2025 Cars.com Affordability Report: Best Value New Cars

You want your dollar stretched as far as possible, right? A Cars.com survey found 71% of Americans have changed their spending habits in the last year with 76% reported spending less. The goal of Cars.com’s Affordability Report is to identify cars with the best value so you get the most features for the money in a new car while also keeping ownership costs down with low annual fuel costs. We’ve compared hundreds of models and thousands of configurations to find the cars that give you the most bang for the buck in popular vehicle classes including SUVs, pickup trucks, sedans and hatchbacks, and all-electric vehicles.

Related: 2024 Cars.com Affordability Report: Best Value New Cars

When it comes to finding the right car, it’s often difficult to compare one car to another because it’s not often clear which cars and trim levels have similar features when looking at the alphanumeric soup of various trim levels and packages; LX, SEL, Activ, Active with an “e,” ActiveX, etc. (“etc.” as in similar items, not a trim level named “etc.” — this year, at least)

We picked a standard set of features and searched for vehicles in popular classes while finding the least expensive cars that met that criteria.

2025 Best Value Winners

• Subcompact SUV: 2025 Chevrolet Trax
• Compact SUV: 2025 Ford Escape
• Mid-size SUV: 2025 Kia Sorento
• Subcompact car: 2025 Nissan Versa
• Compact car: 2025 Nissan Sentra
• Compact pickup truck: 2025 Ford Maverick
• Mid-size pickup trick: 2025 Nissan Frontier
• Full-size pickup truck: 2025 Ford F-150
• Electric vehicle: 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6

The Criteria

To get our best value cars, we looked for mainstream-brand mass-market cars that come equipped with or offer the following features:

• Automatic transmission
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Blind spot monitoring
• Forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection
• Brake assist
• Lane departure warning
• EVs: 280-plus miles of range

After identifying which trim level or packages are needed to get those features, we then add in the estimated fuel costs for a year. Cars are ranked by the total cost for these standard features combined with the estimated cost of fuel. But we don’t stop there: Eligibility is limited to cars that come in at or under the class average price.

We’ve also noted several factors that may affect the cost of ownership, which ultimately didn’t factor into our rankings but are worth calling out to shoppers. They include manufacturer warranty length, seating capacity for trucks, and gasoline-powered cars must be able to use regular-octane gasoline.

Related Video:

Will Tariffs Affect Affordability?

That’s the million-dollar question — or rather, the $3,000-$10,000 question considering how much some vehicle prices could increase with the Trump administration’s executive order implementing a 25% tariff on all vehicles assembled outside the U.S.,  in addition to tariffs on some automotive materials.

Read More: Latest Tariff News

That’s why we wanted to identify the vehicle manufacturing location of our best value cars — many of which are made outside the U.S. While there’s an increased risk of those vehicles costing more with a 25% tariff, we also don’t know if automakers will absorb it, pass it on to the consumer on a particular model, or pass it on to the consumer by distributing the price increase across its vehicle lineup. Cars made in the U.S. aren’t exempt (separate tariffs on materials could potentially increase prices), but they are less likely to see a one-lump-sum price increase.

Best Value Cars Made in the U.S.

• 2025 Ford Escape
• 2025 Hyundai Tucson (some versions)
• 2025 Kia Sorento (gas-only versions)
• 2025 Subaru Outback
• 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe
• 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz
• 2025 Nissan Frontier
• 2025 Chevrolet Colorado
• 2025 Ford F-150
• 2025 Ram 1500
• 2025 Chevrolet Silverado
• 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 (excluding Ioniq 5 N)

What Are the Best Value Cars?

Sedans aren’t dead yet! In fact, sedans are the least expensive way to get the features we require. Nissan is leading the way with its Versa and Sentra sedans, grabbing the top spot in our Subcompact and Compact classes. True, there’s only one subcompact sedan left that met our price requirement, but the Versa packs a lot of value, and it’s honestly a good little car to drive. What’s interesting is that if you’re purely looking for the most affordable car on this list, it’s the Nissan Sentra S despite being the larger sibling to the Versa; that’s because it takes an upper-trim Versa to get the required features, while the Sentra comes standard with them.

Subcompact Car

1. 2025 Nissan Versa SV

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $21,891
• Starting price: $21,630
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 32/40/35
• Annual fuel costs: $1,350
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: Mexico
• Find a 2025 Nissan Versa for Sale Near You

Compact Car

1. 2025 Nissan Sentra S

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $21,821
• Starting price: $22,730
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 30/40/34
• Annual fuel costs: $1,400
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: Mexico
• Find a 2025 Nissan Sentra for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Kia Soul LX

• Add-ons: LX Technology Package
• Average trim price: $21,687
• Starting price: $22,385
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 27/33/30
• Annual fuel costs: $1,600
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: South Korea
• Find a 2025 Kia Soul for Sale Near You

3. 2025 Volkswagen Jetta S

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $22,540
• Starting price: $23,720
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 29/39/33
• Annual fuel costs: $1,450
• Warranty: 48 months/50,000 miles basic and powertrain
• Assembly location: Mexico
• Find a 2025 Volkswagen Jetta for Sale Near You

What Are the Best Value SUVs?

There’s been a shift in the SUV class: More affordable options are available, and we’ve observed declining interest in SUVs priced from $50,000-$69,000. The Chevrolet Trax may not offer all-wheel drive, but it does offer SUV-like utility and a higher seating position versus a small sedan or hatchback. The Trax packs one heck of a value punch as the least expensive SUV on our list. For 2025, we added mid-size SUVs to capture interest in larger, more family-friendly SUVs, including mid-size two- and three-row SUVs. The Kia Sorento grabbed the top spot with its standard three rows of seating. In second place in the mid-size class was perennial Cars.com favorite the Subaru Outback, while the Hyundai Santa Fe, Cars.com’s Best Car of 2025 winner, rounded out the podium.

Subcompact SUV

1. 2025 Chevrolet Trax LS

• Add-ons: Driver Confidence Package
• Average trim price: $22,265
• Starting price: $22,190
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 28/32/30
• Annual fuel costs: $1,600
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: South Korea
• Find a 2025 Chevrolet Trax for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Hyundai Venue SEL

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $23,805
• Starting price: $23,650
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 29/32/31
• Annual fuel costs: $1,500
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: South Korea
• Find a 2025 Hyundai Venue for Sale Near You

3. 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer LS

• Add-ons: LS Confidence Package
• Average trim price: $24,827
• Starting price: $24,790
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 30/31/30
• Annual fuel costs: $1,600
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: South Korea
• Find a 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer for Sale Near You

Compact SUV

1. 2025 Ford Escape Active

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $29,933
• Starting price: $30,645
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 27/34/30
• Annual fuel costs: $1,600
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Ford Escape for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Hyundai Tucson SE

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $29,974
• Starting price: $30,155
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 25/33/28
• Annual fuel costs: $1,700
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: Mexico, U.S., South Korea (standard); South Korea (Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-in Hybrid)
• Find a 2025 Hyundai Tucson for Sale Near You

3. 2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 S

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $29,831
• Starting price: $30,190
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 23/29/25
• Annual fuel costs: $1,900
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: Japan
• Find a 2025 Mazda CX-5 for Sale Near You

Mid-Size SUV

1. 2025 Kia Sorento LX

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $32,061
• Starting price: $33,405
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 23/31/26
• Annual fuel costs: $1,800
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S. (standard); South Korea (Sorento PHEV, Sorento Hybrid)
• Find a 2025 Kia Sorento for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Subaru Outback Premium

• Add-ons: OP 13 Optional Package
• Average trim price: $34,294
• Starting price: $34,130
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 26/32/28
• Annual fuel costs: $1,700
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Subaru Outback for Sale Near You

3. 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe SE

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $34,901
• Starting price: $35,775
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 20/29/24
• Annual fuel costs: $1,950
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe for Sale Near You

What Are the Best Value Pickup Trucks?

When we think of vehicle prices that have gotten completely out of control, we go straight to pickup trucks where we’re often testing $80,000 full-size trucks. But there’s still a lot of potential value in trucks found by choosing one model over the other. The Ford Maverick (with front-wheel drive below) continues to impress despite a significant price increase for 2025 because of its stellar hybrid fuel economy. You can get a lot more truck for not a lot more money in the mid-size class, where Nissan pops up again as the value leader with its Frontier. The Ford F-150 can reach astronomical prices, but entry-level versions undercut the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 by thousands of dollars to get the same features; plus, we really like the included twin-turbocharged EcoBoost 2.7-liter V-6.

Compact Truck

1. 2025 Ford Maverick XL Hybrid FWD

• Add-ons: Co-Pilot 360
• Average trim price: $29,449
• Starting price: $29,385
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 42/35/38
• Annual fuel costs: $1,200
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain; 96 months/100,000 miles hybrid components
• Assembly location: Mexico
• Find a 2025 Ford Maverick for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz SE FWD

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $30,642
• Starting price: $30,200
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 22/30/25
• Annual fuel costs: $1,900
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz for Sale Near You

Mid-Size Truck

1. 2025 Nissan Frontier S 4×2 King Cab With 6-Foot Bed

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $33,724
• Starting price: $33,560
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 19/24/21
• Annual fuel costs: $2,250
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Nissan Frontier for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Toyota Tacoma SR SR 4×2 Double Cab With 5-Foot Bed

• Add-ons: SR Upgrade Package
• Average trim price: $37,364
• Starting price: $36,780
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 20/26/23
• Annual fuel costs: $2,000
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: Mexico
• Find a 2025 Toyota Tacoma for Sale Near You

3. 2025 Chevrolet Colorado LT 4×2 Crew Cab With 5-Foot Bed

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $41,069
• Starting price: $37,395
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 19/23/20
• Annual fuel costs: $2,300
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Chevrolet Colorado for Sale Near You

Full-Size Trucks

1. 2025 Ford F-150 XL SuperCab 4×2 With 6.5-Foot Bed and Twin-Turbo 2.7-Liter V-6

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $45,950
• Starting price: $43,755
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 19/25/21
• Annual fuel costs: $2,200
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Ford F-150 for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Ram 1500 Big Horn/Lone Star Quad Cab 4×2 With 6-Foot-4-Inch Bed and 3.6-Liter V-6

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $50,457
• Starting price: $47,030
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 20/25/22
• Annual fuel costs: $2,100
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Ram 1500 for Sale Near You

3. 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT 4×2 Double Cab With 6-Foot-7-Inch Bed and Turbo 2.7-Liter Four-Cylinder

• Add-ons: Safety Package and Convenience Package II
• Average trim price: $51,356
• Starting price: $51,750
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 18/21/19
• Annual fuel costs: $2,400
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; powertrain: 72 months/100,000 miles powertrain (gas engines only; not including diesel)
• Assembly location: U.S.
• Find a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado for Sale Near You

What’s the Best Value Electric Car?

There are many hidden costs when buying an EV, including home charger installation, public charging (especially DC fast charger) costs and potential higher insurance costs. To make the most of an EV,  you’ll want to start with the best value possible if your goal is to save money on fuel costs — an area where EVs greatly excel when charging at home. Not including any automaker incentives or federal tax credits, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range is an impressive vehicle and one that in our opinion is underappreciated. Note that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are requirements even in the EV category because we greatly missed the easy phone integration in our hands-on ownership of a Tesla Model Y as well as testing of Chevrolet EVs, where these features aren’t offered.

1. 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long Range RWD

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $40,723
• Starting price: $43,995
• Max range: 342 miles
• Annual fuel costs: $550
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain; 120 months/100,000 miles battery
• Assembly location: South Korea
• Find a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 for Sale Near You

2. 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE Long Range RWD

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $44,265
• Starting price: $48,125
• Max range: 318 miles
• Annual fuel costs: $700
• Warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles basic; 120 months/100,000 miles powertrain; 120 months/100,000 miles battery
• Assembly location: U.S. (standard); South Korea (Ioniq 5 N)
• Find a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 for Sale Near You

3. 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve+ FWD

• Add-ons: None
• Average trim price: $44,407
• Starting price: $45,760
• Max range: 289
• Annual fuel costs: $750
• Warranty: 36 months/36,000 miles basic; 60 months/60,000 miles powertrain; 96 months/100,000 miles battery
• Assembly location: Japan
• Find a 2025 Nissan Ariya for Sale Near You

What Makes a Best Value Finalist?

While the must-have item list varies from person to person, we relied on Cars.com consumer surveys to determine the most common wishlist items. We excluded luxury brands as well as any specific luxury models that fit within our categories. Models also had to be on sale as a 2025 model at the time of this writing. For gas-powered vehicles, we required the use of regular unleaded fuel; for EVs, we looked for those that exceeded our range requirement. And because most pickup truck buyers want a backseat, two rows of seating was an added requirement for those categories, as well.

Average Price by Segment

From these lists, we determined segment median prices as well as median prices by trim, recorded as of January 2025:

• Subcompact Car: $21,891
• Compact Car: $26,845
• Subcompact SUV: $29,277
• Compact SUV: $36,164
• Mid-Size SUV: $47,390
• Compact Pickup: $34,983
• Mid-Size Pickup: $44,986
• Full-Size Pickup: $58,689
• Electric Vehicle: $52,641

Costs of Ownership

Our affordability rankings also factored in each model’s annual fuel costs as estimated by the EPA, but it’s worth noting that fuel and the car’s purchase price aren’t the only costs buyers face over a car’s lifetime. Warranty coverage and costs related to maintenance, insurance and financing are other factors to consider when purchasing a new vehicle. In fact, over 60% of shoppers surveyed by Cars.com cited regular maintenance costs as a consideration when buying a vehicle, which is why we stuck to non-luxury brands for this list as they tend to have lower parts and service costs.

Electric cars and hybrids may be more expensive to purchase upfront, but they offer lower fuel costs over time. Federal tax credits for EVs and plug-in hybrids may help offset some of those expenses, but as noted above, with some manufacturers continuing to adjust their supply chains so their cars can qualify, we did not factor these into our affordability analysis.

Should I Buy New or Used?

If you’re thinking about value, there’s no doubt that the question, “Should I buy a new or used car?” has popped into your head, and we don’t blame you. Tariff talk and increased new-car prices might push you to shop for a used car, but we’re seeing signs of a potential shortage of used cars that fit the “slightly used” description. We’ve observed a price increase for used cars between 0-6 years old with under 40,000 miles compared to older, higher-mileage vehicles. Those late-model, lower-mileage vehicles could become scarce with an expected inventory drop of 6.7% in 2025 due to weaker new-car sales over the past few years from the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation.

If you’re looking between new and used, be sure to use the following advice and tools to help you decide which is right for you:

• Should I Buy a New, Used or Certified Pre-Owned Car?
• What Are the Best Used Cars for $20,000?
• What Are the Best Used Cars for $15,000?
• What Are the Best Used Cars for $10,000?
• Benefits of Buying a Used Car
• Should I Buy a New or Used Car?
• Car Affordability Calculator – How Much Car Can I Afford?

More From Cars.com:

• Tariffs on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese Goods Could Affect These Cars the Most
• Here Are the 10 Cheapest New Cars You Can Buy Right Now
• Here Are the 10 Cheapest New SUVs You Can Buy Right Now
• Here Are the 10 Cheapest Pickup Trucks You Can Buy Right Now
• Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy

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.