The study is based on five-year-old cars.
The Honda Fit is the best deal going.
Honda and Toyota take eight out of the 10 spots.
Used car prices are still at or near record highs. In fact, in the US, the average late-model used car sold for a whopping $33,000 in the US in 2022. This remains an amount that is out of reach for many consumers and so, the following are the Top 10 best used cars for the money priced between $18,000 and $26,000.
2018 Chevrolet Impala – Chevrolet
iSeeCars has once again dug deep into more than 2 million transactions to figure out what cars seem to offer the most value and longevity for our increasingly “taxed” hard-earned dollars. The following Top 10 breaks down the average cost per 1,000 miles based on the average price paid and the vehicle’s expected remaining life.
The bottom line is that a good used roughly five-year-old Japanese car is your best bet. Of the ten cars listed below, five sport the Toyota badge while another three are Hondas. One Chevy and one Ford round out the top 10 models. Based on the data, the Fusion makes the cut based on its low resale value compared to the others.
Here are the Top 10 best used cars for the money:
Model | Price per 1k Miles | Avg Price | Remaining Lifespan (miles) | Remaining Lifespan (%) | Potential Lifespan (miles) |
Honda Fit | $119 | $18,486 | 154,826 | 74.7% | 207,231 |
Honda Civic (coupe) | $130 | $22,336 | 171,421 | 75.8% | 226,120 |
Toyota Prius | $131 | $24,208 | 185,049 | 73.8% | 250,601 |
Toyota Camry | $133 | $20,482 | 153,517 | 68.8% | 223,249 |
Chevrolet Impala | $135 | $20,318 | 150,807 | 65.5% | 230,343 |
Toyota Corolla | $137 | $18,661 | 136,543 | 66.8% | 204,266 |
Toyota Avalon | $139 | $26,104 | 187,385 | 76.3% | 245,710 |
Honda Accord | $140 | $22,450 | 160,370 | 70.9% | 226,168 |
Toyota Camry Hybrid | $143 | $22,977 | 160,288 | 69.5% | 230,547 |
Ford Fusion | $144 | $18,793 | 130,209 | 64.8% | 201,071 |
Average for All 5-Year-Old-Cars | $193 | $29,566 | 153,093 | 68.5% | 223,402 |
