If you read our 12 Best Family Cars story, you saw that our picks focused on 2- and 3-row compact, midsize, and full-size family vehicles. However, if you have a smaller family — as mine was growing up — or a lower budget — which was, again, the case of my family, there are several great choices for you with prices around $25,000. We’ve focused on the ones with excellent safety tech, decent cargo space, and interiors that are easy to reconfigure. In some cases, great features like all-wheel drive (AWD) come as standard equipment. A few vehicles on this list are current and past Best Buy Award winners.
For pricing, we’ve included the price breakdown with the destination charge for the base model and the most recent Fair Purchase Price as of this story’s publish date.
Here are the 10 best family cars around $25,000 for 2025, ranked by KBB’s Expert Rating for each model.
1. 2025 Hyundai Kona
Starting Price: $24,550 ($26,045 including $1,495 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $24,896
KBB Expert Rating: 4.8
This generation of the Hyundai Kona is the biggest one ever. Its overall length grew by nearly six inches, which means there’s good legroom for rear-seat passengers. With all five seats filled, there’s room for 25.5 cubic feet of gear behind the second row. Once you start reconfiguring the cabin, however, you can get up to 63.7 cubic feet of cargo in there. Fuel economy is as good as 35 mpg on the highway, too. There is also a Kona Electric, but its starting price is beyond our budget for this story.
The Kona is KBB’s Subcompact SUV Best Buy for 2025. It’s also a Top Safety Pick+, the highest award that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives. The Kona comes standard with blind-spot warning, front and rear cross-traffic avoidance assist, lane-keeping assist, and safe exit warning. It even comes standard with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless smartphone connectivity, and cruise control. It is protected by one of the best warranties you can get: 10 years/100,000 miles for the powertrain and five years/60,000 for the vehicle.
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2. 2025 Kia Seltos
Starting Price: $24,710 ($26,085 including $1,375 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $25,044
KBB Expert Rating: 4.7
The Kia Seltos comes loaded with lots of standard equipment, including tech, safety features, and convenience items. It recently received updated styling, more power, and a new transmission. That all adds up to a compelling package for families. This subcompact SUV was a past Best Buy Award winner a few times over, because it offers a lot of value at a low starting price. This is another example of a small SUV offering a generous cargo space. There’s 26.6 cubic feet of space behind the back seat, which you can boost to 62.8 cubic feet by folding down the rear seats. Rear-seat legroom doesn’t suffer to allow for cargo in back, either. Second-row passengers have a relatively spacious 38.0 inches of legroom.
The base model Seltos LX comes standard with all-wheel drive and Kia’s Drive Wise suite of safety tech. This suite includes forward collision-avoidance assist, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, and lane-following assist. Move up one trim, and the S comes standard with blind-spot collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance. An 8-inch infotainment system and smartphone connectivity are also standard. The Seltos can go up to 409 miles on a tank of gas, and fuel economy is as good as 34 mpg on the highway.
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3. 2025 Subaru Crosstrek
Starting Price: $26,560 ($27,980 including $1,420 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $26,200
KBB Expert Rating: 4.6
Significantly updated just last year, the Subaru Crosstrek is the most refined it has ever been, with a quiet interior and comfortable ride. But that doesn’t come at the expense of the Crosstrek’s aptitude in the great outdoors. The Crosstrek comes standard with all-wheel drive, a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and 8.7 inches of ground clearance.
The Crosstrek is roomy, with more than 100 cubic feet of space for people and 20 cubic feet of cargo room behind the second row. With the seats folded, the cargo volume is 54.7 cubic feet.
While the Crosstrek is available with two engines, the base engine is the one you can get in this price range. It isn’t super fast, but the power is competitive in its segment. Fuel economy is very good. Even with the most off-road capability of any vehicle on this list, you get up to 34 mpg on the highway and a range of over 500 miles (estimated). These numbers are especially impressive, considering this is an AWD-only SUV. This Subaru comes standard with the EyeSight suite of safety features. The Crosstrek also boasts excellent resale value. Yes, the Crosstrek is the most expensive vehicle on this list. But its combination of space, features, and versatility makes it worth a look.
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4. 2025 Honda HR-V
Starting Price: $25,400 ($26,795 including $1,395 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $25,774
KBB Expert Rating: 4.5
The Honda HR-V is a 5-passenger subcompact SUV that has evolved and stays appealing in a very competitive segment because of it. The HR-V is larger, more refined, and uses a more powerful engine than the previous generation. The HR-V’s footprint allows for 98.7 cubic feet of room for passengers, with 37.7 inches of legroom in the second row. There is 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, which expands to 55.1 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded.
As you would expect from a Honda SUV, the HR-V comes with a wide range of standard features with an emphasis on safety. Even the base LX comes with the Honda Sensing suite of safety features. That suite includes driver aids like lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, road departure mitigation, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. The HR-V is an IIHS TSP+ for 2025.
See Honda HR-V models for sale near you
5. 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross
Starting Price: $24,135 ($25,585 including $1,450 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $24,284
KBB Expert Rating: 4.5
If you want the practicality, safety, reliability, and fuel efficiency of the Corolla but need more cargo space, the Toyota Corolla Cross is the SUV for you. It also adds a higher seating position and an available all-wheel drive to the mix.
Every Corolla Cross comes with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. This suite includes pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, proactive driving assist, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and assist, and adaptive cruise control.
With about 95 cubic feet of passenger space, 32 inches of rear legroom, and 24 cubic feet of space behind the second row, the Corolla Cross makes great use of space.
Fuel economy is as good as 33 highway mpg, with front-wheel drive, for a range of nearly 400 miles. There’s also a hybrid, but it isn’t available in this price range.
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6. 2025 Kia Soul
Starting Price: $20,490 ($21,885 including $1,395 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $21,355
KBB Expert Rating: 4.4
Is the Kia Soul a hatchback? Is it an SUV? The category honestly doesn’t matter all that much, considering how efficient and functional this vehicle is. The Soul is an affordable, fuel-efficient way to carry people and their items to birthday parties, soccer games, and more.
Its appealing boxy styling creates a cabin that’s great for tall passengers while allowing for terrific cargo space. With all the seats upright, you’ll have 24.2 cubic feet of space to store your gear. Fold down that second row, and cargo volume goes up to 62.1 cubic feet, which is more than you’ll get in some subcompact SUVs.
The Soul’s starting price is so low that you can work your way high up the trim ladder and get plenty of great features — all while staying under $25,000 before factoring in destination charges. Even the top-of-the-line Soul EX is within budget. With its Fair Purchase Price of $25,381, you get forward collision avoidance, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, and much more.
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7. 2025 Nissan Kicks
Starting Price: $21,830 ($23,220 including $1,390 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $22,130
KBB Expert Rating: 4.3
The 2025 Nissan Kicks is the most affordable SUV on this list and has a lot to offer families who are shopping on a budget. Larger, roomier, and more powerful than the model it replaces, the Kicks is also now available with all-wheel drive. It comes standard with features such as remote keyless entry, rear sonar, adaptive cruise control, and the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite, with intelligent emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, and rear cross-traffic assist. The Kicks is a Top Safety Pick.
There’s plenty of room for passengers and cargo inside. The Kicks has up to 30 cubic feet of space behind the second row, which increases to 60 cubic feet with the second row folded. And let’s not forget that this Nissan uses the company’s excellent Zero Gravity seats, making commutes and long trips a breeze. Fuel economy is as good as 31 mpg combined, 35 mpg on the highway, and you can get up to 372 miles of range on a single tank of gas.
With the Kicks, you can stay within budget and step up to the midrange SV trim (with a $23,929 Fair Purchase Price), which adds a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless smartphone connectivity, wireless charging pad, an extra USB port, and more.
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8. 2025 Mazda CX-30
Starting Price: $25,195 ($26,690 including $1,495 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $25,364
KBB Expert Rating: 4.2
Who says you can’t have fun while driving a family car? Not Mazda. Mazda has two appealing sub-$25,000 family car choices. There’s the Mazda CX-30 subcompact SUV and the Mazda3 Hatchback. They share the same terrific platform, have similar cargo volume, and are IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners. Both come with impressive safety features and good gas mileage while offering some of the segment’s best handling, steering, and styling.
Choosing between these two models depends on your personal preference. The Mazda CX-30 comes standard with all-wheel drive. To get all-wheel drive in the Mazda3 Hatchback, it’ll run $30,760 ($31,995 including $1,495 destination) for the 2.5 S Carbon Edition. The CX-30 also has added ride height and ground clearance. The Hatchback has its advantages, with better handling and fuel economy, thanks to front-wheel drive, and a starting price of $25,150 ($26,645 including destination).
Features like adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, and automatic high beams are standard with the CX-30 and the Mazda3.
See Mazda CX-30 models for sale near you
9. 2025 Volkswagen Taos
Starting Price: $24,995 ($26,420 including $1,425 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $24,813
KBB Expert Rating: 4.2
Smaller than the Tiguan, the Volkswagen Taos is a subcompact SUV that shares its attractive looks with the rest of the Volkswagen SUV line. Its fuel-efficient engine gives the Taos 409 miles of range and fuel economy up to 36 mpg on the highway.
The Taos was updated with new styling, more power, and better tech for 2025. This adds even more to like in a vehicle that already boasted a spacious interior for a vehicle this size, and engaging driving manners. With 99.5 cubic feet of passenger space, 40.1 inches of legroom in the front and 37.9 in the rear, plus 27.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats (in front-wheel-drive models) and 65.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, the Taos offers the most useful all-around interior room on this list.
Our budget affords the front-wheel-drive S, which comes with a fully digital instrument cluster and the IQ.Drive suite of safety features like adaptive cruise control, active blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring, and more. It also comes with two years of free maintenance. The S is also available with all-wheel drive.
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10. 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Starting Price: $23,100 ($24,495 including $1,395 destination)
Fair Purchase Price: $23,446
KBB Expert Rating: 4.2
The Chevrolet Trailblazer offers impressive storage space and fuel efficiency at a low price. You can fit 25.3 cubic feet of stuff behind the second row, which expands to 54.4 when the second row is folded. Even with that, the second row has 39.4 inches of legroom. Fuel economy is as good as 33 mpg on the highway. While the Trailblazer has a good roster of standard features, including an 11-inch touchscreen, we recommend spending the extra $395 to get the more powerful, more efficient 1.3-liter engine.
Every Trailblazer comes with the Chevy Safety Assist system, which includes forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist with lane-departure warning, and a rear-seat reminder. Also standard is Chevrolet’s Teen Driver safety suite.
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10 Best Family Cars Around $25,000
- 2025 Hyundai Kona
- 2025 Kia Seltos
- 2025 Subaru Crosstrek
- 2025 Honda HR-V
- 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross
- 2025 Kia Soul
- 2025 Nissan Kicks
- 2025 Mazda CX-30
- 2025 Volkswagen Taos
- 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer
