Cars.com is sharing its annual list of the most affordable cars, taking new auto tariffs into account. Its 2025 Affordability Report: Best Value New Cars is a guide designed to help car shoppers get the most for their money. It identifies the best value new vehicles available now across key segments, factoring in price, standard safety and tech features, fuel economy and one-year fuel costs.
Cars.com says the report also highlights which best value cars are made in the U.S. and potentially protected from tariff-related costs.
Nissan And Ford win the most 'Best Value' categories - each with three.
Best value model-year 2025 vehicles by segment include:
- Subcompact Car: Nissan Versa (SV)
- Compact Car: Nissan Sentra (S)
- Subcompact SUV: Chevrolet Trax (LS with Driver Confidence Package)
- Compact SUV: Ford Escape (Active)
- Mid-Size SUV: Kia Sorento (LX)
- Compact Pickup Truck: Ford Maverick (XL with 2.5-liter hybrid engine, front-wheel drive, Co-Pilot 360 extras package)
- Mid-Size Pickup Truck: Nissan Frontier (S 4×2 King Cab with 6-foot box)
- Full-Size Pickup Truck: Ford-150 (XL 4×2 SuperCab with base 2.7-liter V-6 and 6-foot-5-inch box)
- Electric Vehicle: Hyundai Ioniq 6 (SE Long Range rear-wheel drive)
Award Methodology
To determine the Best Value winners, Cars.com says its editorial team evaluated hundreds of vehicles from mainstream, mass-market brands, focusing on models that come equipped with a specific set of core features: automatic transmission, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, brake assist and lane departure warning. For EVs, a minimum estimated range of 280 miles was also required. Cars.com says its team identified the lowest-cost trim level or package configuration that included all of these features, then factored in the estimated annual fuel or charging costs based on EPA data. To qualify, models also had to be priced at or below the average price for their segment. While factors like warranty coverage, seating capacity for trucks and fuel grade requirements did not impact rankings, they were noted as important considerations for long-term ownership.
To read more about the study click here.
