Mitsubishi vs Nissan – the two least expensive vehicles you can still buy in the USA

Yes, the 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage is still on dealership lots and can be ordered as a new car with a new warranty. Additionally, the Nissan Versa S is one of the few cars still available with a manual transmission. Both vehicles get outstanding fuel mileage and can be well equipped for under $20,000. 

Despite their diminutive size and prices, both vehicles come with impressive safety systems. The Mirage comes with active stability control, forward collision mitigation, lane departure warning, and 7 airbags. The Nissan Versa S has all these features and more with the addition of the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite.

Some kick around both vehicles for their lack of power, amenities, or lack of presence; however, they are far better than the econoboxes of the past. You might be surprised what you get for the money.

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Mitsubishi Mirage ES CVT – $16,695 ($17,840 MSRP) 

This is the last year of the Mitsubishi Mirage in the United States. For years, it held the title of one of the least expensive cars available and one of the most frugal. While 2024 was its last model year, you can still order it new, and there are quite a few on dealership lots. 

The base model ES that I’m spotlighting is a hatchback, but for about $900 more, a four-door G4 sedan is available too. One thing that is no longer available is the optional five-speed manual transmission, which was discontinued for the 2023 model year. Fortunately, there are a lot of surprising amenities you get with the little Mirage that impressed me. 

Weighing in at just over 2,000 lbs, this little guy has a tiny 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that makes a mighty 74 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission available is a noisy continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Earlier, I lamented the passing of the five-speed manual transmission as it made for slightly sportier driving. Still, the CVT is remarkably efficient, with EPA estimates of 36 mpg city, 43 mpg highway, and 39 mpg combined. That is the best non-hybrid-assisted mpg out there. It also has a remarkably long powertrain warranty of 10 years/100,000 miles.

The Mitsubishi Mirage has a 7-inch touchscreen display, or “Smartphone-Link Display Audio System,” that comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. It works fairly well, but the four-speaker sound is a bit hollow.

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Driving the Mitsubishi Mirage ES CVT

Even if you added some extra dough and bought the fast-looking Ralliart, you’re still driving one of the slowest cars in the United States. Not to mention that the CVT makes a ton of racket until you get up to speed. In city traffic, it’s a snap to drive and park, but it wallows a bit on highways. 

Seating comfort is acceptable up front, but back seat space is a bit of a compromise for adults. There are three seatbelts back there, but I’d only recommend it for smaller people. Given its hatchback design, it’s fairly utilitarian, with 17.1 cu-ft of space behind the back seats and 47 cu-ft of cargo space with the back seats folded. Not too shabby, as long as you keep the overall weight around 900 lbs.

It’s easy to pick the Mirage apart for its pokey performance, but it is a very easy car to commute in. It wouldn’t be my first choice for cross-country trips, it still has viability as a proper city car. 

2025 Nissan Versa S – $17,190 ($18,330 MSRP) 

While the base model Versa is about $500 more than the equivalent Mirage, it is vastly superior in almost every measurable way. The only categories the Mirage outguns the Versa are cargo space and economy. The Versa gets 32 mpg city and 40 mpg highway when equipped with the CVT. If you get the five-speed manual, you get 27 mpg city and 35 mpg highway.  

The Nissan Versa weighs between approximately 2,600 and 2,700 lbs, but that extra weight is offset by the superior horsepower. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder makes 122 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque. The CVT is the main transmission on most of the Versa models, but there is still a five-speed manual transmission available. 

The standard 7-inch screen comes with Bluetooth and little else. The larger 8-inch screen, available in high trims, offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While the Mitsubishi has more standard infotainment goodies, the Nissan feels more premium.

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Driving the 2025 Nissan Versa S 

It’s kind of night and day between the Mirage and Versa. The Nissan Versa is far more refined, powerful, and responsive. It’s like going from a Volkswagen Jetta to an Audi A6 – there are some similarities, but they’re worlds apart. If you’re willing to sacrifice amenities, mpg, and exterior upgrades, the Versa S 5-speed has an old-school feel to it, and it forgoes the dreaded CVT.

Even with the CVT, power and overall performance are quite good. It doesn’t feel like a cheap car, and the overall interior isolation and comfort is impressive.

The materials used also feel more substantial than the Mirage; just don’t expect any expensive or fancy full-grain leather here. The trunk holds between 14.7 to 15 cu-ft of cargo depending on the trim, which is on par for larger sedans. 

While not as pug-like-adorable as the Mirage, the new Versa is far more attractive than the older Versa sedans. It’s more like a smaller Altima if anything.

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Final thoughts

As of right now, these are the two least expensive cars you can buy in the United States. Sure, other choices, which are only slightly more expensive, could be better, but that’s not the point. 

Last year, the average new car purchase price in the United States was $47,338. These cars are less than half of that. If you’re willing to dispense with fancy gimmicks, SUV-like size, and higher performance, you could save a bundle by picking either one of these two.

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