The automotive landscape in Australia is witnessing remarkable transformations, as the cheapest cars are no longer restricted to the sub-$20,000 threshold. Gone are the days when the Chery J1 of 2013 could be bought for an astonishingly low price of $9990 drive-away, despite lacking electronic stability control and possessing a modest three-star ANCAP safety rating. Several economical cars, including well-known makes like the Mitsubishi Mirage and Suzuki Baleno, have left the Australian auto market in recent years.
In response to these changes, we have curated a comprehensive list featuring the seven cheapest cars available for purchase in Australia in 2023. These vehicles not only boast budget-friendly price tags but also showcase contemporary designs and essential features, offering Australian buyers a wide array of appealing options to choose from.
Kia Picanto (2023):
Price: $16,290 (drive-away price of $18,890) before taxes.
Budget-Friendly Excellence:
The 2023 Kia Picanto S manual offers budget-friendly excellence without any compromise on quality. Equipped with modern amenities, this compact car ensures a delightful driving experience.
Seamless Connectivity:
Its comfortable seating and user-friendly infotainment system with smartphone integration and touchscreen display provide seamless connectivity, keeping you connected on the go.
Safety at its Core:
Safety features, including airbags, ABS brakes, and stability control, are not overlooked, guaranteeing peace of mind on the road. The Picanto S comes equipped with six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, hill-hold assist, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera, ensuring safety on every journey.
Efficient Performance:
With an attractive starting price, the 2023 Kia Picanto is tailored for those seeking a reliable and cost-effective option for daily commuting and urban driving. Its peppy engine delivers impressive performance and efficiency, making it perfect for maneuvering through city traffic and reducing running costs.
Practical Design:
Measuring 3595mm long, 1595mm wide, and 1485mm tall, the Picanto S boasts ample space for passengers and cargo. The 255L boot capacity (expandable to 1010L with rear seats folded) adds to its practicality, accommodating all your needs.
Well-Rounded Features:
Additionally, standard features include 14-inch steel wheels, automatic headlights, cruise control, Bluetooth, USB input, and wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, offering a well-rounded driving experience.
MG 3 (2023):
Price: $19,490 drive-away
Budget-Friendly Excellence:
The 2023 MG 3 Core auto is undeniably the most budget-friendly automatic car in Australia, offering excellent value for money. Priced at $19,490 drive-away, it beats its closest competitor, the Kia Picanto S automatic, by $400.
Powerful Performance:
The MG 3 has an automatic transmission with four speeds, and it works alongside a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. This engine produces 82kW of power and 150Nm of torque, providing a smooth and enjoyable performance.
Efficient Fuel Economy:
This hatchback achieves a fuel consumption of 6.7L/100km on the combined cycle and requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, ensuring cost-effective driving.
Safety Features:
Safety-wise, the MG 3 comes with six airbags, EBD, active cornering brake control, hill-start assist, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera, ensuring safety on every journey. However, it lacks active safety features like AEB.
Well-Equipped:
The MG 3 Core auto is packed with standard equipment, including 15-inch alloy wheels, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, LED daytime running lights, automatic headlights, and much more.
Kia Rio (2023):
Price: $19,690 ($21,990 drive-away) before taxes and fees.
Practical and Accessible:
The 2023 Kia Rio S manual is an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers. This fourth-generation model, which first arrived in Australia in 2000, offers a practical and accessible choice for those seeking a reliable compact car.
Efficient and Powerful:
The Rio has a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that doesn’t use a turbocharger. It provides 74kW of power and 133Nm of torque. Even with its power, it is still fuel-efficient.
Transmission Choices:
Customers may pick either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an additional $2300 six-speed automatic transmission, providing flexibility in driving preference.
Safety Features:
On the safety front, the Kia Rio S comes equipped with six airbags, ABS, hill-start assist, seatbelt reminders, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera. However, advanced safety features like AEB, lane-keep assist, and driver attention alert are only available in the higher trim levels.
Spacious and Practical:
The Rio has a wheelbase of 2580mm and measures 4065mm in length, 1725mm in width, and 1450mm in height. The Rio has a 325-liter trunk that can be increased to 980-liters when the back seats are folded.
Well-Equipped Interior:
Standard features in the 2023 Kia Rio S include 15-inch steel wheels, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker sound system, Bluetooth connectivity, and automatic headlights. With its affordability, practicality, and decent list of features, the Kia Rio S is an appealing choice for buyers in search of a well-rounded and accessible compact car.
Suzuki Ignis (2023):
Price: $20,490 ($23,490 drive-away) before on-road expenses.
Impressive Small SUV:
The 2023 Suzuki Ignis GL manual presents an impressive small SUV package with its 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine generating 66kW power and 120Nm torque. It is available available in both a five-speed manual and CVT automatic transmission.
Budget-Friendly Efficiency:
Achieving a fuel economy of just 4.7L/100km on a combined cycle, the Ignis offers budget-friendly driving with 91 RON regular unleaded petrol, keeping your running costs in check.
Ample Space and Safety:
The Ignis measures 3700mm in length, 1660mm in width, and 1595mm in height, providing ample space within its 2435mm wheelbase. Equipped with six airbags, ABS, EBD, EBA, hill-hold assist, and a reversing camera, it prioritizes safety for your peace of mind.
Standard Equipment:
Steel wheels measuring 15 inches in diameter and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and four speakers are included as standard equipment, offering modern connectivity and entertainment features.
Appealing Choice:
With its combination of style, practicality, and affordability, the 2023 Suzuki Ignis is an appealing choice for budget-conscious buyers looking for a compact and efficient crossover.
Mazda 2 (2023):
Price: $21,390 ($25,296 drive-away for purchasers in Victoria) before on-road expenses.
Longstanding Legacy:
This popular model has a longstanding history in Australia, offering both sedan and hatchback body styles at the same price. The third-generation Mazda 2 arrived in Australia in 2014 and underwent a mid-life facelift in 2020, introducing exterior and interior changes, revised suspension tuning, and enhanced standard technology, including various active safety features. The latest facelift, set to hit the Australian market in June 2023, promises even more improvements.
Powerful and Versatile:
The Mazda 2 has a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine without a turbocharger. It produces 82kW of power and 144Nm of torque. If you’d rather, you may pick between a six-speed manual gearbox and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Well-Equipped for Safety:
For safety, the Mazda 2 is well-equipped with six airbags, forward AEB with pedestrian detection, and lane-keep assist, among other features, ensuring a safe driving experience. The Mazda 2 Pure version comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 15-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, keyless entry, and several driver-assistance features as standard.
Charming and Reliable:
This charming and practical car continues to impress with its style, comfort, and reliability on Australian roads, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious buyers.
Hyundai Venue (2023):
Price: $21,900 ($25,190 drive-away) before taxes and fees.
Modern Crossover:
The Hyundai Venue crossover made its debut at the New York motor show in 2019, arriving in Australia later that year as a replacement for the Accent model. In 2023, the Australian-bound Venue received an update, introducing additional technology enhancements.
Powerful Performance:
The car comes with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine, which means it doesn’t have a turbocharger. This engine produces 90kW of power and 151Nm of torque.
The Venue’s dimensions measure 4040mm in length, 1770mm in width, and 1592mm in height, with a 2520mm wheelbase.
Comprehensive Safety Package:
The Venue boasts a comprehensive safety package, including camera-based AEB, lane-keep assist, rear occupant alert, and multiple airbags, ensuring a secure driving environment.
Feature-Rich Base Model:
Standard equipment for the base Venue includes a 4.2-inch colour instrument cluster screen, Qi wireless phone charger, 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, four-speaker sound system, and cruise control. Other features comprise power windows, manual air-conditioning, 15-inch alloy wheels, automatic halogen projector-beam headlights, and more, providing a well-equipped and modern driving experience.
Fiat 500 (2023):
Price: $23,100 before on-road expenses.
Rich History:
Similar to the Suzuki Swift, the Fiat 500 holds a rich history in Australia. Originally introduced as a hatchback in 2007, the revived model later welcomed the soft-top convertible 500C in 2010. In 2016, the Fiat 500 range underwent a facelift, receiving notable updates such as a redesigned grille, new front and rear fasciae, and reshaped headlights featuring LED daytime running lights. The range received an update last year to meet ADR side-impact regulations.
Engine and Transmission:
For the 2023 model, Fiat decided to discontinue the 500C and manual variants, while implementing minor specification changes. The Fiat 500 is powered by a 1.2-liter four-cylinder petrol engine, which means it doesn’t have a turbocharger. This engine produces 51 kW of power and 102 Nm of torque. This engine is paired with a five-speed ‘Dualogic’ semi-automatic transmission, sending power exclusively to the front wheels.
Fuel Efficiency:
According to Fiat’s claims, the 500 achieves a fuel consumption rate of 4.8L/100km on the combined cycle, utilizing a 35L fuel tank that requires a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, providing cost-effective and efficient driving.
Compact Size:
The Fiat 500’s size is 3571mm long, 1627mm wide, and 1488mm tall. The distance between its front and rear wheels (wheelbase) is 2300mm. The boot capacity is 185 liters.
Safety Features:
Safety features include seven airbags, rear parking sensors, hill hold assist, and a tyre pressure monitoring system, ensuring a safe and secure journey.
Well-Equipped Lounge Trim:
The Fiat 500 Lounge trim has many standard features, including 15-inch alloy wheels, a spare wheel that saves space, LED daytime running lights, heated side mirrors, a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 3.5-inch digital instrument cluster, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, manual air-conditioning, a steering wheel wrapped in leather, and seats with Fiat Blue fabric upholstery. The dashboard also matches the body colour for a sleek and cohesive look, providing both style and comfort in a well-equipped package.
Conclusion:
As the automotive landscape in Australia undergoes significant changes, the top 7 cheapest cars in 2023 are no longer confined to the sub-$20,000 threshold. With fierce competition among manufacturers, cheap cars are becoming more impressive, and good cars are becoming more accessible, bringing great news for buyers. The Australian market offers a diverse range of affordable vehicles with modern designs and essential features, ensuring budget-conscious buyers have an array of appealing options to choose from.
If you’re looking to buy cheap cars in Australia in 2023, this comprehensive list showcases some of the best choices available. These budget-friendly vehicles not only offer affordability but also deliver practicality, style, and safety features, making them ideal for daily commutes and urban adventures.
For those seeking to sell their old cars and make room for one of these affordable gems, visit us Cash 4 Cars in Adelaide. We offer a hassle-free and transparent process to get cash for your car in Adelaide, providing you with an opportunity to upgrade to one of the top cheapest cars available in Australia in 2023. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to drive away in a budget-friendly and feature-packed vehicle!
