5 Best New Cars for the Upper Middle Class

According to a USA Today analysis of SSA wage data, upper-middle-class households earn between $80,000 and $100,000 yearly. That type of money buys a whole lot of cars, but not too much — especially since expensive vehicles tend to have expensive long-term ownership costs.

Those in the top tier of the middle class can spread their wings a little when shopping for a new car, but money is still an object.

Here are the best vehicles for their budgets.

William Green is an entrepreneurial website developer, publisher and literature aficionado who spent 10 years building the poetry database Poem Analysis.

While poetry is his passion, he’s an automotive engineer by trade who “has spent years getting his hands greasy in the hallowed halls of McLaren before transitioning to the consultancy realm and has witnessed automotive evolution across every price point.”

He worked as a transmission control engineer at Ricardo, a vehicle validation coordinator at McLaren, and a control and simulation engineer at Contract Innovation, earning a master’s in automotive engineering in 2018.

For Green, upper-middle-class buyers should focus on a trio of entry-level luxury cars that he affectionately calls “the German troika” — and his love of poetry shines through when he describes them.

The Audi A4 midsize sedan is a four-door luxury vehicle that starts at $41,900 and is within reach of the upper-middle class. It also gets 30 combined mpg and has an above-average RepairPal rating for maintenance and repair costs, which means its long-term ownership costs won’t drain your wallet over time.

Like all three vehicles in the German troika, Green says the A4 offers “a delectable blend of sporty handling dynamics that’ll have you carving corners like a hot knife through butter, complemented by interior environs that ooze luxury.”

Billed as “the sports sedan that started it all,” the BMW 3-Series starts at $44,500.

The price is only slightly higher than the Audi; but, unlike the A4, which has just two configurations under the hood, the more customizable 3-Series offers “a cornucopia of engine options that run the gamut from fuel-sipping eco-warriors to bent-eight banshees that’ll pin you back in your sculpted leather seats and elicit inadvertent giggles,” said Green.

The name Mercedes-Benz has been synonymous with luxury for generations, and the powerful, potent and pretty C-Class lives up to that tradition.

“We’re talking premium materials caressed by a designer’s loving touch and attention to detail that’ll make your neighbors green with envy,” Green said.

Starting at $48,450, it represents another rung up on the budgetary ladder but is still manageable for many upper-middle-class earners. And the C-Class shares another trait with both other members of the German Troika — tortoise-crawl depreciation.

“Did I mention their stellar resale values?” Green said. “This is an investment that’ll keep on giving.”

While the market has welcomed several affordable EVs in recent years, electric vehicles are still more expensive, on average, and higher-end models remain out of reach to most middle-class families. But those who earn a little more have the perfect opportunity to convert.

“For upper-middle-class buyers, I would recommend going electric,” said Ben Michael, director of auto at the Michael & Associates law firm.

But if you have the means, don’t settle for just any EV.

“If you want something that’s got some serious power and luxury but is still drivable regularly, consider the BMW i4,” Michael said. “BMW has been trying to get the high-end EV model right for a while. The i8 was a disaster, but they’ve learned from their mistakes. The i4 is built on a tried-and-true power train platform borrowed from the 4-Series, but it’s vastly more powerful and luxurious than those models.”

The i4 starts at $57,900, which isn’t cheap. According to Consumer Reports, it doesn’t qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. However, its long-term ownership costs can pay you back — BMW estimates i4 owners will save $4,807 in fuel costs over five years.

When you make more than the average earner, you get more vehicle choices than the average buyer.

“The nice thing about being upper-middle class is that most new cars are actually targeted at that market, so you have lots of options,” said Zander Cook, co-founder of Lease End, an automotive fintech platform helping drivers pay off their leases and purchase their vehicles.

But the best car of all for this income bracket might just be a truck.

“I personally love F-150s,” Cook said. “They are the smoothest ride of any truck on the road, and you can enjoy all of the sweet luxury features, too.”

America’s best-selling truck for 47 years and best-selling vehicle of any kind for 42 years, the F-150 has eight trim options between $38,710 and $78,905. If you’re interested in going electric, the F-150 Lightning EV offers a ninth option starting at $62,995.

Most of those packages are beyond the reach of average earners, but the upper-middle class has room to explore.

Editor’s note: Pricing and availability may vary depending on location.