This Is The Cheapest SUV In America You Can Buy In 2025

The days of the sub-$20,000 new SUV might be over, but there are still a few models on the market that start from only a few thousand dollars more. They’re not sluggish, dated econoboxes either: Many cheap SUVs include standard connectivity features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and sport exterior designs that don’t immediately stick out as being budget-oriented. Among those that fall into this camp, models like the Buick Envista and Mazda CX-30 are doing a particularly good job of looking like they’re worth more than their list prices suggest.

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Right at the cheapest end of the segment, several models vie for the attention of budget-oriented buyers. The Nissan Play Kicks starts from $22,910, Kia’s unique-looking Soul can be had for as little as $21,885, and the Chevy Trax kicks off at $21,895. However, none are quite as affordable as the very lowest-priced SUV on the market.

That SUV is the Hyundai Venue, which starts from $21,650 including the compulsory freight fee. Under its hood sits a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 121 horsepower. It’s far from fast, but after spending some time with the current generation Hyundai Venue back in 2021, we thought its power was more than adequate for everyday urban journeys.

As well as finding the Venue’s engine to be decent for the price, we also found its interior materials to be less cheap-feeling than some rivals. There’s also the Venue’s generous suite of standard safety and infotainment tech, which includes lane-keeping assist, a forward-collision warning, and an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen. It’s enough to make the Venue into a properly competitive small car, one that you might buy based on its value-for-money alone rather than simply because your budget didn’t stretch to the brand’s costlier models.

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However, like many small cars, the Venue is under threat from the current U.S. administration’s planned tariffs. It’s built at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in South Korea, and despite Hyundai announcing a significant investment in American production facilities in March 2025, there’s been no indication that Hyundai is planning to bring its production of the Venue stateside. Recent reports suggest that a trade deal with South Korea might be agreed in the near future, though the details of any such deal have yet to be made public as of this writing. If a satisfactory deal can’t be agreed, then the Venue might end up rising in price as the impact of the tariffs eats into Hyundai’s margins. Until then, however, it remains the cheapest new SUV in America.

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