By Veeno Dewan
Finding a cheap, brand-new car in Canada in 2025 is possible but presents limited choices. However, budget-conscious buyers will find decent equipment, features, safety, comfort, and fuel efficiency in all models. Below is a list of vehicles offering excellent value, ranked by price. Prices do not include PDI, delivery, extra fees, or taxes.
2025 Mitsubishi Mirage Hatchback—Starts at $16,998
The Mitsubishi Mirage is Canada’s cheapest four-door compact car, costing $16,998. The car’s 1.2L 3-cylinder engine with CVT produces 78 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque, resulting in outstanding fuel economy of 6.6 L/100 km (city), 5.6 L/100 km (highway), and 6.2 L/100 km (combined). The Mirage’s 7-inch display supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, with features like automatic climate control, heated seats, and a rearview camera. Safety features include seven airbags, stability control, emergency braking, and hill start assist.
Hyundai Venue SUV—Starting at $21,099.
The Hyundai Venue, an affordable subcompact SUV, features a 1.6L four-cylinder engine, CVT transmission, 121 horsepower, 113 lb-ft of torque, and 7.5 L/100km fuel economy. Inside, you’ll find an 8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated front seats, and a rearview camera. Folding the rear seats down creates ample cargo space. Safety highlights include Hyundai’s SmartSense suite, which has lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection. For an affordable and compact SUV, the Venue is a superb option.
Nissan Versa—Starting at $23,105
The Nissan Versa 4-door has a 425-liter trunk, which comfortably seats five people. Its 1.6L 4-cylinder engine with 122 horsepower and CVT produces efficient fuel consumption: 7.4 L/100 km in the city and 5.9 L/100 km on the highway. Safety features include Nissan Safety Shield® 360 with Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, and optional Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Blind Spot Warning. The Fuel Economy is 6.7 L/100 km combined.
Kia Forte Sedan—Starting at $23,670
The Kia Forte is all new for 2025 and is one of the sleekest, best-looking compact cars in its sector. As with all Kia models, the Forte offers excellent features and value for money. The Forte arrives with adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, Lane Keeping Assist, and Driver Attention Warning: air conditioning, an 8-inch touchscreen, and smartphone integration. Featuring a 2.0L four-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, this car uses a Continuously Variable Transmission. Fuel economy is 7.0 L/100 km combined.
Toyota Corolla Sedan or Hatchback— Starting at $23,670
The family’s favorite Toyota Corolla remains a dependable, superbly built compact sedan known for its dependability and minimal maintenance costs. Powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine with 169 horsepower and CVT, it achieves a fuel economy of 7.4 L/100 km city and 5.7 L/100 km highway. There’s also a hatchback model of the Corolla. It offers a comfortable cabin with an 8-inch Toyota Multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 offers a comprehensive suite of safety technologies, including a pre-collision system, dynamic radar cruise control, lane tracing assist, blind spot monitoring, and a rearview camera.
Chevrolet Trax CUV—Starting at $24,199
The Chevrolet Trax is a competent subcompact crossover with front-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission. Power comes from a single 1.2-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 137 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. For 2025, expect new body colors, upgraded driver assistance, and extra features. What stands out most is the sleek, state-of-the-art design. The interior of the Chevy Trax has a pleasant layout, and the tech features an 8-inch or 11-inch unit touchscreen. The Trax boasts best-in-class rear-seat legroom and 25.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, ranking it among the roomiest in its class. Standard safety tech on every new Trax includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection. Other included technologies are lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning.
2025 Mazda 3 Hatchback or Sedan—$24,900
The Mazda3 sedan is a multiple award-winning sedan or hatchback that offers style and performance with a high-quality, sporty design. A Skyactiv-G 2.5L four-cylinder engine generating 191 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque powers the car through a 6-speed automatic transmission. The interior has heated front seats, manual air conditioning, and an 8.8-inch display with Mazda Connect supporting Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™.
Honda Civic Sedan—MSRP $27,540
Canada’s best-selling sedans consistently include the Honda Civic. The 2025 model will include a hybrid powertrain besides its existing gasoline engine. Despite its higher price point among budget cars, the Civic boasts impressive specs and features. A 2.0L, four-cylinder engine, and CVT are standard in the Civic Sedan. Every Civic Sedan trim level now includes blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and emergency front braking as standard features. Interior elements include a seven-inch or 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, automatic climate control, remote starter, heated steering wheel, and heated front seats. All trims boast standard driver-assistance tech, such as adaptive cruise control (low-speed follow), automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and road departure mitigation.
