Looking for a cheap car? Keep looking
The Nissan Versa is gone and the Kia K4 is taking its place but there's not much competition
The Versa is dead, long live the K4. It might not be prestigious but there’s somethiing to be said for producing the cheapest car in the United States, where the average price currently hovers around $50,000, with many consumers facing monthly payments approaching $1,000.
The 2025 Nissan Versa was traditionally the cheapest new car in the U.S. with base prices as low as $18,000–$20,000 MSRP (manual vs automatic) before taxes and fees. But Nissan has ceased production of the Versa for the U.S. market and it won’t be available for 2026, ending its run as America’s most affordable new car.
That leaves the 2026 Kia K4 sedan as the least expensive new car available, with a starting price around $23,385, according to Road & Track.
Nissan may have exited the ring but Kia is doing quite nicely with the little K4
The K4 is selling briskly, with record or near-record total sales and year-to-date growth compared with 2024. Kia has already sold more than 777,000 vehicles through November 2025, marking a multi-year sales high
The Kia K4 has contributed to that growth. It posted higher sales year-over-year and set best-ever first-half numbers for Kia in the first half of 2025, joining other strong performers in the lineup, according to Kia Media.
Model updates may help its future
Kia is expanding the K4 range with a 2026 K4 Hatchback due in early 2026, which could broaden its appeal beyond just the sedan and help sustain consumer interest.
The base sedan still carries a competitive starting price (recent reports show only a modest price increase from previous years), which supports its position as one of the most affordable new cars.
Will it stay or be discontinued?
There’s no current indication that Kia plans to discontinue the K4 in the U.S. as it did with some other compact models (e.g., the Kia Soul, which is reportedly being phased out).
In fact, the continued strong overall sales for Kia and the company’s investment in expanding the K4 lineup suggest it’s likely to remain in the lineup at least for the near term.
Of course, there’s always the little matter of profitability, Manufacturers like to sell big cars and trucks because they’re more profitable on a per-unit basis but there’s still something to be said for ringing the cash register regularly. If nothing else, maintaining a market presence is still essential.
Bottom line: The K4 is selling reasonably well as part of a broad upswing for Kia’s U.S. sales, and the addition of a hatchback variant shows the brand is betting on keeping it — not dropping it anytime soon.
What this means for buyers
It means that, one way or another, consumers are going to be paying more to drive to work, school and shopping. Sub-$20,000 new cars are gone and prices will continue inching up.
There are used cars, of course, but they’re also more expensive than ever and it’s harder to find a lightly-used car as consumers are hanging onto their buggies longer than ever.
You could get an electric bike or skateboard but, for most of us, that qualifies as a desperation measure.