Best Used Luxury Small Cars Under $45k for 2024
The best used luxury small cars under $45k based on a data-driven analysis of each vehicle's reliability, resale value and safety.
The best used luxury small car under $45,000 is the 2022 Lexus IS 350 based on our analysis of 12 million vehicles to assess their reliability, resale value and safety. The 2022 Lexus IS 350 has an average price of $42,067 with an overall iSeeCars score of 9.1. Behind the IS 350 is the 2023 BMW 3 Series with average used car price of $42,781 and iSeeCars score of 8.6. The number 3 best used luxury small car under $45,000 is the 2023 Audi S3 at $42,729 average price and 8.1 iSeeCars rating. For this analysis, iSeeCars looked at used luxury small cars under $45k that are 1 to 6 years old to determine the latest model year vehicles that are within the price range of $40,000 to $45,000.
The best used luxury small car under $45,000 is the 2022 Lexus IS 350 based on our analysis of 12 million vehicles to assess their reliability, resale value and safety. The 2022 Lexus IS 350 has an average price of $42,067 with an overall iSeeCars score of 9.1. Behind the IS 350 is the 2023 BMW 3 Series with average used car price of $42,781 and iSeeCars score of 8.6. The number 3 best used luxury small car under $45,000 is the 2023 Audi S3 at $42,729 average price and 8.1 iSeeCars rating. For this analysis, iSeeCars looked at used luxury small cars under $45k that are 1 to 6 years old to determine the latest model year vehicles that are within the price range of $40,000 to $45,000.
- iSeeCars Score: 9.1 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $42,067
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- Reliability 9.0 / 10
- Value Retention 8.2 / 10
- Safety 10 / 10
- iSeeCars Score: 8.6 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $42,781
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- Reliability 8.4 / 10
- Value Retention 7.4 / 10
- Safety 10 / 10
- iSeeCars Score: 8.1 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $42,729
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- Reliability 6.6 / 10
- Value Retention 7.8 / 10
- Safety 10 / 10
- iSeeCars Score: 7.9 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $41,606
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- Reliability 6.2 / 10
- Value Retention 7.4 / 10
- Safety 10 / 10
- iSeeCars Score: 7.8 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $44,324
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- Reliability 7.7 / 10
- Value Retention 7.9 / 10
- Safety Not Available
- iSeeCars Score: 7.7 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $42,935
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- Reliability 7.9 / 10
- Value Retention 7.5 / 10
- Safety Not Available
- iSeeCars Score: 7.4 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $41,004
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- Reliability 7.0 / 10
- Value Retention 7.9 / 10
- Safety Not Available
- iSeeCars Score: 7.4 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $42,021
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- Reliability 7.2 / 10
- Value Retention 7.7 / 10
- Safety Not Available
- iSeeCars Score: 7.3 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $44,066
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- Reliability 6.0 / 10
- Value Retention 8.5 / 10
- Safety Not Available
- iSeeCars Score: 7.2 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $40,059
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- Reliability 7.0 / 10
- Value Retention 7.5 / 10
- Safety Not Available
- iSeeCars Score: 6.8 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $44,024
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- Reliability 5.8 / 10
- Value Retention 7.9 / 10
- Safety Not Available
- iSeeCars Score: 6.5 / 10
- Average Used Car Price: $43,879
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- Reliability 5.8 / 10
- Value Retention 7.2 / 10
- Safety Not Available
Related Rankings
How We Rank These Cars
iSeeCars Best Used Cars Under $45k 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).