Best Used Small Cars Under $30k for 2025
The best used small cars under $30k based on a data-driven analysis of each vehicle's reliability, resale value and safety.
The best used small car under $30k is the 2024 Honda Civic based on our analysis of 12 million vehicles to assess their reliability, resale value and safety. The 2024 Honda Civic has an average price of $26,310 with an overall iSeeCars score of 9. Behind the Civic is the 2024 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan with average used car price of $25,389 and iSeeCars score of 8.9. The number 3 best used small car under $30k is the 2024 Mazda Mazda3 Hatchback at $25,791 average price and 8.8 iSeeCars rating. For this analysis, iSeeCars looked at used small cars under $30k that are 1 to 6 years old to determine the latest model year vehicles that are within the price range of $25,000 to $30,000.
The best used small car under $30k is the 2024 Honda Civic based on our analysis of 12 million vehicles to assess their reliability, resale value and safety. The 2024 Honda Civic has an average price of $26,310 with an overall iSeeCars score of 9. Behind the Civic is the 2024 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan with average used car price of $25,389 and iSeeCars score of 8.9. The number 3 best used small car under $30k is the 2024 Mazda Mazda3 Hatchback at $25,791 average price and 8.8 iSeeCars rating. For this analysis, iSeeCars looked at used small cars under $30k that are 1 to 6 years old to determine the latest model year vehicles that are within the price range of $25,000 to $30,000.
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iSeeCars Score:
9.0
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $26,310
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
8.8
/ 10
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Value Retention
9.0
/ 10
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Safety
9.0
/ 10
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iSeeCars Score:
8.9
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $25,389
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
8.2
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.4
/ 10
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Safety
10
/ 10
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iSeeCars Score:
8.8
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $25,791
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
8.2
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.3
/ 10
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Safety
10
/ 10
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iSeeCars Score:
8.8
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $25,635
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
8.4
/ 10
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Value Retention
9.0
/ 10
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Safety
9.0
/ 10
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iSeeCars Score:
8.5
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $29,079
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
7.3
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.3
/ 10
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Safety
10
/ 10
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iSeeCars Score:
8.5
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $29,929
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
7.0
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.6
/ 10
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Safety
10
/ 10
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iSeeCars Score:
7.6
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $29,103
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
6.3
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.5
/ 10
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Safety
8.0
/ 10
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iSeeCars Score:
7.6
/ 10
- Average Used Car Price: $28,303
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
6.7
/ 10
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Value Retention
8.5
/ 10
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Safety
Not Available
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iSeeCars Score:
Not Available
- Average Used Car Price: $28,966
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
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Reliability
Coming soon
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Value Retention
8.3
/ 10
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Safety
10
/ 10
Related Rankings
How We Rank These Cars
iSeeCars Best Used Cars Under $30k Rankings are calculated based on the latest research by our data science team and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
We analyze data from over 12 million new and used vehicles in our Longest-Lasting Cars and 5-Year Depreciation Studies, combined with the NHTSA's Safety Ratings to give you an unbiased guide to the best vehicles in each segment.
After being evaluated, vehicles with the highest average scores earn a spot in the iSeeCars Best Car Rankings. (No final score is given to vehicles missing a score in any of the categories, but scores for other categories are still shown.)
Vehicles are scored in three categories:
Reliability
The reliability score represents an analysis of iSeeCars' proprietary research on the longest-lasting vehicles.
Value Retention
The value retention score is based on our data science team's statistical analysis and prediction of 5-year depreciation from MSRP to determine which cars hold their value best, using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to adjust for inflation.
Safety
The safety score is calculated based on the last five years of crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and incorporates the latest Top Safety Pick information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).