Most of us use cars as transportation tools, and some of us also use it for work: Whether it’s to haul items -or people- there’s a good percentage of Americans who depend on cars to make a living.

So, combining the fact that most of us are trying to save money, and a great deal of us need cars as a reliable means of transportation, we’ve put together a list of the 5 best and most affordable cars you could get in 2023.

Category 1 – Compact Car:

If you need bang for your buck, a compact car is where it’s at for you. Whether you like these or not, compact cars carry a median price of $25,745, which is $8,450 less than small SUVs, $17,325 less than small pickups and $33,925 less than EVs. They just make sense if affordability is an issue for you.

Low cost comes with its drawbacks though, and this is normally low reliability, so we made sure to compare the compact cars in the market keeping reliability in mind.

So, our first pick for an affordable and reliable compact car is the 2023 Kia Rio S. Here’s why:

Kia is not only trying to increase their brand status by making ever-more-reliable cars, they are also the only -or one of the only- car manufacturers to offer a 5 year warranty, which means that if you’re leasing a car, anything that happens to it will be covered during your ownership period. You just can’t beat a 5 year warranty.

We recommend you go for the Technology Package for the essential gadgets ($1,800+), and here are its stats:

• Median trim price: $20,240
• Starting price: $20,085
• MPG (city/highway/combined): 32/41/36
• Annual fuel costs: $1,400
• Warranty: Five years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper; 10 years/100,000 miles powertrain

Category 2 – SUV:

SUV’s make sense in America. The streets are full of potholes, sometimes we need to go offroad, and an SUV combines an estate’s big trunk and practicality with the raised ground clearance, allowing you to comfortably go anywhere you want with your car. There’s no wonder SUV’s are the trending style in the car market.

However, all this practicality and convenience sacrifices affordability, so be ready to spend more money to get one.

Our top pick for an affordable yet reliable SUV is the 2023 Chevy Trailblazer LS. Here’s why:

First, the SUV is a quintessentially American style of car, and Chevrolet is a quintessentially American brand, so spiritually, these go hand in hand. 2nd, since it’s made here in the US, the Trailblazer can demand a lower price than its closest competitors. It’s median price is $23,440, which is $1,760 lower than the Hyundai Kona SE, $2,788 lower than the Kia Seltos S, $2,846 lower than the VW Taos S, $3,330 lower than the Mazda CX-30 S Select, and a whopping $4,100 lower than the Honda HR-V Sport. In other words, sometimes it pays off to buy local.

Finally, in regards to reliability, we all know Chevy’s will ride into the sunset, even with bangs and bashes, and it comes with a 3 year standard warranty, which can be increased to 5 years.

We recommend you get the Trailblazer with the Driver’s Confidence Package ($495), and here are the car’s stats:

• Trim median price: $23,440
• Starting price: $23,890
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 29/31/30
• Annual fuel costs: $1,700
• Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper; five years/60,000 miles powertrain

Category 3 – Truck:

If there’s anything that can be more american than an SUV, that would be a truck. These are the ultimate workhorses, and a perfect combination of rugged, reliable and affordable.

While trucks are more affordable than full-size SUVs, they are a bit more expensive than compact SUVs, just because you are getting more car, so bear this in mind.

Our top pick for an affordable yet reliable truck is the 2023 Ford Maverick XL. Here’s why:

Doing justice to its name, the Ford Maverick has opened a new category up in the world of trucks: A more compact, and more affordable alternative, only followed by the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Additionally, the Maverick defies the gas-guzzling truck stereotype thanks to an EPA-rated 37 mpg combined with its standard hybrid powertrain.

Finally, you can’t forget Ford is the big player when it comes to trucks: The Ford F series is the 3rd most sold car in the world, and the most sold truck in history.

We recommend you spec it with the Co-Pilot 360 Package ($650), and here are the Maverick’s stats:

• Median trim price: $26,660
• Starting price: $24,340
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 42/33/37
• Annual fuel costs: $1,550
• Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper; five years/60,000 miles powertrain; eight years/100,000 miles hybrid components

Category 4 – Family Car

The #1 choice of any school parking lot in the 90’s and early 2000’s, MPVs and family cars seem to have fallen out of favor nowadays for SUVs, but if you have a big family, you still need a family car, so we have decided to bring minivans back in this article for all you savvy family people out there.

Our pick for an affordable, reliable family car is the 2023 Honda Odyssey EX-L. Here’s why:

While American car manufacturers like Dodge and Chrysler were struggling financially with the Town and Country and Pacifica, Honda and Toyota -and Kia- decided to double down on the production of Minivans, however Honda brings more bang for the buck.

The interior of the EX-L ($3,070 over the EX) comes with most of the options you actually want, such as leather seats, USB ports in the back, a power tailgate and even a power moonroof. Then, the engine is a truly bomb-proof assembly. Packed with 280hp and VTEC, you can easily expect your Odyssey’s 3.5 liter V6 to cruise into the 300k mile territory, whether it’s with you or its next owners. In fact, if you truly want to save money with an Odyssey, try getting a model from 2-3 years ago, you can probably save up to 30% or more, and get a higher trim model for less money than a new car.

Here are the Odyssey’s EX-L’s specs:

• Median trim price: $41,905
• Starting price: $40,560
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 19/28/22
• Annual fuel costs: $2,400
• Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper; five years/60,000 miles powertrain

Category 5 – Sports Car

The sports car is just a brilliant proposition for a car enthusiast, and while the numbers seem to be going down, the passion remains.

This is why we couldn’t leave out this category. Sports cars seem to be a horrible financial proposition, and getting more and more expensive with every generation, so we thought we would provide some sound financial advice for you enthusiasts.

Our top pick for an affordable and reliable sports car is the Toyota GR86, now more than ever:

Sitting 4 people, with a 50/50 perfect weight distribution, a good old manual transmission, and sporting the classic FR layout, this Toyota is a quintessential sports car with a hint of practicality (more than a Miata and Nissan Z at least), and better yet, it got major upgrades in 2021: The styling became attractive, power got increased from 200hp to 228hp -and more importantly- the power curve got reworked so the car would actually be fast off the line (it wouldn’t deliver much power under 5k rpm in the previous generation), even the exhaust sound has been reworked.

We recommend you go for the base version. Yeah, the premium version has leather heated seats and 18 inch rims, but this is not what a sports car is about – it should be about fun and thrills for a bargain, which is exactly what the standard version gives you. 2023 also has a 10th anniversary edition for $5,040 more. If you care about resale value, we recommend you go for this one. Here are the GT86’s stats:

• Median trim price: $29,784
• Starting price: $28,400
• Fuel economy (city/highway/combined mpg): 20/27/22
• Annual fuel costs: $2,950
• Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper; five years/60,000 miles powertrain

So, whatever your pick may be for your next car, remember to look for a good deal, that is within your budget, and ideally for a well-built, reliable car.

Happy Car Hunting!