Cheap and cheerful: The best cheap cars in Australia right now

With an influx of new brands and models comes competitive pricing. But what are you getting for your money? 

Cheap doesn’t have to be associated with nasty when it comes to a new car. 

For something that’s cheap, but bound to make you cheerful, we look at the best budget options on the car market in Australia today. 

So, let’s shop around. 

2019 Mitsubishi Mirage ES $14,990* Driveaway 

An absolute steal at the moment at under 15K, The 2019 Mirage ES has a five star ANCAP rating with 4.7L/100km fuel efficiency. 

There’s plenty of room in this compact car, it’s lightweight with tight turning and good breaks, all great for city driving—which is what this car is designed for. Take this thing on the highway and you might find a few things to nag about. But, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. 

2019 MG MG3 CORE $15,990* Driveaway 

Though a Chinese car manufacturer now produces the iconic English badge, the MG range is bettering year on year. Especially in the small car, low budget market. 

We reviewed the 2018 edition and found a nice looking modern mover, with room for improvement. Which they’ve done with the 2019 make, offering much better value for money. A decent digital display, new body, reversing camera, and a new steering wheel are thrown into this version. 

A low-ball price, with a better-than-thou feel, you still get what you pay for with only a three star ANCAP rating. The 2019 model is slacker on the fuel efficiency than most in this list too. The money you’ll save on the bumper price will probably be put back into the bowser. 

2019 Toyota Yaris Ascent $15,990* Driveaway

The five seater budget beater from the long running Yaris line is hard to pass. 

It’s the little-big car that has proven reliable over it’s eight years of production. Reversing camera and small wheel base lends itself to tight city parking and narrow roads, 

The 1.3L engine with five speed manual transmission takes a bit of time to kick in from the lights but can keep up the pace once it’s going. 

Pretty standard features throughout with moderate display screen (though no Apple CarPlay), and typical finishes. This car is not trying to be anything other than what it is, a zippy A-to-B machine. 

2019 Suzuki Ignis GL $16,990* Driveaway

What we’d describe as a half-price Mini, the Suzuki’s Ignis range are ‘micro-SUV’s’ that offer a ton of customisation to show off your personalisation. 

The interior of the four-door GL model is stripped back and the minimalist engine is pretty good on the fuel consumption while giving you what you need. It’s a comfy city car with a little room to give. It doesn’t feel out of place on highways or in the country either. 

It’s a compact machine that’s light on the wallet. Comparable to the Picanto, you might find it’s better bang for your buck. 

2019 Kia Picanto X-Line $17,490* Driveaway 

The 2019 X-Line model is a hot priced (see what we did there?) 5 seater with a zippy 4 cylinder 1.25L engine. It just needs a bit of a kick to get going. 

We tested the South Korean Automakers special Australian Open edition earlier this year. It felt good to drive, and the price was reflected in the finishes—like a sizeable seven inch display. They’ve kitted it out with autonomous emergency braking and great connectivity. 

One tank will get you about 600 kms.

It beats the Mirage on most aspects, and is worth the extra money for the X-Line model. 

It pays to look around. The options really open up if you move up in the price-point of the small car market. Still at sub $20,000, a Volkswagen Polo wouldn’t disappoint. 

*Prices current at time of writing.