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2025 Honda Civic Hatchback | Manufacturer image
It seems downright quaint to think that the average price of a new car in 2012 exceeded $30,000 for the first time considering the average price of a new car is now around $50,000. The good news: That’s just an average, factoring in cars of all sizes, body styles and levels of luxuriousness, and driven largely by Americans’ insatiable appetite for SUVs. Although it may seem sad to celebrate still being able to pick up a new ride for a price that represented the highest-ever average 13 years ago, save yourself 20 grand and shop our compilation of best new cars for $30,000 or less — one of Cars.com’s most popular news articles of the past week.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Kia EV9, Lucid Air Pull Plug on Nissan Versa, Toyota Corolla
Spanning multiple body styles, including hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs, and starting from $19,964 up to $29,531, models on our under-30 list were culled from average pricing in Cars.com’s national database of new cars for sale. They include the 2025 Nissan Versa (subcompact car), 2026 Honda Civic (compact car), 2025 Kia Soul (compact hatchback), 2025 Toyota Corolla Hybrid (compact hybrid), 2025 Hyundai Sonata (mid-size sedan), 2026 Hyundai Kona (subcompact SUV) and 2026 Chevrolet Equinox (compact SUV).
For the full list of the best new cars under $30,000 — including starting price range, eligible trim levels and a breakdown of why each model made the cut — follow the link below to the No. 2 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles.
In other well-read news … y’know how sometimes you hit “install now” on one of those seemingly constant smartphone updates and it makes your pulldown menus harder to use, changes the look of your icons so that they’re difficult to find or just generally makes things worse? Well, that appears to have happened to an unknown population of Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid SUV owners when the brand initiated an Oct. 10 over-the-air update that, according to reports, triggered glitches that resulted in dashboard error messages, sudden power losses and inoperable vehicles. Occurring on a Friday headed into the weekend, Jeep issued a second update, undoing the changes initiated by the first as engineers searched for answers.
For full details on the ill-fated over-the-air update for the Wrangler 4xe — including how owners were instructed to ensure the interim fix worked — follow the link below to the No. 3 news story of the week.
Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Toyota Corolla Cross, Acura RDX, Lexus GX 550, Subaru Impreza and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. What’s the Best Mid-Size Off-Road Truck for 2025?
2. Best New Cars for $30,000 or Less
3. Jeep Software Update Causes Major Powertrain Glitches in Wrangler 4xe SUVs
4. Nearly 325,000 Evenflo Child-Safety Seats Recalled for Choking Risk
5. Here Are the 10 Cheapest New Cars You Can Buy Right Now
6. 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross Review: Modest Changes, Modest Results
7. How Much Is the 2026 Acura RDX?
8. How Much Is the 2026 Lexus GX 550?
9. Cars.com’s Top Pickup Truck Picks of 2026
10. 2025 Subaru Impreza RS Review: Sporty Looks, Squishy Soul
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
Assistant Managing Editor-News
Matt Schmitz
Former Assistant Managing Editor-News Matt Schmitz is a veteran Chicago journalist indulging his curiosity for all things auto while helping to inform car shoppers.
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