What’s the Best New-Car Deal for Fourth of July 2024?

What better way to celebrate America’s birthday than by following up a historically early presidential debate with some grilling, fireworks and the purchase of a brand-new car? But the Fourth of July’s Thursday placement on the calendar this leap year has not stirred automakers to take advantage of the holiday from a marketing perspective, which puts this story in a precarious position: It’s not just that deals are limited, which isn’t new, it’s also that some aren’t even available yet.

Related: It’s a Great Time to Shop for an Electric Vehicle: Report

That’s despite steadily increasing inventory in recent months, illustrated by J.D. Power’s latest report, which highlights that retail inventory in June was projected to be up 4.5% from May and 41.6% year over year. Additionally, cars are sitting on lots a lot longer, too: 45 days, J.D. Power says, which is up 28 days over the same time a year previous. Nevertheless, manufacturer discounts were projected to be slightly down from May (though that was prior to the significant impact of the CDK Global cyberattack, whose impact on incentives remains to be seen).

So, where are the deals to be found if shopping for a new car is on your to-do list over the coming week? Well, if you’re purely interested in cash back and leasing is out of the question — given some of our recent research and personal experiences, we’d urge you not to rule out the option a little more forcefully than in years past — you have a few avenues we’re listing out in broad strokes below.

Chief among them are offers from marques that expire Monday, so if a car from any of the following brands interests you, you’ll want to do your comparison shopping posthaste. (Note that while these offers expire July 1, it’s likely many of these brands will introduce new incentives in the days that follow.) We found cash-back offers across the GM family (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC) that range from certain variants of the Cadillac XT6 SUV to big discounts — as much as $2,250 off — for the outgoing Chevrolet Malibu sedan. Stellantis, some of whose brands have appeared regularly as best deals in the past, also has offers in the regions we surveyed on vehicles including the Jeep Compass and Grand Cherokee SUVs, as well as the Ram 1500 pickup truck. Another regular, Hyundai, has deals on several vehicles in its lineup, including the Tucson and Palisade SUVs.

More surprising are the manufacturers that don’t typically grace our deals stories, including Mazda, which is offering cash back on such models as the CX-30 and CX-5 SUVs; Toyota, which currently has offers on vehicles including the Tundra pickup and Grand Highlander SUV; and Volkswagen, which is offering a healthy chunk off its Atlas family hauler.

Then there are the brands whose deals extend through July 8. A plethora of financing deals can be found across Ford’s lineup of SUVs and pickups; Nissan has discounts on a number of vehicles in its lineup, too, though you’ll want to make sure you read the fine print closely — some of the offers we saw were for specific trims or variants and may not apply to the broader nameplate; and Kia, which took a different approach for its incentives this month from sister brand Hyundai and has its deals running through the week. Though we found discounts on popular models like the Sportage and Telluride, one in particular stands out.

Editor’s Choice: 2024 Kia Forte

• Factory discount: $1,250
• Approximate price after savings: $20,000-$25,500
• Approximate factory savings: 5%-6%
• Offer ends: July 8

If it’s absolutely vital that you purchase a new car by Independence Day and you only want your wallet to stay stuffed, look no further than the humble Kia Forte. Not only is the LX trim among the cheapest new cars you can buy period, it’s also a car we recommend on more than just monetary merits. Boasting a competitive suite of safety tech and with prices up marginally over 2023, the Forte remains a bargain even before the savings. About that: In the regions we surveyed, all trims of the Forte were subject to $1,250 off, which amounts to as much as 6% off an unadorned LX. Alternatively, financing is available at 3.9% for 48 months. All such offers end July 8.

How We Look for Deals

To help car shoppers find the best deals for Independence Day 2024, we lead with cash offers available to shoppers at large, not those that require financing with the automaker or having certain qualifications (e.g., military or college-graduate discounts, loyalty or conquest bonuses, etc.). In calculating the overall percentage discount and pricing after incentives, we focus on the vehicle’s price range from the cheapest incentives-eligible trim level with no factory options to the priciest eligible trim with all factory options. We include the destination charge in such pricing, but we exclude a few other items: taxes and fees, which vary considerably by region, and dealer accessories, which vary considerably by automaker.

Because these are factory discounts, they should be available to all participating dealers. As such, use them as the starting point for negotiations, not a reason to skip haggling altogether.

Incentives data come from automakers’ websites. Remember, our numbers are current as of publication for the markets we survey (generally Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York). They reflect advertised customer discounts, not unadvertised factory-to-dealer cash. Discount financing typically requires qualifying credit, too, and incentives may vary by region and trim level; automakers may also change them later in the window of relevance. In sum: Your discounts may vary, so check with your local dealer for specifics.

More From Cars.com:

• Here Are the 10 Cheapest New SUVs You Can Buy Right Now
• Here Are the 10 Cheapest Pickup Trucks You Can Buy Right Now
• Inventory Shortage Update: Should You Wait to Buy a Car?
• Should I Buy a New or Used Car?
• What Car Should I Buy?

Related Video:

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.