5 Of The Cheapest Cars In The World (As Of 2024)

If you're looking for a brand-new budget car, you'd probably have thought of the Nissan Versa, which is a pretty good car that starts at $16,680. Or perhaps you're thinking of the subcompact Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback, which starts at $16,695, but has less than stellar reviews. These sub-$20,000 prices might be extremely affordable for a car in the U.S., but this is not true for the rest of the world — especially for emerging markets.

Many car makers have made models specifically tailored for markets where many don't have that much buying power. All of these cars fall under $10,000, but we're excluding models that you cannot take on the freeway. We also have a mix of EVs and ICE-powered cars, showing how electric vehicles have gone a long way to gain price parity with gasoline cars.

Furthermore, many of these models are sold in different territories, so their prices will vary. Nevertheless, the purchase price we list is the ballpark figure that the car usually sells at from the dealer across the globe, unless the country has an egregious excise tax on cars, and isn't taking into account any other dealer markup.

The Renault Kwid is another SUV-esque city car that competes with the S-presso, although it's a tad bit larger The nameplate first arrived on the scene in the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo as a futuristic concept car, with a drone, butterfly doors, and off-road tires that's aimed at young buyers. However, reality set in, and the Kwid you can buy today is an affordable five-door hatchback without any of the fancy features from the concept.

Nevertheless, the Kwid is still an excellent city car for its price. The base trim RXE 1.0L starts at $5,638.65 USD, while the most expensive Climber 1.0 AMT DT will only set you back $7,726.66 in India (469,000 Indian Rupees). Despite its low price, all trim models get several safety features, like a traction control system and tire pressure monitoring systems. Buyers can also choose between five single-tone and five two-tone colors, allowing you to pick the perfect color that will fit your personality.

This little car's one-liter engine can output 67 horsepower and 67 lb-ft of torque, which is about the same output as the Suzuki S-Presso. However, it's larger size at 147 x 62 x 58 inches means that it will probably be a tad slower than the latter.

Suzuki has another entry in our most affordable cars list — this time in partnership with the Indian government — with the Maruti Suzuki Alto K10. This hatchback is even smaller than the already tiny S-Presso, with its length, width, and height at 139 x 59 x 60 inches. Both cars use the same K10 engine, but the Alto K10 outputs 66 horsepower and 66 lb-ft of torque — about 1 horsepower less than the larger Suzuki. However, since this vehicle is also smaller, you can expect it to have better mileage at 58 mpg.

The base model LXI starts at $5,795 with a manual transmission and no radio, although you get reverse parking sensors and a digital speedometer. The top-of-the-line VXI+ AGS trim starts at $6,953, which is just a little bit over the base trim of the Tata Tiago. This car comes with features like an automatic transmission, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, steering mounted controls, and an advanced trip computer.

Although the Alto K10 is the smallest cheap car to come out of India, it comes with a lot of value. This makes it a tempting offer for your buyers who don't have the much cash to spare or can't afford a high monthly amortization.