Buying a first vehicle can be a challenge.
Chances are cost will be a big focus, and with nothing to trade in, you’re likely to find most new cars these days carry sticker shock as a standard feature. The new vehicle average transaction price hit a whopping $48,699 in April, according to Kelley Blue Book.
But good options that come in substantially under that price do exist.
Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader, broke down what he considers the best vehicles for first-time buyers in 2025. Autotrader has its own list of best cars for recent college graduates, and Moody mentioned some of the criteria used there, including a starting price less than $30,000, a 5-star federal safety rating and at least one cool feature, as things to consider. He also offered some thoughts on used cars for first-time buyers, but we’ll get to that later.
Here are Moody’s new car picks for first-time buyers in 2025 and a bit of his reasoning (Pricing is taken from brand websites):
Relatively speaking, for a new car, the Civic is inexpensive to start. Even the base model has a nicely designed interior with high-quality materials. It’s good looking and fun, but doesn’t feel “cheapy.” The base LX (includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility) starts at $24,250, not counting destination. The Sport Touring Hybrid comes with a starting price of $31,950.
A very compelling powertrain warranty — 10 years/100,000 miles – is one reason to consider the Elantra. There’s also the 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The base SE starts at $22,125, not counting the freight charge. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are not available on the base trim.
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It’s just a fun car to drive and it even has push button start. Plus, it’s got other features, like a 12.3-inch touchscreen, even in the base trim. The base LX (includes wireless Apple Carplay) starts at $21,990, excluding destination.
Mazda has raised its game, becoming something of a premium automaker. The company offers good performance and might be considered a working man’s Audi. The CX-30 has a nice interior, it’s good looking on the outside and it’s got a turbo charged engine. It’s also got more than the usual selection of trim levels, with eight offerings. The base 2.5 S trim (includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration) is priced starting at $25,195, not including destination.
This subcompact SUV has lots to offer for someone looking for the latest thing. It’s full of nice design details and the color choices are amazing. No one will mistake it for a Cadillac, but for $24,000 you get a pretty nice SUV that is hard to beat with price and features. It also gets Nissan Safety Shield 360 with lots of safety features. The base S trim (Apple Carplay and Android Auto are available only on other trims) starts at $21,830, not including destination.
Call these Moody’s top five. He also suggested the Toyota Prius, Nissan Rogue, Kia Niro and Volkswagen Jetta.
He also had a special shout-out to the Ford Maverick.
As a truck, it might sound like an unusual choice for a first-buyer list, but Moody said the Maverick has a lot to recommend. While it might not be the best fit for someone living in the middle of a city, this compact pickup offers a good option for someone who’d like a pickup truck but not the price tag that usually accompanies it. The 4 ½-foot bed is “good enough to be useful.” It starts at $28,145, minus the destination charge.
If the price of a new car is too high, used cars remain an option. Although prices for some used cars carry price tags that can make the eyes water, Moody suggested luxury models from seven to 11 years ago, which have many of the safety features standard that we’ve come to expect on modern cars today.
These are vehicles that might be available for less than $10,000.
Saving money shouldn’t be the only concern, however.
“The idea that you’d get your kid a $1,500 car because you’re going to teach them the value of a dollar, OK, I get that because that’s what our parents did, but if you really look at it closely, the safety features and advancements from the 1960s up until about 2000 were minimal,” he said, explaining why it might have been more acceptable to consider even older used cars decades ago.
The last 25-30 years have brought many advancements in vehicle safety, he said.Following the idea of finding an older luxury used car, Moody said he bought his own child a Saab in 2008 for under $10,000, and in addition to being fuel efficient and relatively reliable, it came with features like traction control, stability control and side curtain airbags.
“There’s no excuse for going for a first car that doesn’t have some basic safety features,” he said.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

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