Can you believe that the average non-luxury new car sold in July cost $44,700? That’s according to Kelley Blue Book, a vehicle valuation firm with its nose to the grindstone on vehicle costs. Needless to say, most people can’t afford the payment that a $44,700 car entails, and with entry-level car options dwindling, it may feel like the demise of the cheap car is nigh. However, look a bit harder and you’ll find gems on the bottom end of the market. Good, no-nonsense, economical transportation like the surprisingly decent 2024 Nissan Kicks.
For 2024, the Nissan Kicks S starts at $22,125 including a $1,335 freight charge. You’ll notice that’s more money than a Chevrolet Trax LS for a less powerful, less mature vehicle, but the Kicks has substantially better highway fuel economy. The EPA rates the Trax at 28 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined, but the Kicks is rated at 31 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 33 mpg combined. From personal experience, a 30 mpg average seems about right for the Trax, but the Kicks will happily exceed that combined rating, should you not be absolutely caning it. Thanks to its lightweight construction, that’s hard to resist.
Sure, the Kicks may only have 122 horsepower, but it only weighs 2,629 pounds in base trim. Combine that with a reasonable 14.7:1 steering ratio, and you end up with a car that feels agile in a way most modern cars just don’t. It’s a relatively unfiltered, low-risk, high-reward driving experience that tempts you into leaning on its 205-section all-season tires through bends. There’s even a hidden sport mode for the CVT (press the button on the rear side of the gear knob) to keep the revs up. There’s just something joyous about fizzy, simple motoring, and the Kicks fits that description.
Of course, you could also go nuts and spec a top-spec SR with the premium package for $26,075 including freight, a spec that included a heated steering wheel, pleather seats, a surprisingly decent Bose stereo, and a 360-degree camera package. Even at that price point, the 2024 Nissan Kicks includes an awful lot of kit for the money. Sure, it isn’t fast, but it’s a reasonably roomy, compact fuel-sipper that will get you and your things everywhere you need to go.
Although the variety of cheap cars on the market may be dwindling and prices may be going up, there’s still stuff out there in the low 20s. With late model used car prices still hovering in the stratosphere and new car interest rates typically more attractive than used car rates, now might be the time to go for something cheap, cheerful, and new over a second-hand car, be it a 2024 Nissan Kicks, a 2024 Chevrolet Trax, or even a new Mitsubishi Mirage.
(Photo credits: Nissan)
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Worst car in it’s class.
The Kicks feels like it was made in 1990 and should cost $15k (in today’s money). I would never forgive myself for spending a quarter of a hundo on this tin can.
You can still get a very decent new car for 22-27k, even within Nissan’s own lineup (Versa, Sentra).
The “jacked up hatch” ride-height and hallow doors make it feel like you’re driving a car you built yourself in a day.
The relentless insistence of driving an SUV on any budget leads to this entrapment.
Drove a 2022 Kicks for 5 months while waiting for Ford to source a TCM on my Focus. I guess I’d sum it up with “competent, but uninspiring.”
I think that’s just what Nissan is going for.
The same price that the Fiesta ST started at. It’s sad to see the state of “cheap” cars these days.
Tell me Nissan paid for an article without telling me Nissan paid for an article. Over $20k, CVT, generic crossover, not fast, why is a website for car nerds recommending this? In an un-ironic way? Insert Krusty selling out for Canonyero meme here.
The Autopian is a website for nerds of every type of car. As much as it may baffle you, there are in fact car nerds out there who are looking for practical affordable new vehicles, who would find this article interesting.
I am not one of them, but I enjoyed it regardless because more cheap cars is a good thing whether I like those particular cars or not. More affordable new cars means less pressure on the used market, so I can buy something I like, and if anyone asks me what new car they should buy on a budget, I am now informed about the Nissan Kicks.
Frugal car nerds but still, that CVT…ugh.
We don’t do that kind of stuff around here. Transparency is important for us. If we partner up with a company for a post, you will see a disclosure.
That said, the Autopian is for all car nerds, not just nerds of a certain type. I’m sure these cheap Nissans have plenty of fans. Further, even car nerds need cheap transportation. I mean, sometimes you need a reliable daily for when your fleet of Emotional Support BMWs break down. 🙂
But will it be reliable with the CVT? At least the Trax has a regular auto.
15 years /150,000 miles on an Altima CVT so far and no issues.
If you change the fluid every 30k, yes. I’ve seen Subie CVTs with 200k+ with good maintenance.
I had this whole rant all written about how terrible it is that we went from sub $10k cars to over $20k in a very few years, but then I checked and you can actually still get a Nissan Versa for $16k these days. I mean, I don’t recommend paying any money for a Versa, but I wouldn’t have recommended any of the sub-$10k cars back in ’09 either so it’s a fair comparison. 🙂
I know that 22k is “cheap” compared to the average price of 48K, but this is still going to be approx. 500/month. That’s still a substantial chunk of money for most people.
Also, they lost me at “CVT”.
Your monthly payment can be whatever you want it to be. You just have to adjust your down payment accordingly.
True, but most people shopping this segment are probably not going to have much of a downpayment.
Sub compacts are almost never a good deal off the written page (and this one still seems a little expensive IMO). Putting aside the mental cost of daily satisfaction of a better (or at least tolerable) driving experience, paying a little bit more to move up to even the base model of a compact almost always gets a lot better quality in both engineering and build; more space; quieter, better ride; relatively nicer interior; standard features that may have been optional on the low end subcompact that make the base compact effectively the same price as the sub compact with a few added options; minimal to no loss of real world mileage with a larger engine that has better performance and is likely to last longer because it is less stressed and shared with a wider range of models that often go into a much higher price range, which—like the chassis—means more engineering money is put into them; better safety scores; and better resale that will cancel the increased purchase price. Sure, it’s lighter weight, but I struggle to believe that’s of meaningful value in terms of dynamic experience in an underpowered bottom-end, dollar store brand CUV with a CVT. This is also fair used car territory if you don’t need to finance the whole purchase and I’d trust many a used car for longevity over a new Kicks. I’d only maybe recommend something like this to a retiree shopping for their last ride who averages under 8k annual miles.
I rented a 2021 Kicks for a week while my daily was in for collision repair. Like most modern Nissans, it was a sad experience. I checked the windshield for dark grey and blue tinting, but it turned out to just be my mood behind the wheel. One time, I had an interesting experience – I kept the accelerator pinned for an entire drive. Aside from a louder thrashing noise somewhere up front, there was no difference. I’m surprised I can even remember this car. I expect in eight to ten months, my memory will disappear, just like all of the Kicks being scrapped for CVT failures.
I was handed the keys to one for a few days as well. While noisy and slow, it just sipped on the gas and it was comfortable enough, I guess. I found myself impressed that such a cheap car had adaptive cruise that came to a full stop as well as all the other safety stuff. My phone synched up with no issue every time.