Why These ‘Boring’ Cars Are Great for Your Wallet

Corvettes and Camaros turn heads on the highway. Porsches and Mercedes stir adoration and envy. That envy, however, would probably dry up pretty quickly if anyone saw the bills associated with buying and owning an undeniably awesome car.

For the budget-minded buyer, boring is sometimes better.  

See: Auto Expenses You Can Expect If You Haven’t Driven During Quarantine
Get What You Want: 28 Tips for Negotiating With Car Dealers

GOBankingRates researched dozens of cars, trucks, vans and SUVs that aren’t particularly sexy but are incredibly forgiving to owners’ checking accounts. The study identified and ranked these so-called “boring” cars by analyzing U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Car Rankings for 2020” data. GOBankingRates found the starting MSRP, overall safety ranking out of 20 stars and gas mileage for each vehicle. Vehicles are ranked in ascending order from least great to best. 

The result is a list of affordable vehicles in a variety of categories that are good on gas, safe to drive and/or hold their value well. The first 31 cars on the list, for example, boast MSRPs below the national average.

Upgrade: 23 Car Upgrades That Are Worth the Price

From hatchbacks and pickups to sedans, coupes and SUVs, there’s something for everyone on this list. All of them are fairly vanilla, but none will break the bank for drivers who value substance over style. If that sounds like you, and you’re in the market for a new car, this list is a great place to start shopping.

Last updated: Aug. 23, 2021

• Starting MSRP: $51,700
• City mpg: 15
• Highway mpg: 22
• Combined mpg: 18.5
• Safety rating: 16
• 5-year depreciation: $29,753

Watch Out: 25 Sneaky Car Dealership Tricks To Avoid at All Costs

• Starting MSRP: $47,100
• City mpg: 14
• Highway mpg: 19
• Combined mpg: 16.5
• Safety rating: 15
• 5-year depreciation: $27,106

It’s Electric!: 13 Cars That Are Bad News for Tesla

• Starting MSRP: $49,000
• City mpg: 15
• Highway mpg: 22
• Combined mpg: 18.5
• Safety rating: 16
• 5-year depreciation: $28,200

Sell: 25 Scary Signs You Need To Sell Your Car Right Now

• Starting MSRP: $52,810
• City mpg: 17
• Highway mpg: 23
• Combined mpg: 20
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $30,392

See: 16 Unexpected Car Costs and How To Prepare For Them Now

• Starting MSRP: $35,875
• City mpg: 22
• Highway mpg: 32
• Combined mpg: 27
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $20,646

• Starting MSRP: $31,195
• City mpg: 16
• Highway mpg: 21
• Combined mpg: 18.5
• Safety rating: 17
• 5-year depreciation: $17,953

• Starting MSRP: $33,890
• City mpg: 22
• Highway mpg: 28
• Combined mpg: 25
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $19,504

• Starting MSRP: $33,900
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 26
• Combined mpg: 22.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $19,509

• Starting MSRP: $34,045
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 28
• Combined mpg: 23.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $19,593

• Starting MSRP: $32,145
• City mpg: 20
• Highway mpg: 25
• Combined mpg: 22.5
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $18,499

Check Out: 30 Cars With the Highest Resale Value

• Starting MSRP: $31,890
• City mpg: 20
• Highway mpg: 26
• Combined mpg: 23
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $18,353

• Starting MSRP: $31,640
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 27
• Combined mpg: 23
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $18,209

• Starting MSRP: $28,500
• City mpg: 16
• Highway mpg: 21
• Combined mpg: 18.5
• Safety rating: 17
• 5-year depreciation: $16,402

• Starting MSRP: $34,250
• City mpg: 20
• Highway mpg: 30
• Combined mpg: 25
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $19,711

• Starting MSRP: $31,975
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 26
• Combined mpg: 22.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $18,402

• Starting MSRP: $30,040
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 30
• Combined mpg: 24.5
• Safety rating: 17
• 5-year depreciation: $17,288

Looking for a New Car? 50 Cars That Are Better To Lease Than Own

• Starting MSRP: $31,620
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 28
• Combined mpg: 23.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $18,197

• Starting MSRP: $37,000
• City mpg: 43
• Highway mpg: 44
• Combined mpg: 43.5
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $21,294

• Starting MSRP: $30,790
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 28
• Combined mpg: 23.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $17,720

• Starting MSRP: $28,745
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 25
• Combined mpg: 22
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $16,543

Read: 18 Reasons Car Buying Will Never Be the Same Again

• Starting MSRP: $26,050
• City mpg: 20
• Highway mpg: 23
• Combined mpg: 21.5
• Safety rating: 17
• 5-year depreciation: $14,992

• Starting MSRP: $27,600
• City mpg: 18
• Highway mpg: 24
• Combined mpg: 21
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $15,884

• Starting MSRP: $28,595
• City mpg: 24
• Highway mpg: 32
• Combined mpg: 28
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $16,456

• Starting MSRP: $24,410
• City mpg: 21
• Highway mpg: 26
• Combined mpg: 23.5
• Safety rating: 16
• 5-year depreciation: $14,048

• Starting MSRP: $23,395
• City mpg: 20
• Highway mpg: 26
• Combined mpg: 23
• Safety rating: 16
• 5-year depreciation: $13,464

• Starting MSRP: $26,985
• City mpg: 19
• Highway mpg: 28
• Combined mpg: 23.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $15,530

• Starting MSRP: $26,275
• City mpg: 22
• Highway mpg: 29
• Combined mpg: 25.5 
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $15,121

• Starting MSRP: $26,990
• City mpg: 22
• Highway mpg: 29
• Combined mpg: 25.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $15,533

• Starting MSRP: $23,990
• City mpg: 23
• Highway mpg: 30
• Combined mpg: 26.5
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $13,806

• Starting MSRP: $28,350
• City mpg: 41
• Highway mpg: 38
• Combined mpg: 39.5
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $16,315

Want a Little More? 25 Things You Should Always Do Before Buying a Used Car

• Starting MSRP: $25,190
• City mpg: 25
• Highway mpg: 31
• Combined mpg: 28
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $14,497

• Starting MSRP: $24,885
• City mpg: 27
• Highway mpg: 33
• Combined mpg: 30
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $14,321

• Starting MSRP: $25,050
• City mpg: 28
• Highway mpg: 34
• Combined mpg: 31
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $14,416

• Starting MSRP: $28,265
• City mpg: 44
• Highway mpg: 37
• Combined mpg: 40.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $16,267

• Starting MSRP: $23,800
• City mpg: 26
• Highway mpg: 31
• Combined mpg: 28.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $13,697

• Starting MSRP: $24,100
• City mpg: 26
• Highway mpg: 35
• Combined mpg: 30.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $13,870

• Starting MSRP: $23,195
• City mpg: 29
• Highway mpg: 35
• Combined mpg: 32
• Safety rating: 18
• 5-year depreciation: $13,349

• Starting MSRP: $23,390
• City mpg: 24
• Highway mpg: 32
• Combined mpg: 28
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $13,461

Fraud Savers: How To Spot a Counterfeit Classic Car

• Starting MSRP: $23,600
• City mpg: 28
• Highway mpg: 38
• Combined mpg: 33
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $13,582

• Starting MSRP: $21,900
• City mpg: 25
• Highway mpg: 33
• Combined mpg: 29
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $12,603

• Starting MSRP: $24,425
• City mpg: 29
• Highway mpg: 41
• Combined mpg: 35
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $14,057

• Starting MSRP: $24,020
• City mpg: 30
• Highway mpg: 38
• Combined mpg: 34
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $13,824

• Starting MSRP: $20,300
• City mpg: 27
• Highway mpg: 33
• Combined mpg: 30
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $11,683

• Starting MSRP: $21,500
• City mpg: 26
• Highway mpg: 35
• Combined mpg: 30.5
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $12,373

• Starting MSRP: $17,490
• City mpg: 27
• Highway mpg: 33
• Combined mpg: 30
• Safety rating: 17
• 5-year depreciation: $10,065

• Starting MSRP: $28,430
• City mpg: 51
• Highway mpg: 53
• Combined mpg: 52
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $16,361

• Starting MSRP: $25,620
• City mpg: 48
• Highway mpg: 47
• Combined mpg: 47.5
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $14,744

• Starting MSRP: $17,890
• City mpg: 31
• Highway mpg: 41
• Combined mpg: 36
• Safety rating: 17
• 5-year depreciation: $10,296

Read: The Most Reliable Car Brands on the Road

• Starting MSRP: $20,650
• City mpg: 30
• Highway mpg: 38
• Combined mpg: 34
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $11,884

• Starting MSRP: $16,720
• City mpg: 26
• Highway mpg: 34
• Combined mpg: 30
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $9,622

• Starting MSRP: $23,100
• City mpg: 53
• Highway mpg: 52
• Combined mpg: 52.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $13,294

• Starting MSRP: $22,930
• City mpg: 55
• Highway mpg: 49
• Combined mpg: 52
• Safety rating: 20
• 5-year depreciation: $13,196

• Starting MSRP: $16,190
• City mpg: 33
• Highway mpg: 40
• Combined mpg: 36.5
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $9,317

• Starting MSRP: $15,650
• City mpg: 32
• Highway mpg: 40
• Combined mpg: 36
• Safety rating: 19
• 5-year depreciation: $9,007

More From GOBankingRates

• What Money Topics Do You Want Covered: Ask the Financially Savvy Female
• 5 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About Social Security
• Nominate Your Favorite Small Business To Be Featured on GOBankingRates
• 5 Cities Around the World Experiencing a Housing Market Boom

Methodology: In order to find “boring” cars that are the best for your wallet, GOBankingRates looked at U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Car Rankings for 2020” data, excluding all cars in the “luxury” and “sports” categories. Once top-ranking models were identified, GOBankingRates found each car’s (1) starting MSRP from the manufacturer’s official website; (2) overall safety ranking out of 20 stars (overall, frontal crash, side crash, rollover) as sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and (3) combined (city and highway) miles per gallon for each vehicle as sourced from U.S. News & World Report data. Factors No. 1-3 were then scored and combined with the lowest score being best. Factor No. 1 was weighted three times and factor No. 2 was weighted 1/2 times in final calculations. For supplemental data, GOBankingRates used the Navy Federal Credit Union’s car depreciation calculator to determine five-year depreciation costs for each car. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 15, 2020.