If you’ve looked at Kelley Blue Book’s 12 Best Family Cars of 2022, you read about the 2- and 3-row models we recommended. These are minivans and compact, midsize, and full-size SUVs. But what about the best family cars for smaller households, or for families working within a smaller budget?
That’s where this list of the 10 Best Family Cars Under $25,000 comes into play. These are smaller vehicles that offer impressive cargo space and versatility, excellent safety features, and have MSRPs that start below $25,000. These vehicles also earned excellent safety ratings — nearly every model here is an IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+.
Prices start below $25,000 without destination charges. Check out KBB.com and use the Fair Purchase Price tool, and you might have an even easier time sticking to a $25,000 budget.
1. 2022 Kia Seltos
Starting Price: $22,590
For the second year in a row, the Kia Seltos is Kelley Blue Book’s Subcompact SUV Best Buy. While this SUV has a small footprint and is easy to park in the city, it provides an impressive amount of cargo room. There’s 26.6 cubic feet of space behind the back seat, which you can boost to 62.8 cubic feet by folding down the rear seats. The rear seat is also surprisingly roomy in this IIHS Top Safety Pick.
The 2022 Seltos is an even better value than it was last year, as it now comes with even more standard equipment. The most significant example: Kia’s suite of safety tech, which includes forward collision-avoidance assist, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and lane-following assist. An 8-inch infotainment system and smartphone connectivity are also standard. The Seltos’ fuel economy is even better for 2022. It has a range of 409 miles on a tank of gas and nets fuel economy as high as 35 mpg on the highway. See Kia Seltos models for sale near you
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2. 2022 Subaru Crosstrek
Starting Price: $22,645
If your family wants to visit the great outdoors, there may be no vehicle that makes it easier than the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. The Crosstrek comes standard with all-wheel drive and 8.7 inches of ground clearance. It’s available with features like X-MODE with hill descent control and StarTex water-repellent upholstery, so cleanup isn’t much of an issue — even if you bring your pets along for the ride. There’s more than 100 cubic feet of space for people, with 20.8 cubic feet of cargo room behind the second row. Maximum cargo volume is 55.3 cubic feet with the seats folded.
The Crosstrek is available with two engines, plus the choice of a plug-in hybrid. If you want the best fuel economy, the hybrid nets 90 MPGe on electric power and 35 mpg combined the rest of the time. With the CVT automatic, you still get 34 mpg on the highway. (And you’re still under that $25,000 ceiling.) These numbers are especially impressive considering this is an AWD-only SUV. And if you choose the automatic transmission, this Subaru comes standard with the EyeSight suite of safety features. The Crosstrek is an IIHS Top Safety Pick and boasts excellent resale value. See Subaru Crosstrek models for sale near you
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3. 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback
Starting Price: $23,350
Along with the rest of the Honda Civic lineup, the Civic Hatchback is all-new for 2022. The hatch is just as fun to drive as the sedan but adds the practicality of a large cargo area. With the 5-passenger, 5-door Civic, you get about 25 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up, and much more with the second row down. That’s plenty of space for supplies from the local big box store.
The Civic has fuel economy as high as 39 mpg, with more than 430 miles of range on a single tank. The Civic is an IIHS TSP+ pick and the Honda Sensing suite of safety features comes standard. This includes 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
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4. 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross
Starting Price: $22,195
Based on the same foundation as the tried-and-true Toyota Corolla, the Corolla Cross is the newest SUV from Toyota. And because it’s a Toyota, it’s backed by Toyota’s strong reputation for safety and reliability. The Corolla Cross is available with all-wheel drive and comes with one engine/transmission combination. This SUV offers more than 88 cubic feet of passenger space and 25.5 cubic feet of space behind the second row.
Every Corolla Cross comes with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0. This suite includes pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and assist, and adaptive cruise control. If you move up from the base L to the midrange LE, you add a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert — and the price is still under $25,000. Fuel economy is as good as 33 mpg with front-wheel drive — and we’ve heard there is a hybrid Corolla Cross on the horizon. See Toyota Corolla Cross models for sale near you
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5. 2022 Kia Soul
Starting Price: $19,290
Cool styling and a low starting price are only two elements of this surprisingly versatile hatchback. The Kia Soul is one of the best ways to get maximum cargo space with minimum expense. With all the seats in their normal position, you’ll have 24.2 cubic feet of space where you can 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 boxy design enables this impressive cargo volume. It also creates terrific headroom in both rows.
Look for at least the X-Line trim level — which is still well under $25,000 — to get forward collision avoidance, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist. More safety features are available in higher trim levels, although the Soul isn’t available with all-wheel drive. The Soul is an IIHS Top Safety Pick. See Kia Soul models for sale near you
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6. 2022 Honda HR-V
Starting Price: $21,870
The Honda HR-V has been a well-established subcompact SUV that has offered a versatile interior, impressive reliability, and tremendous value since it first came out for the 2016 model year.
The secret to the HR-V’s success is its Magic Seat second row. You can fold down the seats to accommodate longer items — such as furniture — or fold the seats up to carry taller things (like a TV). And because it’s a 60/40-split seat, you can have one side all the way down while the other is folded up. You can fit 24.3 cubic feet of cargo behind the second row when it’s up, which expands to a maximum of 58.8 with it folded.
Honda Sensing, the company’s advanced driver-assist and safety feature suite, is standard in EX-and-higher trims. And based on current Fair Purchase Pricing, you can get an HR-V EX for less than $25,000. See Honda HR-V models for sale near you
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7. 2022 Hyundai Kona
Starting Price: $21,300
The Hyundai Kona is a subcompact SUV that is a past Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award winner, thanks to its combination of value, versatility, and features. For 2022, the Kona received its first significant update. This includes refreshed styling, a revamped interior, and more cargo space and rear-seat legroom. This SUV is on the smaller side, even for a subcompact, and has space for 45.8 cubic feet of cargo behind the front seats.
Every Kona comes standard with forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane following assist, and a driver attention monitor. More active safety features are available on higher trim levels, most of which you can get into for less than $25K.
The fuel-efficient Kona nets fuel economy as high as 35 mpg in the gas-powered models and up to 132 MPGe in the Kona Electric. It also has a terrific warranty and a full roster of standard tech and convenience, all for an affordable price. See Hyundai Kona models for sale near you
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8. 2022 Mazda CX-30
Starting Price: $22,200
If you’re looking for a small, affordable family car that has some fire in its belly, Mazda has two great choices — the CX-30 subcompact SUV and the Mazda3 hatchback. They are both on the same terrific platform, both have similar cargo volume, and both are Top Safety Pick+ models.
How do you choose? If all-wheel drive is important to you, it’s good to know that the CX-30 has a lower starting price than the Mazda3, and at that price, it comes standard with AWD. The CX-30 also has added ride height and ground clearance. However, the Mazda3’s handling is better, and its 34 mpg highway fuel economy with front-wheel drive is the best fuel economy of either model. It’s available with all-wheel drive too, but in the Hatchback you have to get the Preferred trim, raising the price to $25,750.
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. But for us, the added security of standard all-wheel drive makes the CX-30 a better value. See Mazda CX-30 models for sale near you
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9. 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport
Starting Price: $24,460
The Nissan Rogue Sport is larger than the Kicks but smaller than the Rogue. The Rogue Sport has plenty of space for cargo — up to 61.1 cubic feet with the second row folded — and a passenger area that’s spacious for the vehicle’s size. And you can use the available Divide-N-Hide system to keep items out of view or prevent them from rolling around. The Rogue Sport’s fuel economy is as good as 32 mpg on the highway, which does go down slightly if you opt for all-wheel drive.
Nissan’s small SUV comes with an impressive array of standard safety features. The biggest standout is the Safety Shield 360 suite of safety features. It includes blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, auto high beams, rear automatic braking, intelligent forward collision warning, and lane-departure warning and intervention. Also standard are a 7-inch NissanConnect display and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. See Nissan Rogue Sport models for sale near you
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10. 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Starting Price: $21,600
One of the most affordable SUVs on this year’s list, the 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer is a great option for families that want a small SUV with good storage space. From our Expert Review, “The Trailblazer is a strong value choice in its segment with a low starting price, good fuel economy, and some good standard features like an intuitive and modern infotainment system.” Fuel economy is as good as 33 mpg on the highway.
As is the case with some of the other vehicles on this list, the Trailblazer has a small on the outside, big on the inside design. You can fit more than 54 cubic feet of gear behind the first row. In addition, the cargo area is well designed and can accommodate more stuff than you would think.
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. This IIHS Top Safety Pick+ also comes standard with Chevy’s impressive Teen Driver safety suite. See Chevrolet Trailblazer models for sale near you
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10 Best Family Cars Under $25,000
- 2022 Kia Seltos
- 2022 Subaru Crosstrek
- 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback
- 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross
- 2022 Kia Soul
- 2022 Honda HR-V
- 2022 Hyundai Kona
- 2022 Mazda CX-30
- 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport
- 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer
