It used to be easy to find affordable new cars of all sorts, as automakers prioritized value to attract buyers. The tables have turned, however, as new car prices have trended upward to almost $50,000 on average. Even so, Consumer Reports (CR) has good news for price-forward shoppers with its list of new cars under $25,000, many of which surprise with standard safety and tech features.
To be fair, CR’s list is short, but the few vehicles that made the cut offer plenty to like. The roundup includes:
The publication notes that the vehicles on its list either come standard with advanced driver aids such as blind spot warning and rear traffic alert, or can be equipped with them without cresting the $25,000 mark. Some vehicles exceed $25K when adding these features, however. The Honda Civic is a great example, as it starts beneath the price threshold and climbs above the line with options, so that’s why it’s not on this list. The $25,000 cutoff, by the way, is before destination charge, taxes, and fees.
It’s worth noting that there are other models available under the $25,000 mark, but several of them fell short of expectations on performance, equipment, and usability. The Nissan Sentra, Mitsubishi Mirage, Kia Forte, and others slide in under the $25,000 threshold but are not CR-recommended for one or more reasons.
Despite paying an average of more than $48,000 for new cars in May, buyers are beginning to see more incentives and discounts. Many new models are selling below MSRP, and electric vehicles are down by a significant amount, falling by more than $9,000 from 2022’s pricing. Kia and Ford had higher-than-expected pricing, but there are much-needed deals from most other automakers. Check out the CR report (subscription required for this and other CR automotive lists).
