Buying a new car in 2025 can feel overwhelming, but getting a good deal on a brand-new SUV is still possible.
Yes, buying used may save you some cash upfront, but there is still something to be said for rolling off the dealership lot with factory coverage, no previous owners, and all the latest tech and styling updates packed in. The price of vehicles may have started to climb over the past few years, but there are still many new fuel-efficient SUVs you can buy for under $30,000 that help keep both your monthly payments and gas costs manageable.
What Made the Cut
In this list, we rounded up new SUVs from various manufacturers that can be purchased fresh from a dealership with a base model MSRP under $30,000. Rather than diving deep into value or long-term reliability, we kept it simple: what fits into the budget and has the best gas mileage?
We didn’t base this on outside reviews or past model performance; instead, we kept it simple by focusing on what works, so you have a place to start if you’re shopping for the latest and greatest affordable options. We compiled current listings from Cars.com and Edmunds to showcase 20 brand-new SUVs available for purchase from a dealership in 2025, along with the standard safety and technology features you can expect at each price point.
Since fuel economy is your next big cost after the sticker price, we also factored that in. Every SUV here includes basic fuel efficiency info, pulled directly from the U.S. Department of Energy, with engine and drivetrain notes where they impact savings at the pump.
Think of this list as a starting point — a practical snapshot of what’s out there if you’re shopping smart in 2025.
2025 Volkswagen Taos — $24,995
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos has a starting price of $24,995. It offers several trims under $30,000, all with the same turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and a choice between front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Smaller than the brand’s full-sized SUV, the Atlas, the Taos is a subcompact option that comes standard with a handful of desirable features. They include blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and standard Bluetooth capabilities.
With the 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, the 2025 Volkswagen Taos is reported to get 28 miles per gallon (MPG) on city roads and 36 MPG on the highway for a combined 31 MPG.
2025 Hyundai Kona — $24,550
The 2025 Hyundai Kona starts at $24,550, with several trim levels available under $30,000 — including the SEL Convenience AWD, which tops out at $29,600. Many of the affordable trims come with an inline 4-cylinder engine and offer the option between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. If you’re willing to stretch the budget, higher trim levels offer a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder for a bit of additional power.
The Kona is a great option if you’re looking for an affordable SUV that comes with many safety and tech features you don’t have to pay extra for. Starting on the base model, you’ll find forward collision alert with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-centering steering, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, driver attention monitor, road sign recognition, rear seat alert, keyless entry and start, remote start, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The fuel economy of the 2025 Hyundai Kona varies depending on trim level and drivetrain, but you can see as much as 29 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.
2025 Toyota Corolla Cross — $24,135
The 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross starts at $24,135, and all its trim levels stay under $30,000, making it one of the most versatile options on the list. Across the board, the Corolla Cross offers an inline 4-cylinder engine with the option of either a more modest 169-horsepower or a slightly more powerful 196-horsepower variant, as well as a choice between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. It’s also available with a hybrid powertrain for $28,495.
This SUV comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, rear seat reminder, and lane-centering steering.
The hybrid variant of the 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross offers the best fuel economy of the trim levels with 45 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway, while the other drivetrain options offer slightly less, with the lower horsepower engine offering a combined fuel economy of 32mpg and the higher horsepower engine offering a combined fuel economy of 30 mpg.
2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer — $23,100
The 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer starts at $23,100, and all trim levels remain under $30,000, offering buyers a range of affordable options to choose from. This compact SUV is powered by a modest turbocharged 3-cylinder engine, with the option for either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Standard features include the Chevy Safety Assist suite, which provides forward collision alert, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and automatic emergency braking. The infotainment system features an 11-inch touchscreen equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
With various drivetrain options, the 2025 Chevy Trailblazer can get up to 29 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway with the 1.3-liter 3-cylinder.
2025 Mazda CX-30 — $24,995
The 2025 Mazda CX-30 has a starting price of $24,995 and offers several trim level options below $30,000. The most affordable trim levels of this subcompact five-seater come with a reasonable 4-cylinder engine and all wheel drive across all of the affordable trim levels. Higher, more expensive trim levels offer the option for a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, along with additional features.
Standard options for the CX-30 include an 8.8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, forward collision warning, rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, lane departure steering assist, and automatic high beams.
The naturally aspirated variant of the Mazda CX-30 offers a combined fuel consumption of 29 mpg, while the turbocharged option achieves a slightly lower figure of 25 mpg.
2025 Mazda CX-5 — $28,770
If you need a bit more space than the Mazda CX-30 offers, the 2025 Mazda CX-5 is a solid step up and starts at $28,700. The base trim level, 2.5 S AWD — which is the only sub-$30,000 variant — features an all wheel drive system powered by a 4-cylinder engine. For a bit of a splurge, you can get a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine option in the higher trim levels.
The CX-5 base model features include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic emergency braking, lane departure steering assist, blind spot warning with rear cross traffic alerts, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capabilities.
The most fuel-efficient version of the 2025 Mazda CX-5 is the standard 4-cylinder engine, which offers a combined fuel economy of 28 mpg, ranging from 26 mpg in the city to 30 mpg on the highway.
2025 Buick Envista — $23,800
The 2025 Buick Envista has a starting price of $23,800 and has three trim levels, all of which fall under the $30,000 threshold. It is a sub-compact crossover with a new model name introduced just last year for 2024 production, but carries with it decades of Buick production quality.
From the base model up, the Envista offers a comprehensive range of technology and safety features, including the Buick Driver’s Confidence Package. This package provides lane departure warning, lane departure steering assist, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, a following distance indicator, automatic high beams, and automatic emergency braking.
With a combined fuel economy rating of 30 mpg, the 2024 Buick Envista levels out well between the reported 28 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.
2025 Hyundai Venue — $20,200
As one of the most affordable options on this list, the 2025 Hyundai Venue starts at $20,200 and ranges upwards of $23,450 at its highest trim level. All three trim levels share the 5-seat capacity layout with a more fuel-efficient inline 4-cylinder engine and front wheel drive.
Standard features include an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, lane departure steering assistance, rear seat reminder, automatic high-beam headlights, and a six-speaker stereo.
The fuel economy reported for the 2025 Hyundai Venue shows an estimated 29 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway for a combined 31 mpg.
2025 Nissan Kicks — $21,830
The 2025 Nissan Kicks has a starting price of $21,830 and ranges up to $27,680 for the highest available trim level. Across the board, you’ll see the Kicks with a 4-cylinder engine and option for front wheel drive or all wheel drive, and 5-person seating capacity.
The base model offers only a handful of features and dual 7-inch displays for the instrument panel and infotainment system, but you’ll have to upgrade trim levels to get your choice of a larger touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitoring. That may seem minimal — and compared to some options on this list, it is — but that could make it the perfect option for a buyer looking for fewer driving nannies.
Fuel economy varies, with the front-wheel-drive version of the 2025 Nissan Kicks offering a combined fuel economy of 31 mpg and the all-wheel-drive option estimated at a slightly lower 30 mpg.
2025 Chevrolet Trax — $20,500
Another affordable option is the 2025 Chevrolet Trax, which has a starting price of $20,500 and is offered in multiple trim levels ranging up to $24,500. This five-seater comes standard with front-wheel drive, powered by a turbocharged three-cylinder engine across the board, with trim levels varying in terms of safety and tech features.
Standard features for the Chevy Trax include an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, remote keyless entry, Wi-Fi hotspot, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane centering steering, lane departure warning, and rear seat reminder.
With the 2025 Chevy Trax, you can expect an average combined fuel economy of 30 mpg when balancing out between the estimated 28 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.
2025 Mitsubishi Outlander — $29,645
Only the base model of the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander makes it onto this list with an MSRP of $29,645. It makes the list as one of the only options to give a seating capacity of 7, making it also among one of the larger options, which may appeal to some buyers.
The Outlander ES FWD may be the cheapest version, but it does have some desirable features. Standard options include a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitoring.
If you’re willing to splurge for the PHEV, you can try to save the difference in cost with the increased fuel economy of 64 mpg combined, but the absolutely base model with the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine will get you up to 27 mpg combined.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport — $29,995
Although it is right under the threshold, the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport sneaks its way into this list at $29,995 with the Big Bend trim level. With four-wheel drive as the standard, the Bronco Sport Big Bend 4×4 is powered by a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine, seating five. Alternatively, you can stretch your budget for a 4-cylinder engine at $40,115 with the Badlands 4×4.
Standard features include a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.
With the smaller 1.5-liter engine, you can expect a combined fuel economy of about 27 mpg. With the slightly more powerful 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, that number drops to 23 mpg combined.
2025 Jeep Compass — $26,900
The 2025 Jeep Compass starts at $26,900 with the Sport 4×4, or you can opt for the slightly more expensive Latitude 4×4 trim at $28,170. Both come with an intercooler turbo 4-cylinder and four-wheel drive.
The Jeep Compass comes standard with a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and some safety features such as lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alerts, blind spot monitoring, and automatic emergency braking.
The 2024 Jeep Compass offers a fuel economy of 24 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway for a combined 27 mpg.
2025 Subaru Crosstrek — $25,810
You can find the 2025 Subaru Crosstrek AWD for an MSRP of $25,810 or slightly upgrade to the Premium AWD for $27,060. Either option is powered by a Subaru H-4 engine and features all-wheel drive, making it a great all-weather SUV for those looking ahead to the winter months.
The Crosstrek comes with basic standard safety features through Subaru’s Eyesight Safety suite, like automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure prevention, lane-centering steering, and adaptive cruise control. The base model infotainment system features two 7-inch touchscreens and is equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
With the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, you can expect a combined fuel economy of 29 mpg, making it even with the expected fuel economy of the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder. That number does drop slightly to a combined 27mpg if you splurge and upgrade to the Wilderness AWD Edition.
2025 Ford Escape — $29,150
The 2025 Ford Escape has a starting price of $29,150, featuring a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive. The two options available under $30,000 are the Active FWD and ST-Line FWD trims. This compact five-seater is a model name that’s been around for quite some time, a track record that may appeal to some buyers. Higher trim levels offer a 4-cylinder engine with options for either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Standard features in the Escape include rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitoring. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system also comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
There are several drivetrains available for the 2025 Ford Escape, with the most fuel-efficient being the PHEV variant with a combined 101mpge with gasoline and electric power combined. The HEV drivetrain can offer 39 mpg, or if you’re looking for a standard combustion-only powertrain, you can get up to 30 mpg combined with the 1.5-liter engine with front wheel drive.
2025 Subaru Forester — $29,995
The 2025 Subaru Forester has an entry-level MSRP of $29,995, making it just under the $30,000 mark, so it’s still worth mentioning. Like the Subaru Crosstrek mentioned earlier on this list, the Forester is powered by the H-4 engine and also offered with all wheel drive.
Standard in the Forester is an 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Emergency Stop Assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking.
The hybrid option for the 2025 Subaru Forester offers the highest fuel economy rating of a combined 35 mpg, but buyers looking for a non-hybrid option can expect 29 mpg from the base model with a slight drop to 28 mpg in the Sport/Touring trim, and 26 mpg in the Wilderness edition.
2025 Toyota RAV4 — $29,250
The RAV4 is an affordable SUV option on the used market, but you can buy it new for under $30,000. The 2025 Toyota RAV4 has a starting price of $29,250 and is powered by a fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engine with front wheel drive.
This compact 5-seat SUV comes standard with a 10.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, trailer sway control for towing, and Toyota Safety Sense.
With multiple powertrain options, the Toyota RAV4 has quite an array of options for expected fuel economy. Like other SUVs on this list, the hybrid drivetrain provides the best fuel economy at 39 mpg or 37 mpg for the hybrid Wilderness model. From there, the 4-cylinder engine offers 30 mpg on average for the base model and as few as 28 mpg where fuel economy is slightly sacrificed for a bump in performance.
2025 Nissan Rogue — $28,590
The 2025 Nissan Rogue starts out at $28,590 for the FWD S with a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine and front wheel drive — as you could probably guess by the name of the trim — or you can opt for the same engine with all wheel drive in the… You guessed it, AWD S trim, for $29,990.
The NissanConnect 8-inch touchscreen display is the standard option, offering Apple CarPlay integration and the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite of safety features, which includes automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and driver attention alert.
You’ll find the most fuel-efficient trim level to be the standard FWD with the 1.5-liter engine, achieving 33 mpg combined, with a slight drop to 32 mpg for the SL/Platinum edition. Both all-wheel drive powertrains share an average fuel economy of 31 mpg, while the Rock Creek version drops to a slightly lower 29 mpg.
2025 Kia Seltos — $24,690
The 2025 Kia Seltos starts at $24,690, and you can almost go up to the top of the line trim level and stay under $30,000. At the base model, the Seltos LX IVT AWD offers a 4-cylinder engine with all wheel drive, or in higher, more expensive trim levels, you can opt for a turbocharged 4-cylinder.
Across all trim levels, the Seltos comes standard with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, forward collision warning with pedestrian and bicycle detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and steering assist, lane-centering steering, and driver attention monitoring.
With front-wheel drive, the 2025 Kia Seltos has a fuel economy of 31 mpg, but buyers looking for an AWD option will see slightly less at 29 mpg for the standard AWD or an even lower 25 mpg with a turbocharger.
2025 Dodge Hornet — $29,995
The 2025 Dodge Hornet has a starting price of $29,995 and is a great option for those looking for a Mopar. The Hornet is a subcompact SUV powered by a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with all wheel drive
Standard safety features for the Hornet include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning with steering assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, and traffic sign recognition.
As a PHEV, the 2025 Dodge Hornet achieves up to 77 MPGe with its combined gasoline and hybrid engines, while the standard gasoline-only option provides approximately 24 MPGe combined.
Affordable Doesn’t Have to Mean Compromise
While the under $30,000 market for new SUVs may not be overflowing with high-end luxury or performance options, there is still a wide variety of options to suit most buyers’ needs.
As prices continue to climb across the industry, these SUVs offer a sweet spot between affordability, offering a low price for something with a full manufacturer warranty, and some standard luxury and tech features that make it worth the splurge. These SUVs aren’t just affordable, they offer responsible fuel economy that mean you can keep down your monthly payment and your gas bills each month to optimize your savings while getting behind the wheel of a brand new vehicle with complete warranty.