo is one of the cheapest BEVs currently on sale.