The 7 best small cars for your budget

As a representative of the automotive media, I have driven many cars. From Lamborghini to minivans, I’ve driven just about every car on the market and some of them have covered thousands of miles.

After all, the cars that impress me the most aren’t six-figure Alcantara-wrapped race cars. These are budget cars that do more with less.

I love cars that are fun, safe, comfortable, environmentally friendly, and easy to live with—all at a price that makes you say, “How do they make money off of them?”

And with the cost of gasoline approaching $5 a gallon, it’s time to invest in an eco-friendly eco box.

So here’s a list of cars I wouldn’t hesitate to buy tomorrow if I wanted the best for less than $30,000.

1 Best Wagon: Mazda3 Hatchback

Fittingly, the Mazda3 hatchback looks best in swiss army knife red. Because this car has it all: it’s comfortable, it’s nice to drive, it’s nice to look at, it’s eco-friendly, and it boasts the cargo space of a small crossover.

Perhaps best of all, Mazda is extremely cheap to own; they are so well made and reliable that in 2020 Mazda has effectively dethroned Toyota and Lexus as the most trusted car brand in the world.

With prices starting at $23,100, up to 36 mpg on the highway, and an extremely rare shift option, the Mazda3 hatchback easily takes pole position as the best compact, budget, and environmentally friendly car of 2022.

Read more: Will owning a manual transmission save you money?

2. Environmentally friendly pleasure: Mazda MX-5 “Miata”

“A two-seater sports car in my 20s? You must be crazy, Chris.

Listen to me.

To start with, the Mazda MX-5 “Miata” is the funniest car you can buy in Any price target. I’ve driven Astons, Ferraris and more, but nothing beats the Miata’s simple formula: easy driving with downshifts. This bread, cheese and marinara sauce is perfection.

The Miata is also surprisingly easy to live with, boasting heated seats, beaucoup safety features and a trunk big enough for two suitcases. Insurance on Miatas is incredibly cheap, and while the “official” MPG rating is 37, you can easily bump it up to 40.

And sure, Miatas are a bit small – but how often do you really need a backseat?

Read more: 5 reasons why Mazda MX-5 could be your daily driver

3. For cargo area: Kia Soul

A few years ago, I drove an absolutely basic no-frills Kia Soul ($19,790) from Atlanta to Rhode Island on a road trip with my cousin. And during those 1,030 miles, I fell dearly in love with a cute little hamster mobile.

The Soul has superb outward visibility, great legroom for all five passengers, and can carry 62 cubic feet of SUV-like cargo space. By comparison, that’s four times the trunk space of a Camry. And while Kia discontinued the Soul EV in 2019, the regular, gas-powered Soul gets an impressive 35 mpg on the highway.

All things considered, if I wanted to rent an eco-friendly, budget-friendly crossover for less than $250 a month, the Soul is the way to go.

4. For Maximum MPG: Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Wait, not a Prius??

Look, I love the Prius and its Transformer-sounding cousin, the Prius Prime. But the underrated Sonata Hybrid is better equipped, more attractive to drive and much more comfortable than its Japanese rival. Perhaps best of all, the Sonata Hybrid also looks and feels about $15,000 more expensive than its $27,350 base price.

It’s also extremely efficient, with up to 54 mpg highway and an optional solar roof that can add two miles a day of range. And since Sonata hybrids aren’t as popular as the Prius, you can find big discounts on the used car market.

Read more: Cost of driving a hybrid

5. For reliability: Honda Civic

I’m a big, big believer in buying the right car once and just taking care of it until the wheels fall off. As long as you change your oil once a year and do regular maintenance, some cars will easily last 20 years or 300,000 miles.

A prime example of this is the Honda Civic. Built to last like a Roman aqueduct, the Civic has everything you could possibly need in 2022 (comfort, features, 42 mpg) and will continue to do what you need until 2042. Or whenever you decide to take advantage of its high resale value.

And as long as you have it, the Civic only costs $368 a year to maintain, on average—about 40% less than the average car, according to RepairPal.

Personally, I’d go with the sporty and practical Civic Si hatchback, which adds a turbocharger and swaps out the drone CVT for a six-speed manual. All in all, this is a stellar investment for 20 years at just $25,000.

6. For electrified driving: Hyundai Kona Electric

Ever since Chevy Bolts began to explode and GM began urging owners to park far away from their homes, the “Best Cheap Electric Vehicle” throne has been vacant.

My opponent will be the Hyundai Kona Electric, a car you may not have heard of before this offer. The Kona is the cousin of the Kia Soul, which is still marketed as electric, and excellent at the same time. It offers 258 miles on a single charge, peppy acceleration and a truly sporty driving experience. As a crossover, it also boasts a good driving position and about 46 cubic feet of cargo space when you need it.

Best of all, if you qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit, you can get a Kona Electric for as little as $26,500—less than half the price of a Tesla Model Y.

7. At the lowest possible price: Kia Rio

They say that if you order wine on a budget, you should get second cheapest bottle on the menu. Of course, you will pay a little more, but the quality leap is worth it.

The same can be said about the Kia Rio. Even with a bargain starting price of just $16,450, it’s actually not the cheapest new model on the market – the Chevy Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage are even cheaper.

But trust me. If your budget is $17,000, Rio is what you need. Not only is it nicer to drive and better equipped as standard, it’s also safer.. The Spark doesn’t offer automatic emergency braking, and the Mirage is dangerously slow.

Besides, the Rio is just a damn good car at any price point. It’s so well-rounded and efficient (38 combined mpg) that it won an Editors’ Choice award in Car & Driver.

This covers my seven strongest recommendations for cheap, environmentally friendly cars. So what cars nearly made a list?

honorable mentions

Tesla Model 3

Like it or not, the Model 3 is no longer affordable at $46,990. Sure, you can buy an older Model S for less than $40,000, but many older Tesla vehicles will soon need a battery replacement, a procedure that costs between $16,000 and $20,000.

Toyota Corolla

Corollas are still as reliable, cheap and efficient as ever, and they’ve come a long way in terms of looks, but the Corolla’s drone, sluggish CVT (continuously variable transmission) robs the driving experience of too much fun. If you can afford it, the Camry is a significant step forward.

Hyundai Veloster N

The whimsical three-door Hyundai Veloster N is 97% as comfortable to drive as the Miata, offering two more seats and nine times the cargo space. Unfortunately, I couldn’t include it in the list because it’s too greedy with 28 mpg on the highway.

bottom line

All seven cars on this list are safe, reliable, environmentally friendly, fun to drive and, most importantly, affordable.

A step-by-step guide on how to get a good deal despite the crazy used car market can be found in our guide How to Buy a Used Car (and Get a Good Deal) in 2022.

Featured image: Igor Bulykhin/Shutterstock.com

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