How much money do you need to buy a car from a showroom? How much do the cheapest new cars cost? We present a list of 10 models with the lowest prices on our market.
In our country, car prices have changed very slowly over the years; some cars have even managed to remain at similar list prices for years, or even cost exactly the same.
The best example is the Dacia Sandero – with a constant price of $7,706 for almost the entire previous decade, it was the cheapest car available. But those days are gone. The pandemic came, then the war abroad – and the market situation changed significantly, and prices (not only of cars) soared.
In 2020, the cost of purchasing the base Sandero rose to an acceptable level, to $8,479. However, the following year brought a new generation of the city Dacia, with a price list starting at $10,541, and after a while – from $10,799. A year later, it was already $14,407. Then the growth slowed down, but today the price of the base Dacia Sandero is $15,799 (last year’s cars cost almost a thousand dollars more), so it is more than twice as high as 5 years ago. At the same time, it remained the cheapest car on the market, which best shows how expensive all cars have become.
But the fact that you can buy a car for just over $15,464 does not mean that the wide selection in showrooms starts at that amount. Definitely not. It turns out that there are only… ten models in the $15,000-18,000 range. Here they are – 10 cheapest new cars on the market (photos show different versions).
10 cheapest new cars on the market
1. Dacia Sandero TCe 90 Essential (2024) – $15,541
Sandero is the most popular new car in Europe for a reason. It’s simply a great offer. A quite spacious city car (not the smallest, mini class), 409 cm long, which in its latest edition no longer offends with savings on finishing or assembly, and costs much less than its rivals – new cars can be ordered from $15,799, and last year’s cost from $15,541! For this, you get a 1.0 turbo engine with 90 HP and equipment including, among others, cruise control, reversing sensors or a fairly rich set of safety systems, but not including air conditioning.
2. Hyundai i10 1.0 MPI 63 Pure (2024) – $16,211
Hyundai is smaller than Dacia – it is a mini class car measuring 367 cm, equipped with a 1-litre engine with 63 HP, but exceptionally “mature” for its size, not looking “toy-like” either inside or out. In addition, it is better equipped than Sandero – including air conditioning, a reversing camera, a split bench seat, and even a multimedia system with an 8-inch screen and… factory navigation. In a car costing only $16,211! At least when it comes to models from the previous year; the price list for new ones starts at $17,861.
3. Mitsubishi Space Star 1.2 71 Invite (2023) – $16,750
The small Mitsubishi (385 cm) is already quite an old design – in its current version it debuted in 2012, but since then it has been modernized several times. It is powered by a 71-horsepower 1.2 unit, and its equipment does not include cruise control, reversing sensors, or even a radio. There are not many safety systems here either. On the other hand, this car turns out to be simple and reliable, and on top of that it has an attractive price ($16,750), although it applies to cars manufactured in… 2023.
4. Fiat Panda 1.5 GSE 70 Panda – $16,727 + $128
The new electric Grande Panda is just arriving in Fiat showrooms. But the third generation of the popular Panda (debuted in 2011) remains in the offer. This 387-cm car has received a new version, called Pandina, with digital indicators and more advanced assistance systems, but it costs $22,036. But you can still choose a slightly simpler, more modestly equipped previous Panda, which is currently priced at $16,727 plus $129 “transport fee” (1.0 70 HP engine, quite modest vehicle).
5. Toyota Aygo X 1.0 VVT-i 72 Comfort – $17,242
We are moving further and further away from 15, and closer to 18 thousand dollars. The smallest Toyota (3.7 m long) has a 72 hp 1.0 engine and in the basic version costs $17,242, but it offers something in return. Firstly, increased ground clearance – Aygo X is the cheapest crossover on the market. Secondly, attractive design and interesting colours. And thirdly – rich standard vehicle, which consists of two-axis steering wheel adjustment (in the previous four cars it is set only vertically), multimedia system with reversing camera, and a full set of safety systems, including even active cruise control.
6. Opel Corsa 1.2 75 Corsa (2024) – $17,242
The city Opel is quite a “serious” car compared to the previous five. It measures 406 cm, provides a lot of space in the cabin and trunk, and also offers many features unavailable in smaller cars as standard, such as electrically operated rear windows or LED headlights. Unlike them, it also allows you to buy, among others, blind spot assistant, front parking sensors, electrically folding mirrors and heated seats and steering wheel. The price list opens with the Edition version with a 1.2 turbo unit with 100 HP costing $19,304, but cars from the 2024 model year can be bought from $17,242 (1.2 engine, 75 HP).
7. Skoda Fabia 1.0 MPI 80 Essence (2024) – $17,384
By paying $141 more for the Corsa, you can buy one of its close rivals. The 411 cm long Skoda Fabia can be ordered from $18,930 (1.0, 80 HP), but in the case of ready-made models manufactured last year, this amount drops to a much more attractive $17,384. For this, you get a spacious interior, a large boot and quite rich vehicle, as well as a lot of reasonably priced options.
8. Kia Picanto 1.0 DPI 63 L – $17,526
The smallest Kia model, Picanto, stands out with its body of only 3.6 meters, in which it has managed to find enough space for four adults (five will be tight). The cockpit is also like that of a larger car, and even more so the interior – the tiny Kia even offers navigation as standard in the basic version for $17,526, as well as four electric windows, LED lights, a camera and reversing sensors, and many others. Only the engine here is definitely for the mini class: 3 cylinders, a liter of capacity, 63 HP.
9. Dacia Sandero Stepway TCe 90 Essential (2024) – $17,526
For exactly the same price as the tiny Kia, you can buy a car a class larger, city car (4.1 m long), with a raised suspension – a solid 20 cm of ground clearance makes it very easy to use on lower category roads, but also in a city dotted with high curbs. The vehicle is just as modest as in the Sandero with standard ground clearance that opens this list. The same under the hood: 1.0 R3 turbo with 90 HP. The price is $17,526 for cars from the 2024 model year, new ones can be ordered from $17,784.
10. Citroen C3 1.2 Turbo 100 You – $18,015
The ten cheapest new cars on our market are closed by a French novelty with a price of $18,015. The Citroen C3 in its latest edition has changed in the spirit of the prevailing fashion – now it is not a hatchback, but a crossover. It has retained an interesting color scheme and urban dimensions (a little over 4 m long), which still do not prevent it from offering a spacious interior. The 1.2-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged unit provides 100 HP of power and the vehicle is quite decent.