Tight budget? Edmunds highlights the least expensive cars and SUVs for 2024

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If new car prices look daunting, don’t worry, there are plenty of affordable models to choose from that won’t break the bank

The average transaction price for a new vehicle was $46,992 in the first quarter of this year, according to Edmunds transaction data. That’s out of reach of a lot of car shoppers. While buying a used vehicle can be a more affordable alternative, there’s understandably a lot of appeal to buying new and getting a full factory warranty. So what are the cheapest cars and SUVs out right now? The car experts at Edmunds rounded up five possible options. The following vehicles are ordered by their starting price, including the destination fee.

The most affordable vehicle in the market — albeit by $20 — is Nissan’s subcompact sedan. That low price is for the base S trim level with a five-speed manual transmission. If you want an automatic transmission, it will cost you an extra $1,670. Standard features include a 7-inch touchscreen display, cruise control, and a few advanced driver aids like front and rear automatic braking and lane departure warning. That’s pretty good but you need to add the S+ package or get the midlevel SV trim for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.

The little Versa is a solid choice for a car. It’s very fuel-efficient and comfortable, and it drives well and has a large trunk for its size. But as with most affordable cars, it has sluggish acceleration.

2024 Versa starting price: $17,820

The Mirage hatchback is the least expensive car with an automatic transmission, but we don’t recommend it. The Mirage wasn’t a good car when it was introduced 10 years ago, and it’s essentially the same car in 2024. Its underpowered and noisy engine results in very slow