If you’ve actively shopped for a new car in the last few years, or even just casually glanced at their prices, you might be shocked by just how high the average MSRP has climbed. In 2025, the price of the average new vehicle sold in America nearly hit the $50,000 mark — a figure that not too long ago seemed to only be associated with high-end luxury models or large, heavy-duty pickup trucks. 

While there are still inexpensive new-car options out there, most of the best-selling mainstream sedans and small SUVs in America now have prices around the $35,000 range. While that might be a tough pill to swallow for those who remember car prices from a decade ago, the good news is that many sub-$35,000 cars offer buyers a lot for their money — including excellent safety.

Consumer Reports is well-known for its vehicle reliability ratings, but along with that, they also score new vehicles with their own system of safety ratings that go beyond just the standard NHTSA or IIHS crash tests, factoring in things like their handling, stability, braking performance, and the effectiveness of the systems designed to prevent crashing in the first place. Consumer Reports emphasizes the importance of having great safety regardless of price, and to showcase this, the Consumer Reports Safest New Cars Under $35,000 rankings highlight inexpensive vehicles with excellent safety scores, including some models that have MSRPs as low as the $25,000 range. Below are some of the big winners.

When it comes to a low price to high safety score ratio, the compact Mazda3 might be the most impressive pick of the bunch. The Mazda3 sedan has a starting MSRP that’s under $26,000 after destination — making it one of the cheapest new cars right now. But the smallest Mazda earns high marks from Consumer Reports for its standard active safety features, like blind-spot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic warning system. 

Elsewhere, the Mazda3’s high safety verdict rating is bolstered by things like good braking performance, available all-wheel-drive for sure-footed traction, and having the Top Safety Pick + designation in IIHS crash testing. Likewise, the Mazda3 gets a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA — which is impressive for a car of this size and in this price range, and even more impressive when you consider that the current Mazda3 has been around since the 2019 model year.

This is all great stuff for safety-conscious new car buyers on a budget, but what makes the Mazda3 even better is that it’s simply a great compact car choice overall. Thanks to things like optional AWD, sleek hatchback body style, powerful turbocharged engine option, and Mazda’s good driving dynamics, the 3 is more than your typical cheap car. Our own experience testing the Mazda3 has shown the car to have the ideal combination of being simple, sensible, and fun — all for a reasonable price.

Given how popular compact SUVs are, buyers will be happy to know that Hyundai has a sub-$35,000 entry that earns one of Consumer Reports’ top safety scores in the segment — the 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. Though the Tucson Hybrid just barely skirts under the price barrier with a starting MSRP of $34,050 after destination, it earns high marks from Consumer Reports for its standard active safety features, and was also given the Top Safety Pick + rating from the IIHS. 

Additionally, standard HTRAC all-wheel-drive gives the hybrid version of the Tucson more confidence on slippery surfaces. Otherwise, much of what’s said about the Tucson Hybrid should apply to the non-hybrid version, though Consumer Reports prefers the improved performance and quieter powertrain of the hybrid model.

With that said, our own experience driving the refreshed 2025 Hyundai Tucson showed that the less expensive, non-hybrid version held its own in the performance department. With the availability of the standard gasoline version, the hybrid, or the plug-in-hybrid model, it’s not surprising that the Tucson is Hyundai’s most popular vehicle in America by a significant margin. Prospective Tucson buyers should be happy to know that this SUV’s value proposition extends to its safety ratings as well. 

For car buyers shopping for the most sensible new vehicle, the Toyota Camry sedan is hard to beat — and it’s been that way for a long time. Now with a standard hybrid powertrain even on its cheapest versions, the latest Camry carries on that tradition in a big way. The 2026 Camry is inexpensive by new car standards, is incredibly fuel-efficient, and will likely be very reliable. It’s also safe.

The 2026 Camry, in its base LE trim, falls under the $35,000 price barrier easily, with a starting MSRP that’s a little over $30,000 after destination. Along with its predictable handling, generous standard safety features, and great crash test scores, another factor in the Camry’s favor is that all-wheel-drive can be added to any model. This can further boost its stability and traction in bad weather, and is a rare option in the midsize sedan class.

The Camry’s praise from Consumer Reports doesn’t stop with just its safety verdict. Thanks to its great fuel economy, good reliability, and overall value for the money, the Camry is Consumer Reports’ number-one pick in the midsize sedan segment and also one of their top-scoring vehicles overall in any class.

Another stalwart when it comes to sensible vehicle choices is the Honda Civic, and Honda made the car even more appealing by adding the Civic Hybrid model to the lineup for 2025. For a modest price bump, the Civic Hybrid takes everything good about the normal Civic and makes it better — not just boosting fuel economy significantly, but also giving the car a surprising amount of horsepower.

Thanks to its standard active safety systems and excellent crash test scores, the Civic Hybrid earns a top safety verdict from Consumer Reports. Also notable are the Civic’s simple and intuitive controls and infotainment layout, which are easy to use and can help prevent drivers from getting distracted. This is a less talked-about, but important aspect of a car that is factored into Consumer Reports’ safety criteria.

Put all this together, and it’s not surprising that the Civic comes in ranked as Consumer Reports’ top choice in the small car category. Want a Civic that has more of an enthusiast edge without sacrificing safety? The manual-transmission-equipped Honda Civic Si is another model that made Consumer Reports’ Safest Cars Under $35,000 list. Again, not surprising, as these two affordable Hondas are built off the same great bones.

Despite being dwarfed by other Japanese brands in sales volume, Mazda is well known for punching above its weight when it comes to building fun-to-drive, good-handling cars. It turns out the company also does safety pretty well, too. As an overall brand, Mazda is currently ranked number one by Consumer Reports in the safety category. That means by CR’s standards, Mazda even outperforms Subaru, which has long enjoyed a public reputation for excellent safety.

With an MSRP of $27,470 after destination, the Mazda CX-30 is the company’s affordable small SUV option, and one backed up by excellent safety ratings, not just from Consumer Reports but from the IIHS where it earns the Top Safety Pick + designation. That good crash cash test performance is bolstered by a number of standard active safety features that help it earn a Consumer Reports perfect safety verdict.

Given the Mazda3’s placement in the Consumer Reports safety list, it’s not surprising that the Mazda CX-30 is on the list too. The CX-30 is, after all, basically a Mazda3 hatchback with a higher ride height, some body cladding, and standard all-wheel-drive. Our own testing of the Mazda CX-30 showed that this all-wheel-drive system paid dividends in snowy weather, and along with everything else, surely contributes to this small SUV’s overall reputation for safety.