6. 2024 Mazda CX-30
Starting Price: $24,995 ($26,415 including $1,420 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $25,395
Who says you can’t have fun while driving a family car? Not Mazda. Mazda has two appealing sub-$25,000 family car choices. There’s the Mazda CX-30 subcompact SUV and the Mazda3 hatchback. They share the same terrific platform, have similar cargo volume, and are IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners. Both come with impressive safety features and good gas mileage while offering some of the segment’s best handling, steering, and styling.
Choosing between these two models really depends on your personal preference. The Mazda CX-30 comes standard with AWD. To get AWD in the Mazda3 Hatchback, it’ll run $30,560 ($31,745 including $1,185 destination) for the 2.5 S Carbon Edition. The CX-30 also has added ride height and ground clearance. The Hatchback has its advantages, with better handling and fuel economy, thanks to front-wheel drive.
Features like adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, and automatic high beams are standard with the CX-30 and the Mazda3. See Mazda CX-30 models for sale near you
7. 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback
Starting Price: $24,950 ($26,045 including $1,095 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $24,966
As mentioned with the Mazda3 above, hatchbacks can be a great choice for a family on a budget. The Honda Civic Hatchback is one of the best compact cars out there, with a reputation for reliability, fuel efficiency, and value that goes back decades. We homed in on the hatchback over the sedan. It offers more cargo space, plus the hatchback layout makes the cargo easier to pack and the interior easier to reconfigure. That means you’ll have an easier time Tetris-ing in bulky items from the local big box store.
The Civic has a fuel economy as high as 39 mpg, with more than 430 miles of range on a single tank. The Honda Sensing suite of safety features comes standard. These include collision mitigation braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, road departure mitigation, and automatic high beams. See Honda Civic models for sale near you
8. 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Starting Price: $23,100 ($24,395 including $1,295 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $23,294
The Chevrolet Trailblazer offers impressive storage space and fuel efficiency at a low price. You can fit 25.3 cubic feet of stuff behind the second row, which expands to 54.4 when the second row is folded. Even with that, the second row has 39.4 inches of legroom. Fuel economy is as good as 33 mpg on the highway. While the Trailblazer has a good roster of standard features, including an 11-inch touchscreen, we recommend spending the extra $395 to get the more powerful, more efficient 1.3-liter engine.
Every Trailblazer comes with the Chevy Safety Assist system, which includes forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist with lane-departure warning, and a rear-seat reminder. Also standard is Chevrolet’s Teen Driver safety suite. See Chevrolet Trailblazer models for sale near you
9. 2024 Kia Soul
Starting Price: $20,190 ($21,565 including $1,375 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $20,999
Is the Kia Soul a hatchback? Is it an SUV? The category honestly doesn’t matter all that much, considering how efficient and functional this vehicle is. The Soul is an affordable, fuel-efficient way to carry people and their items to birthday parties, soccer games, and more.
Its appealing boxy styling creates a cabin that’s great for tall passengers while allowing for terrific cargo space. With all the seats upright, you’ll have 24.2 cubic feet of space to store your gear. Fold down that second row, and cargo volume goes up to 62.1 cubic feet, which is more than you’ll get in some subcompact SUVs.
The Soul’s starting price is so low that you can work your way high up the trim ladder and get plenty of great features — all while staying under $25,000 before factoring in destination charges. The Kia Soul EX gets you forward collision avoidance, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, and much more. See Kia Soul models for sale near you
10. 2024 Volkswagen Taos
Starting Price: $23,995 ($25,420 including $1,425 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $23,968
Smaller than the Tiguan, the Volkswagen Taos is a subcompact SUV that shares its attractive looks with the rest of the VW SUV line. Its fuel-efficient engine gives the Taos 409 miles of range and fuel economy up to 36 mpg on the highway.
Of all the vehicles on this list, the Taos has the best combination of rear-seat legroom and cargo space behind the second row. With 99.5 cubic feet of passenger space, 37.9 inches of rear-seat legroom, and 27.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats (in FWD models), this is the one to choose for the most useful all-around interior room. That cargo can expand to 65.9 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded.
Our budget affords the FWD S. That comes with safety features like forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring. It also has blind-spot monitoring and VW’s Digital Cockpit. The S is available with AWD, but that addition puts it over $25,000. See Volkswagen Taos models for sale near you
