Consumer Reports’ 10 Best Used Cars Under $20,000 Are A Great Way To Dodge Republican Tariffs

While President Donald Trump’s strategy to make America great again continues to make the lives of America’s non-billionaires harder and less affordable, Consumer Reports just released a list of the top 10 sub-$20,000 used cars. The models on this list aren’t necessarily the most exciting, flashiest, or fastest vehicles on sale, but they all perform well in Consumer Reports’ rigorous tests, and perhaps most importantly, in long-term reliability. With worsening inflation and impending new car tariffs set to skyrocket the price of most new cars starting April 2, it’s a tough time to be an average American consumer.

If you aren’t rich and you’re looking for a new-to-you car that is likely to provide safe, comfortable, and trouble-free ownership for years to come, you might want to keep the cars on this list at the top of yours. In order to compile this list, several factors were considered including crash prevention, crash safety, predicted long-term reliability, resale value, and efficiency. Consumer Reports says:

“The strategy we employ for selecting used cars emphasizes value within a price range, and it means that the highlighted models may not have been the highest-scoring models when tested new. Instead, they’re often good cars that depreciated more than others, making them more attractive as used cars than they were when new…. At the same price, rivals are often years older—potentially from a previous generation. In other words, to buy a direct rival at the same model year and mileage, you would have to pay thousands of dollars more.”

These are the 10 sub-$20,000 used cars that Consumer Reports recommends, along with some of our thoughts on each selection.

The Mazda 6 is the only car on this list that’s likely to be below $15,000. It’s a great choice for anyone looking for affordable, safe, practical, and efficient motoring, and it also happens to be one of the more fun-to-drive cars in the mid-size sedan segment. It’s even available with a genuine six-speed manual transmission. 

The entire 2014-2021 generation of the Mazda 6 is recommended here, but the 2016 Mazda 6 offers the most under the $10,000 mark. Its road test scores and reliability ratings are above average, and owner satisfaction is average in Consumer Reports findings.

You knew it would be here, the ubiquitous Toyota Corolla. Its legendary reliability is legendary for a reason; like every Corolla that came before it, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It’s certainly not the most exciting car ever produced, but it will deliver years of affordable, reliable, efficient, and safe motoring for anyone pragmatic enough to buy one. 

Toyota included its safety suite, Toyota Safety Sense P, as standard on all Corollas starting in 2017, so from that year on all Corollas included desirable safety features including standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane-keep assist. Whenever you’re discussing intelligent used car purchases, the Corolla should be on the list.

Now that we got the prerequisite boring-to-drive-but-great-to-own Corolla out of the way, you can also find Mazda’s handsome and fun-to-drive compact crossover, the CX-5, at a comparable price. The CX-5 was redesigned for 2017, and 2018 brought desirable safety features like standard blind spot warning, low-speed automatic emergency braking, and rear cross-traffic warning systems. 

In higher trim levels, the CX-5 is quite luxurious, and it offered a turbocharged engine on some models after 2019. The CX-5 scored above average in its road test and reliability testing, so it’s a great choice for anyone who wants an affordable, reliable, and somewhat fun-to-drive crossover.

Alongside the Corolla, the Camry may not be the most exciting choice, but it is a very intelligent one, and its hybrid models offer impressive reliability and outrageous fuel efficiency, around 45 miles per gallon according to owner-reported mileage, though Consumer Reports’ Camry Hybrid got 52 mpg. It scores well above average in its road test scores, reliability, and owner satisfaction ratings. 

It also offers the same standard safety equipment as the Corolla, with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning with lane-keep assist, and yes, standard Apple CarPlay was introduced for 2019.

Kia updated the Sportage in the 2020 model year, bringing improved reliability, refreshed styling inside and out, and standard safety features including automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assistance. It scores above average in the road test, well above average in reliability, but below average in owner satisfaction surveys. This is a case of a model that might not have been top of its class when new, but still offers a great package for a lower price than its competitors due to depreciation. 

Since you didn’t buy it new, you don’t have to shoulder the brunt of that inflation, so you can get a newer model with desirable features for less money than a comparable RAV4 or CR-V.

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, like the Camry Hybrid and Corolla, is an easy vehicle to recommend to buyers looking for reliable and efficient transportation, as long as excitement isn’t on the wishlist. The RAV4 received a hybrid powertrain option in its 2016 update, but Consumer Reports highlights 2017 and 2018 model years as the ones to look for thanks to a bump in reliability reports from its surveys and additional features. 

2017 and 2018 RAV4 Hybrids earned above average scores in road tests, well above average reliability rankings, and average owner satisfaction.

Another Mazda made the list, which means another win for those who find joy in the act of driving. The CX-9 is not the biggest three-row SUV in the segment, but it received above-average scores in the road test, reliability, and owner satisfaction rankings. Mazda dealers can retrofit CX-9s with Apple CarPlay, and the 2020 model year is recommended because it received a refresh that brought standard pedestrian detection for the automatic emergency braking system. 

2021 models got a new infotainment system, but its reliability predictions dropped below average. A used CX-9 offers a lot of car for the money, and it’s a fun-to-drive car at that.

If you’re really concerned about looking fancy despite being on a tight budget, the Lexus NX offers the best combination of affordable, reliable, and safe motoring, if you find one with the right options. CR recommends finding a model with the optional blind-spot detection system since some drivers find the NX’s outward visibility to be subpar. 

While it is a Lexus, it’s based on the Toyota RAV4 and doesn’t offer occupants the same levels of isolation and coddling as other Lexus models, but it’s still a good choice. 2018 models may push over the $20,000 mark, but they include standard automatic emergency braking which is an important feature. It scored above average in its road test, well above average in reliability, and average in owner satisfaction.

If you need a sub-$20,000 pickup truck that won’t leave you stranded or hemorrhaging money on repair costs, the 2015 Tacoma is the truck for you. It ain’t perfect – it received average road test scores and owner satisfaction scores – but it is reliable with an above average predicted reliability score. 

It’s a 10-year-old truck now, but it holds its resale value for a reason, and though it was the final year of this bodystyle, the update didn’t drastically change much.

The fourth and final Mazda on this list is the most fun to drive, the legendary Miata. If you’re vertically gifted like me it might not be a good fit for you (literally,) but if you’re closer to average height and you want a fun, reliable, and satisfying-to-own sports car, get a Miata. 

It got a big power bump in 2019, so look for 2019-or-newer cars, and if the one you find doesn’t have CarPlay, it can be retrofitted by a Mazda dealer. It earns above average reliability and road test scores, and scores well above average in owner satisfaction, plus owners say it can easily return over 30 mpg.