21 Best Family Cars Under $20,000 (2023)

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Every family needs a practical car that offers enough room for every member and can accommodate all family gears with ease.

But this does not imply you need to break your bank account to cater your requirements.

With this list of best family cars under a price of $20,000, you would definitely be able to pick the best car on a budget.

1. Toyota Corolla

Best Family Cars

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A brand known for reliability and performance, the Toyota Corolla is an excellent choice for the families. This little sedan is a great choice for families on a budget.

Similar to other Toyota models, even this one is equipped with best safety features, like Toyota Safety Sense P, lane departure alert, radar cruise control, pre-collision detection, and automatic high beams.

With strong built and comfortable seating, the car is equipped with wonderful safety features making it a perfect choice for families.

2. Honda Civic

Best Family Cars

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The Honda Civic is one of the best family cars under $20,000. It is a sporty styling version holding a typical family car image.

While the design is compact, it can conveniently accommodate the growing family needs. It comes with an automatic as well as manual transmission option.

With good crash test rating and incredible safety features, you can drive the car confidently. Fuel economy and enough cargo space are additional features of this car.

3. Kia Soul

Best Family Cars

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With boxy styling and lots of legroom and headroom space, it is an excellent family car. You can buckle the kids into seats and still have enough space to do the job.

The unique design offers wide opening that makes it convenient to load hefty cargo. You can select a base or a plus model, with both versions available under $20,000.

Heated outside mirrors, cruise control, and fog lights are exclusive features of this wonderful car.

4. Jeep Renegade

Best Family Cars

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It is one of the best cars under 20,000 that can adequately meet your growing family needs. The Jeep is an affordable solution and perfect for daily as well as adventure trips.

It comes with a 4-wheel drive mechanism and can handle all types of roads. Besides spectacular styling, the car still maintains its tough and rugged image.

With a room space for 5 passengers, you can carry hefty cargo easily if you fold the front seats. The wide liftgate and low load floor, will deliver an enjoyable trip to your entire family.

5. Nissan Sentra

Best Family Cars under $20,000

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The Nissan Sentra is available with 3 distinct trim levels – S, SR, and SV, all available under $20,000.

Even the base model is well-equipped with advanced features, like power side mirrors, automatic headlights, and cruise control. Go for SV or SR models if you want heated front seats and a more attractive interior.

It is a roomy sedan hosting excellent fuel economy. With IIHS top rating, the car is the safest and ideal for your family.

6. Chevrolet Cruze

Best Family Cars under $20,000

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The Cruze from Chevrolet is a roomy car with high-end safety mechanisms and a generous trunk.

The car comes with OnStar, which is a subscription-based mechanism that will automatically call help if your Cruze is about to crash.

The model is nicely designed and well-appointed with advanced safety and driving features. It is a solid family car boasting powerful wheels, robust engineering, and stylish designing.

7. Honda Fit

Best Family Cars under $20,000

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As the name suggests, this car would be a perfect fit for your family needs. The car seems too small on an initial basis, but is a space-efficient automobile available in the market.

It has a huge cargo bay and low floor design, ideal to carry tons of baby gear with ease. The back seat offers more leg and head room space, making it a compact SUV perfect to accommodate even the tallest kids.

The base model is featured with numerous advance functionalities, but if you are ready to go above your budget, then you would find alloy wheels, Bluetooth compatibility, and touch-screen Pandora in the EX model.

Also Read: 12 Best Family SUVs

8. Seat Ateca

Best Family Cars under $20,000

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This is the best SUV under 20,000 that makes driving through rough terrains all the more easier and comfortable.

It is a compact size SUV that makes handling excellent. It is well-equipped inside and inbuilt with numerous exclusive features. The car is roomy and would provide comfortable seating to all family members.

Besides a unique 5-star appeal, it is a compact sized SUV, which is also the cheapest SUVs on the market.

9. Skoda Superb

Best Family Cars under $20,000

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Though the base model of this car has squeezed just enough to fit into the $20,000 budget, even it is worth considering.

It has an excellent engine available with Bluetooth and DAB. You can consider the upgraded model housing infotainment system and climate control mechanism, but then you need to pay some additional bucks.

Besides superior styling, it offers comfort and luxury equivalent to any high-end car.

10. Scion XB

Best SUV under 20000

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Offering the comfort and space of a compact SUV, the Scion XB is one of the best cars for families.

With an abundant car-height package, it allows convenient loading of kids. It is a well-equipped model offering a range of options to customize the vehicle as per your preferences.

You would hardly find another car with so many add-ons at this price range.

Excellent fuel economy, advanced powertrain features, and trouble-free motoring make it a premium family car.

11. Volkswagen Jetta

Best Cars for Families

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Incorporated with a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, the Volkswagen Jetta delivers 150 horsepower and is an ideal car for the entire family.

The car is available with the 5-speed manual transmission. Besides amazing fuel economy, it offers a 6-speed automatic mechanism. With spacious interiors, packing family gear is extremely easy.

Thanks to its big trunk, the Jetta invites hefty family luggage with a smile. It is a high-rated model tested for its safety and performance.

12. Hyundai Elantra

Best Cars for Families

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The Hyundai Elantra is an excellent model and one of the best family cars in town.

It has the perfect space for all family needs. The excellent fuel economy is well combined with robust safety settings. It is an IIHS safety model ideal for families who have frequent long trips.

The car has multiple packages increasing comfort and technology levels at an affordable price range. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, blind-spot detection, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, and shift knob are exclusive features of this car.

13. Honda HR-V

Best Cars for Families

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When buying this solid crossover, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. It is a reliable and affordable choice ideal for most of the families.

Be it your family members or your cargo; the car offers room for everything. With rear seats, it is an ideal choice to load bulky items.

The car is inbuilt with standard safety features, like multi-angle rearview camera, daytime running lights, and more. A USB port, 5-inch LCD screens, and excellent fuel economy makes it an ideal choice for families.

14. Subaru Impreza

Best Cars for Families

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The Subaru Impreza offers you the choice of a sedan as well as a hatchback.

Besides extra cargo space, the car offers an impressive hatchback of 55.3 cubic feet. The body style comes with all-wheel drive and delivers convenient driving through snowy winters.

The car wins top marks for its incredible safety features rating from IIHS and scoring good results in the crash test. It features seamless integration of Android Auto, Subaru Starlink, and Apple CarPlay features.

Also Read: 18 Best Luxury Cars for Women

15. Mazda CX-3

Best Cars for Families

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The Mazda CX-3 is a premium and one of the best family cars under $20,000.

The compact size offers all perks of an SUV. It is a fuel economy version offering an estimated 31 mpg mileage. It is easy to manage; low-maintenance car, offering comfortable seating space for 5 passengers.

The car comes with nicely appointed interiors. Some of the advanced features are cruise control, infotainment system, telescopic steering columns, and a large 7-inch color LCD screen. With high safety standards and impressive design, it is a perfect car for families on a tight budget.

16. Ford Escape

Best SUV under 20000

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The Ford Escape is just the perfect car for a family of 5 people. It is the best SUV under 20,000 that hosts numerous family-friendly features.

Wi-Fi hotspot, Sync, infotainment system, and efficient safety are offered in this car to budget-conscious families. It has a turbocharged engine, rearview camera, cruise control, alloy wheels, and auxiliary audio input. In addition to this, you would get a four-wheel drive and parking sensors in this car.

17. Nissan Rogue

Best Cars under 20000

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With an extra seating and a luxurious design, this is another compact SUV that stands as an ideal car for families.

The car is an appeal to families who wish to save money but do not want to compromise on looks and performance. It comes with 2.5 liter, 4-cylinder engine. It offers comfortable seating to 7 members and is a fuel-efficient model loaded with advanced safety features.

18. Dodge Grand Caravan

Best Cars under 20000

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It is one of the best cars for families that offer you a lot of features and high performance at this budget range.

The car comes with three rows of seating that can be folded flat for additional cargo space. The third-row seat flips around for tailgating and delivering excellent, parent-friendly features. From kids to elders everyone would love having a drive in this wonderful car.

19. Mitsubishi Outlander Sports SUV

Best Cars under 20000

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If you want a stylish sports version under a budget of $20,000, then there is no better option than the Outlander sports SUV from Mitsubishi.

The car holds seating space for 5 passengers and leaves the extra room with the folded rear seat. With excellent safety features, fuel efficiency, and impressive design, it is a perfect choice for growing families.

20. KIA Cerato

Best Cars under 20000

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The base model of this car is available under $20,000.

It holds rich specification of the 2.0-liter engine, 5-star safety features, automotive rudiments, full-sized spare, six-way adjustable driver seat, and speaker audio with Bluetooth connectivity. The car holds a unique design and is incorporated with upmarket equipment.

Also Read: Top 21 Least Expensive 300 Horsepower Cars

21. Nissan Versa

Best Cars under 20000

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It is one of the best family cars under 20000. With alloy-wheels, robust navigation, push-button ignition, and automatic transmission, the car is an ideal choice for all the families.

It hosts an elegant appearance and comfortable interiors, ideal to meet the requirements of a family of five. For people on a budget, this is one of the high performing and fuel-efficient cars available on the market.

From sedan, SUV, crossovers, to Jeep there are lots of choices available even under the tight budget of $20,000.

So, go through our list of best family cars and surely you would be able to find out your favorite car type that meets your family’s practical needs and would deliver you a joyful ride with your loving family.

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