The leaning of groovy raw carsover$30,000 is a retentive one , but it ’s the astonishingly fantastical tone of what’sbelowthat benchmark that shows off the state of today ’s Modern - railway car market place . What follows is our ranking of the best fresh vehicles you may buy right now for under 30 thou . After concentrate over data point from both the manufacturers and the government , we developed our own in - house metric , weighing everything from technology , to design , to tycoon and fuel thriftiness – and while aware not to let personal opinion rock the ranking , we threw in some immanent standard like looks , comfort , and care . With some truly desirable crossing over , sport sedans , and even pony cars all make the gash , the answer , while imperfect by their very nature , are eye - opening to say the least .
We ’ll be updating this leaning periodically , as unexampled car , new features , and new pricing become available .
T-24.Toyota Yaris
Price:$15,250If you ’re surprised to see a Yaris on this list , with its 106hp and economic system gondola flavour , here ’s some food for persuasion : When Toyota decided to go directly out in chase of a World Rally Championship for 2017,it went with the Yaris .
T-24.Honda HR-V(EX)
Price:$21,515Honda ’s mass - mart crossover is n’t on this lean for any one thing . It ’s the sum of its voice , as a well - balanced package featuring a combining of applied science , safety , and creature comforts . It ’s virtually inseparable in our metric function from the Yaris , but since they ’re scarcely competing , take that with a grain of saltiness .
23.Chevrolet Traverse
Price:$28,700If you tick choice boxes with heady wantonness , you’re able to easily move the terms of a Traverse to well past $ 40,000 . drill constraint , and you have a 281hp , well-heeled , mid - sized crossover voter that still has a surprisingly large amount to offer .
22.Nissan JUKE NISMO RS
Price:$28,020Sure , you’re able to get a base - level JUKE for quite a piece less , but considering you’re able to get into the 215hp NISMO RS discrepancy , you ’d be neglectful not to at least consider it . That represents a large power saltation for a fomite that , in its chintzy form , is alreadyfaster than an ' 84 ' Vette . fox in some styling that ’s avant - garde even for the small crossover crew , and you ’ve got a very challenging crotchet .
21.Volkswagen Passat V6 SE
Price:$29,295As with the JUKE , the Passat give way you more value the gamy up the ladder you go . you could get the 280hp V6 SE – that ’s 110 more than the 1.8 - liter turbo four - cylinder that occur standard – and have some fancy tech to go with it , without crossing the $ 30,000 MSRP barrier .
20.Kia Optima
Price:$22,200What the Optima might be lacking in sheer great power and sensational looker , it more than compensates for with good operable tech and rightfulness - at-30 combine mpg , according to the EPA . Worth noting : It ’s in a virtual dead heat with both the Infiniti QX30andthe substructure - level Ford Focus in our metric – we had to go to the second decimal to part the tie .
19.Infiniti QX30
18.Ford Focus
Price:$16,775The base Focus cracks the top 20 because it ’s a very well - balance parcel . It has better quickening and treatment than more than a few of the automobile on this list , and its design is pretty nice , both inside and out . Plus it has tech , if you require it .
17.Ford Edge
Price:$28,950The Edge sits , queerly enough , direct in themiddleof Ford ’s crossover voter lineup . That means an entering - horizontal surface Edge is still nicer than most vehicle under $ 30k , and it ’s large enough to hold a practicality advantage , too .
16.Subaru Outback
Price:$25,645With its rugged - yet - minimize looks and mid-20s price tag end , the Outback has long been a dandy choice for anyone appear for the kind of fun you have to leave alone the main road to notice . To that end , its trademark working off - road ability give it enough of a push to skip right past more than a twelve other vehicles .
15.Ford Focus ST
Price:$24,775If you ’ve been paying tending , you ’ll see that this is the 2d time Focus seem this list . What gives ? Well , while the ST might not be as extreme as thedrift - crazy Focus RS , it ’s still a immensely different animal than the base Focus sedan . It ’s notjustabout the 252hp and the suite of pause goodies that the car has – it ’s marketed to a very dissimilar demographic . The bottom billet is , if you ca n’t go over $ 30k , and you ’re even familiar with the term " hot hatch , " this should be on your list .
14.Toyota RAV4
Price:$24,910Perhaps amazingly , the RAV4 is reasonably comfortable for an entrance - level crossover voter , and it treat well , too . Those cistron help , but the RAV4 is here because of the entourage of electronic safety features designed to check that you pay attention to the road .
13.Subaru Impreza
Price:$18,395The base - stage Impreza ’s combination of looks , ride quality , 31mpg , and a seriously low monetary value for the amount of the parts puts it in somewhat just companionship . Of of course , the all - wheel - drive fun does n’t offend , either .
12.Ford Mustang EcoBoostwith performance package
Price:$28,815It ’s been a longsighted time since you could order anything other than a V8 Mustang with a square face when wait for performance . The EcoBoost is easily the Ford of selection below 30 grand – and there ’s still enough change entrust over to spring for the performance package , which has a host of goodies to make the car suitable for track purposes . Mustang really dropped a spot since our last ranking , thanks to some Mary Leontyne Price fluctuations , but with somelegit improvements due later this class , expect it to chute well into the top 10 this dip .
11.Honda Civic Hatchback EX
Price:$22,800There ’s not a lot of great power magnetic declination between the Civic Hatchback ’s different trimming levels , but when you bound for the EX ( $ 3,100 over base ) , you get a whole rooms of desirable technical school items , including CarPlay .
10.Nissan 370Z
Price:$29,990Like the Infiniti above , the 370Z really only plump for under $ 30k on paper unless you get a good deal . Still , get that good deal and you ’ve got one of the most piquant machine driver ’s car on the market , regardless of cost .
9.Subaru WRX
Price:$26,695The WRX name is as build by now as any other on this leaning , and the entry - level version of the railcar comes with a not - insignificant 268hp . Consider this the responsible , adult edition of the dancing spouse you grew up idolizing as a tiddler .
8.Hyundai Elantra
Price:$17,150If the Elantra seems a petty out of place here , step back and intend about what it represents . If the goal is to build a ripe , strong automobile , that ’s what the Elantra is . It ’s not herculean or peculiarly sporting , but it has reasonably good attributes throughout ( aim , tech , and efficiency ) .
7.Acura ILX
Price:$27,990Moderate powerfulness ( 201hp ) flux with high marks for comfort and tech to get the Acura an overall score that ’s securely in the top 10 . If you have n’t find out them yet , hold out the jeweled LED headlights on this one – they ’re part of the base parcel .
6.Mazda CX-3
Price:$19,960The CX-3 might be a compendious crossover , but it ’s still a crossover voter , which intend it gets high target for practicality thanks to its home volume . mix that with both refreshed design pool cue indoors and out and you start to see why the CX-3 gets a top-10 nod .
5.Mazda CX-5
Price:$21,795I know what you ’re thinking , but nothing ’s wrong with the maths here – the CX-5 and CX-3 really are next to one another . The higher - but - not - by - much cost of the larger Mazda sib is more than offset ( grant , by the slimmest of perimeter ) by the slimly more well-situated journeying and more ripe facial expression . Really , any turn of factors could shake the symmetry one way or the other with these two .
4.Chevrolet Camaro
Price:$25,700To some people , a Camaro is nothing more than a V8 with a car bond to it , possibly force back by a grey mullet . Those the great unwashed are morons , because A ) the current generation of Camaro is one sin of a good - handling car , and B ) even the " base " Camaro locomotive is a 275hp four - cylinder .
3.Chevrolet Cruze
Price:$16,975One of the least expensive vehicle on this list , the Cruze is also tied for the most fuel effective non - hybrid ranked here , at 35mpg . It holds par in the looks and comfort department , but really shines when it come in to tech , with features like 4 thousand LTE and programmable key fobs to trammel what the car can do when you toss your spare Florida key to someone .
2.MINI Hardtop 4-Door
Price:$21,950The base exemplar edges the sportier S model here just because the large percentage protuberance in power was offset by the toll . Truthfully , it ’s a virtual dead heat . As for the sedan - ized MINI outranking the coupe , they ’re more or less the same as well , with only tenuous deviation ( practicality and ride to the four - door , purpose and manage to the two - door ) . If treated individually , they ’d grade in Holy Order here , so you just have to make up one’s mind if you want the classic look or the extra blank , and if you require some extra power under the hood ( hint : yes ) .
1.Mazda6
Price:$21,945Yes , if you ’re keeping count at home , that ’s three Mazdas in the top 10 , and , perhaps amazingly , not one of them ends in " -iata . " Mazda ’s motto is " drive Matters , " which is undeniably true , but the simple fact is that practicality and comfort also weigh , and both are areas where the 6 has an edge … over most thing under $ 30,000 . It might not have atonof power ( 184hp ) , but with handling that ’s within shout out aloofness of some of Germany ’s sportswoman sedan – and it ’s more than a little noteworthy that they ’re not even eligible for a sub-$30,000 ranking – it ’s not losing much in the operation department . That you’re able to upgrade to a software system with plenty of technical school and really load the car down with optionswithoutbreaking the budget makes it kind of an obvious railroad car to at least have on yourto - drivelist .
Bonus:Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price:$37,495 , withup toa $ 7,500 credit bringing the terminal toll as scummy as $ 29,995The Chevy Bolt is a tough car to accurately price , which is finally why it ’s not in reality range here . That ’s a shame , becausewe’ve driven it , and the Bolt ’s combining of efficiency , practicality , and surprisingly effective drive and handling feature would set down it right at the top of " Best New Cars Under $ 30,000 you could Buy Right Now . "
Theoretically , the $ 7,500 Union taxation credit entry for EVs brings the effective price of the Bolt to $ 29,995 . All the other cars on this list – even those that barely whine in under the $ 30,000 limit on paper only – are useable at that price to everyone , but that ’s not the case with the Bolt , since the $ 7,500 credit is n’t a full $ 7,500 for everyone . The deferred payment is simply however much you owe in taxes , up to$7,500 . So if you owe less than $ 7,500 , you get less … thus making the auto more than $ 30,000 . It ’s puzzling , perhaps , but unless every person with $ 30,000 combust a hole in their pocket can corrupt a given car , it ’s not qualified for this list .
Conclusions
Overall , is this list perfect ? Not even close , but then again , no list can be . There are many component that go into the car - buying process , and many of them are deeply personal , nuanced reasons , to which buyers adhere with an almost religious fire – Ford vs. Chevy , front- vs. rear - wheel drive , practicality over performance , and so forth – meaning no one metric function can ever be definitive . Perhaps the most interesting takeout food is that the Miata , the Subaru BRZ , and the Ford Fiesta ST – all small cars that value sportiness above all else – each fell by the wayside to cars with a more balanced glide slope . A similar factor left car like the Chevy Spark EV and Ford C - Max Hybrid SE in the relegation zone for their remarkable push for efficiency .
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Courtesy of Ford
2017 Toyota Yaris|Courtesy of Toyota
2017 Kia Optima|Courtesy of Kia
2017 Ford Mustang EcoBoost|Courtesy of Ford
2017 Subaru WRX|Courtesy of Subaru
MINI Cooper S 4 Door|Courtesy of MINI
2017 Mazda 6|Courtesy of Mazda
Chevrolet Bolt EV|Aaron Miller/Thrillist
