Cheap Cars
to offer for its status. It’s not a highway juggernaut. It’s the anti-car for those who equate vehicles’ status as barometers of success.
Here are the lists of the country’s current top-10 cheap cars in 2021:
1. 2021 Chevrolet Spark LS, $15,695; 2. 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage ES, $16,590; 3. 2021 Kia Rio LX, $17,045; 4. 2021 Hyundai Accent SE, $17,500; 5. 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 ES, $17,590; 6. 2021 Nissan Versa S, $17,600; 7. 2021 Kia Forte FE, $19,785; 8. 2021 Nissan Sentra S, $20,410; 9. 2021 Hyundai Elantra SE, $20,655; 10. 2021 Hyundai Veloster 2.0, $20,905.
Five years ago, the top-10 cheapest car available in the United States were:
1. Nissan Versa S, $12,855; 2. Mitsubishi Mirage ES, $13,830; 3. Chevrolet Spark, $13,875; 4. Ford Fiesta S, $15,005; 5. Kia Rio, $15,015;
6. Nissan Versa Note, $15,095; 7. Smart ForTwo, $15,400; 8. Hyundai Accent SE, $15,580; 9. Fiat 500 Pop, $15,990; 10. Chevrolet Sonic LS, $16,020.
And in 2014, the list of the country the top-10 cheapest cars included:
1. Nissan Versa S Sedan, $12,780;
2. Chevrolet Spark LS Hatchback, $12,995; 3. Smart ForTwo Pure Coupe, $13,240; 4. Ford Fiesta S Sedan, $13,995; 5. Kia Rio LX Sedan, $14,350;
6. Ford Fiesta S Hatchback, $14,995;
7. Chevrolet Sonic Sedan, $14,995;
8. Toyota Yaris 3-door, $15,165; 9. Kia Soul, $15,175; 10. Hyundai Accent GLS Sedan, $15,340.
Getting what you pay for in the automotive industry has merit. But it’s also far from an absolute. Upscale badges generate substantial sticker shock with brands name for being too important. Value has a worthy place in automobile buying.
Purchasing one of the country’s cheapest new cars may prove wise. It can equate more to commonsense than to dollars and cents.
James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@ jamesraia.com.
The average price of a new car in the United States is now more than $40,000. But it wasn’t too many years ago when $30,000 was the entry-level price for a luxury car and $20,000 was enough for several new car options. It’s now what cheap cars cost.
A lot has changed in 10 years. Inexpensive cars don’t necessarily mean poor quality. Superior gas mileage isn’t a given for small, cheap vehicles and nor is poor performance.
Cheap cars don’t equate to unsafe cars or lousy warranties, bad maintenance or repair restrictions.
New vehicle buyers on limited budgets, and depending upon personal preferences and transportation needs, have several worthy car options with prices about half the current average cost of a new vehicle.
As recently as a decade ago, one new car among mainstream manufacturers, the Hyundai Accent (3-door), could be purchased for $10,000. It was the last year a new vehicle in the U.S., without government rebates, had a base price of less than $10,000. The country’s 10th-cheapest car in 2014 was about $350 less than the current cheapest new vehicle.
Five years ago, the Accent reached its peak in yearly U.S. sales at 79,766. In 2020, the lowly Hyundai’s sales tumbled to 15,975.
Further, the Accent has also lost its cheapest car crown.
According to Cars.com, the current cheapest of cheap cars for purchase in the U.S. is the 2021 Chevrolet Spark LS with an MSRP of $15,695.
At its base price, the Spark, a fourseat subcompact hatchback, features a continuously variable transmission. It also has more standard features than might be expected. Bluetooth streaming audio, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot (data plan required after initial trial), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity are all included.
The Spark also has 10 airbags and it scoots around town with a 1.4-liter engine with 98 horsepower. It is what it is, an about-town vehicle with a lot