10 Cheap Cars With Surprisingly Nice Interiors

Headlines are alive with the sound of $50,000 as the latest average new car price. That figure will get you into a nice vehicle with a luxuriously appointed cabin like a new Audi Q5, for example. For 2025, it starts at about $45,000 and comes with niceties like heated front seats and the German automaker's reputation for elegant interior design. From there, the sky's the limit when it comes to expensive cars with lovely cabins.

Fortunately, for those of us who find $50,000 to be a bit (or a lot) too dear, but still desire a nice ride, there are plenty of fish in the automotive sea. I, for one, was blissfully unaware that the Volkswagen Jetta starts at just $21,995 and though not likely to be mistaken for its Audi kin, it's not too shabby.

Specifically, we're looking at cars with a price tag below $40,000 as that can be considered cheap relative to the average sticker price these days. Trim lines matter and the dearer the Monroney, the better the interior so we'll break it down accordingly. Bottom line, there are plenty of cheap new cars with surprisingly nice interiors, at least in my opinion.

At less than $22,000 to start, the VW Jetta falls into the "dirt cheap" category for 2025. For this relatively light outlay, you'll find creature comforts like dual-zone automatic climate control (DZACC), an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Upholstery is basic cloth, but the door panels and center console are dolled up with contrast stitching and aluminum-colored inlays.

For an extra $2,000, you can get the Jetta Sport looking good with patterned Molekular cloth seats and white piping. While the SE model adds a power-adjustable driver's seat and stainless steel pedal caps for visual punch, those in search of a truly nice cabin on the cheap should look to the Jetta SEL. For $29,000, you'll enjoy a leather-lined cabin that can be done up in a standard Atlantic Blue theme. Dig the light blue seat centers, dash trim, and door panel inserts to go with the ambient lighting and climatized front seats.

The 2025 Jetta range tops out with the GLI and its enthusiast-friendly powertrain for $32,715. Only one interior look is offered, that being the unfortunately named Grigio with Red Crust, but it's rather nice to lay eyes on. Leaning into the German style of low-key elegance, this Jetta's cabin looks sharp with dark gray patterned leather and red accents throughout, including on the steering wheel. Not bad Jetta.

With its current Civic lineup, Honda has accomplished a coup in the highly competitive world of HVAC design. Fitting a honeycomb mesh panel from pillar to pillar that allows for manual vent control without having to look at unsightly louvers is a surprisingly nice touch for such a cheap car. Starting at $24,250, the Civic LX sedan gets a lift from this  ventilation design cue, but it goes deeper, with automatic climate control and patterned cloth seats.

Sport trim lines add $2,000, but dial up the cabin design with an eye-catching white striped seat look that manages to make black cloth quite nice. The white contrast stitching on the steering wheel and shift boot further this scheme, but if you equate sportiness with a nice car interior, get a load of the Civic Si. The bolstered front buckets with an exclusive black and red checked design, and embroidered Si logos, on the headrests are enthusiast catnip.

True, the Type R takes this approach to the extreme, but at nearly $46,000 to start, it's not exactly cheap. The lauded Civic Si, on the other hand, at around $30,000, still qualifies as cheap (at least relatively). Or, you can spend about $32,000 and get into a Civic Sport Touring Hybrid. Better fuel efficiency is certainly nice, but the handsome black leather with white stitching looks nicer than the price point suggests, and the 12-speaker Bose audio system isn't too bad either.

Nissan redesigned its compact Kicks for 2025 with an exterior design they say is "street smart" and inspired by high-end sneakers. It's got an, um, interesting vibe, but that's not what we're here to discuss today. We're looking at cheap cars with nice interiors and the Kicks delivers on both fronts. At $21,830 to start, the Kicks undercuts the Jetta and comes with Nissan's lauded Zero Gravity seats, aimed at reducing occupant fatigue, in both rows.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel adds a dash of performance style to a crossover that is far from fast, but style points count in this case. In mid-tier Kicks SV guise, charcoal cloth upholstery with a pronounced geometric pattern adds further flash, or for a bit more than $26,000, you can look to the range-topping Nissan Kicks SR and its laundry list of nice touches. That includes a leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel with red contrast stitching and a panoramic moonroof.

Black leatherette upholstery is dressed up with a red-accented pattern and heated seat cushions up front. Even the infotainment system on these Kicks looks good, blending a pair of 12.3-inch digital interfaces into one wide display. However, the little Nissan's pièce de interior resistance has to be the Bose audio system on SR models with front-row headrest integrated speakers. Not something typically seen in this segment, it is a feature that elevates the 2025 Kicks into cheap car greatness.

Once upon a time, the Toyota Prius was the ultimate dorkmobile — it was all gawky proportions and weird lines in the name of thriftiness. The fifth-gen Prius shed its ugly duckling looks for a sleek, head-turning wedge — at least that's how I felt the first time I saw one. Thankfully, Toyota saw fit to extend the Prius' good looks to the inside and at $28,350 to start, you can get one on the cheap.

That price will put you in a Prius LE. The standard black cloth is frankly boring, but selecting the gray fabric for a no-cost upgrade to a two-tone design will help dress things up. A thin strip of silver-colored material helps and as with every new Prius, fun Easter eggs like the #GLOVEBOX stamped inside the...glovebox, should generate smiles. However, it's really the Prius XLE that helps push this long-running hybrid onto our list of cheap cars with surprisingly nice interiors.

For about $32,000, the XLE comes with upscale-looking SofTex upholstery in an available two-tone style, but don't miss the Illumination Notification system on these trim lines. Reminiscent of KITT from the Oscar-winning Knight Rider TV series of my youth, this thin LED strip running across the dash pulses to share information. Like when hazards are detected by vehicle sensors, or to let you know the car in front has started moving and you're still staring at your phone. Unfortunately, Toyota's modern interpretation of KITT won't talk to you — yet.

Dodge's new Hornet crossover is on the pricey side of our cheap cars with a $29,995 starting price, but such is the cost of badge engineering an Italian. Rear seat HVAC ductwork comes standard on the Hornet. This may sound like no big deal, but it's not a given at this price point and anyone shuttling kids around will very much appreciate this touch. Base GT models also include the comfort of DZACC and black cloth/leatherette upholstery with red accents that just looks nice.

That design is applied to genuine leather on the $37,000 GT Plus Hornet, which also boasts power-adjustable front seats with heat and ventilation, driver's memory settings, and a heated steering wheel. Real aluminum cabin accents can be optioned across the Hornet lineup, but the available Track Pack and Blacktop GT Bundle is what adds the most visual firepower to the Hornet's cabin.

The $4,400 price tag on this package pushes the 2025 Hornet a bit beyond our price cap, but it's worth a look if only for the snappy black Alcantara-trimmed seats with red accents and embroidered Dodge stripe logos. Aluminum column-mounted paddle shifters are also part of the deal, along with bright-finished pedals, a "sporty" leather steering wheel, and special Inox steel door sill plates.

Believe me when I tell you that I understand why the last pony car standing is so much better when fitted with the free-breathing Coyote V8. However, that configuration starts near $47,000, versus the roughly $32,000 entry point for the EcoBoost Mustang. We're not here to debate performance, but it's worth noting that this turbocharged four-cylinder Mustang feels like a muscle car. It also offers quite the nice interior.

Base fastback models are fairly simple with black cloth bucket seats, but opting for the two-tone Space Gray design adds zero cost, and all models come with automatic climate control. For almost exactly $40,000, you can get into the only convertible on this list. Content is the same as its hardtop sibling, but it could be argued that any car's interior is automatically nicer with the top down. However, we're partial to the EcoBoost Premium Fastback trim line.

These Mustangs start at $37,445 and feature a leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, climate-controlled seats, and ambient lighting. The best part has to be the choice of ActiveX upholstery color, which ranges from all-black to Space Gray and the handsome Emberglo dark brown hue that adds a touch of class. But for maximum cabin panache, tick the 201A Equipment Group to enjoy Carmine Red seats, illuminated doorsill plates, and an audio system from Bang & Olufsen.

The Toyota Camry's Era of Dowdiness has passed and been replaced by a car with the ability to turn heads, particularly inside. The entire 2025 Carmy lineup falls within our $40,000 price cap, from the $28,700 LE to the $34,900 XSE. Each has its merits, but let's just jump to the front of the line and discuss the Camry XSE with an interior that definitely qualifies as surprisingly nice. You could go with an all-black design, or you could get a little wild with the Cockpit Red scheme.

It costs nothing but adds so much visual excitement with patterned bright red leather to the seats, dashboard, and door panels that we have to recommend it. Like all new Camrys, the XSE comes with DZACC and a wireless phone charging pad, but these range toppers go further with heated and power-adjustable front seats, a heated steering wheel, aluminum sport pedals, and a white LED ambient lighting system.

This is not to suggest other Camry models are unworthy. The roughly $34,000 XLE can be dolled up with a two-tone cabin blending black and light gray, the latter finished with an elegant geometric pattern. These models also sport the big 12.3-inch configurable gauge cluster and the option for front seat ventilation. Even base model 2025 Camrys offer a gray-and-black cloth-covered cabin that is simple, but still manages to look nice. Let's not forget the mid-tier Camry SE that looks properly sporty with its black-and-white SofTex cabin, racy rubber-nibbed pedals, and contrast white stitching on the steering wheel.

Subaru's Crosstrek hatchback has the benefit of strong practicality to bolster its case as a cheap car with a nice interior. 55 cubic feet of cargo space behind the front seats may not be an obvious definition of "nice," but you'll likely be thinking differently when comparing that much space to, say, the trunk on a Camry. Plus, at just $25,810 to start, the 2025 Crosstrek is compelling from its price point alone.

Granted, the gray cloth interior on these base models isn't much to look at, but for about $27,000, you can step up to the Premium trim line and its deeper array of niceties. That includes patterned gray-and-black upholstery, a six-speaker stereo, a handy illuminated glove box, and the option for a sunroof and heated front seats. Sport trim lines get nicer with yellow contrast stitching throughout, seats with brown accents and an embossed triple-pointed pattern, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

However, the $31,000 Crosstrek Limited undoubtedly has the nicest interior thanks to its 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat and black leather upholstery decorated with orange stitching and a unique pattern. If you're looking for the most heavily equipped 2025 Crosstrek, that would be the roughly $33,000 Wilderness model. Along with a host of off-roading upgrades, this model features Star-Tex water repellent seats trimmed with copper accents and featuring embossed Subaru Wilderness logo headrests. Nice.

Kia is known for its value-packed approach to building cars, and the boldly styled 2025 K4 sedan is proof of that. Starting at just under $22,00 for an LX and ranging up to $28,090 for a GT-Line Turbo, the Kia K4 shows off a cabin that easily qualifies it is a cheap car with a surprisingly nice interior. That entry-level LX is light on amenities, but manages to look upscale with two-tone TriCot cloth material featuring contrast stitching and seat headrests that, on the whole, have a Scandinavian vibe.

LXS models look about the same as the base model inside, while adding nicer exterior bits and more technology, but the EX moves the needle on niceness for less than $24,000. The handsome TriCot fabric receives an embossing treatment and can be had in a shade of deep green that extends to the door panels. Other upgrades consist of DZACC with a dedicated display, a SynTex-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, and a pair of 12.3-inch digital displays integrated into a single panoramic screen.

Move up to the $25,000 Kia K4 GT-Line and the cabin comes dressed up with heated front seats trimmed in a combination of SynTex and cloth, plus 10-way power adjustment on the driver's side. Black and white is standard, and quite ritzy with its white piping and stitching, or you can add a touch of higher-end style with white or red upholstery as part of the Premium package. The GT-Line Turbo is best suited for those with a need for speed, but its acoustic laminated windshield, sunroof, and backseat vents do make for one nice cabin.

Mazda has been edging into the premium segment lately, and its flagship CX-90 crossover is evidence of this, offering touches like white Nappa leather and Kakenui "hanging stitches." But cheap it is not, so let us guide you to the elegant Mazda 3 hatchback's $25,150 starting price. Though it can't match its big brother's luxury, the 3 is a lot cheaper, plenty nice, and still enthusiast-friendly, with its available six-speed manual.

In entry-level S guise, the 2025 Mazda 3 hatch is fairly simple with black cloth seating and manual air conditioning, but for an extra $1,000, you can get into the S Select Sport trim line, which spruces things up with faux leather upholstery, DZACC, and the convenience of rain-sensing wipers. Heated front seats and a sunroof show up on the S Preferred model, which is still on the cheap side at about $28,000 to start, or you can move up to the S Premium for a higher dose of creature comforts.

This starts with genuine leather seat coverings in black or a deep red that extends to the door panels and dashboard. Then there is the power-adjustable lumbar support for the driver — who can also enjoy three pedal driving on this model — a heads-up display, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system with aluminum speaker grilles. Turbocharged models push further into luxury with features like a heated steering wheel, but the main reason to spend some $37,000 on a Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus would be the boosted four-cylinder with its 250 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque on tap.