The best used cars in Australia under $30,000 | RACV (2024)

From small hatches and SUVs to medium SUVs and utes, drivers shopping for a used car can find plenty of solid and impressive vehicles for less than $30,000.

Competition is heating up in the new car market with discounts back in vogue and offers getting increasingly sharper.The efforts being put into luring buyers means car prices have retreated in many instances - and thismeans more competition in the used car market, too.

For buyers looking to nab a used deal, there’s no shortage of impressive second-hand cars, SUVs and utes, many of them below $30,000. There's also a host of underrated and affordable used carsfrom niche and luxury brands slightly above this price point.

While there are cheaper used cars out there, for the purposes of narrowing down some great reliable buys we’re focusing on cars built from 2017 or later. We’re also only looking at examples with an auto transmission and fewer than 100,000km on the odometer.

More: How to buy a used car with confidence

Australia's best used cars, SUVs and utes under $30K

Suzuki Swift

Mazda3

The former top-selling car in the country, theMazda3 is prolific on the used car market, making it a great place to start shopping for a reliable small car. It helps that Mazda was one of the first brands to stack its affordable models with technology and safety gear, keeping some of the older variants ahead of their direct rivals from the era. Go shopping with $15,000 and you can get a decent 2016 Mazda3 with low kilometres. Or step the budget up to $20,000 and you can get into the latest generation Mazda3 BP series model that stepped up the styling and attention to detail. All Mazda3s drive sharply, although the 2.0-litre engine is only adequate rather than outstanding. If the budget stretches to a 2.5-litre Mazda3 variant you’ll find the driving experience to be more effortless. Upper Mazda3 variants benefited from a punchy Bose sound system and higher-grade finishes.

Kia Cerato

Toyota C-HR

It’s a compact SUV but one that prioritised style over functionality, something that made the original Toyota C-HR a hit with those wanting to stand out. Sharp angles, a coupe-inspired silhouette and some funky colours – along with concealed rear door handles - add to the Toyota's five-door’s visual appeal. Inside, the C-HR's sharply rising rear window meant visibility wasn’t great for shorter folk, but elsewhere there’s respectable practicality. The tiny 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo is also nicely suited to the Toyota C-HR – although it needs to be fed with premium unleaded - especially when paired to the CVT auto transmission. There are plenty of Toyota C-HRs below $25,000 or you can splash out a little more for the proven hybrid system borrowed from the Toyota Prius.

Nissan Qashqai

While some rivals were available with all-wheel drive, the Nissan Qashqai was front-drive only, something that limited its usefulness to on-road situations. The Qashqai's 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is also about getting the job done rather than tingling the senses, although the CVT auto helped maximise its modest outputs.A decent boot and practical five-seat layout – remembering it’s a small compact SUV – also worked in the Nissan Qashqai’s favour. Lesser-equipped ST and ST-L models were also more supple on taller profile tyres than the Ti with its leather and snazzier extras. In any guise, though, for less than $20,000 the Nissan Qashqai makes for decent SUV buying.

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Hyundai Santa Fe

It’s a large SUV but towards the smaller end of the seven-seat scale, something that makes the Hyundai Santa Fe a winner for families who only plan to use the third row of seats occasionally. The fourth-generation Santa Fe TM model from 2018 brought with it big improvements, and there are plenty of examples below $30K. The 2.2-litre turbo diesel is the pick of Santa Fe variants, in part because it brings an all-wheel drive system, but also because the grunty diesel is better suited to hauling families than the petrol engines (both four-cylinder and V6) that use more fuel.

More: 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe review

Ford Escape

There’s nothing like the discontinuation of a nameplate, like the Ford Escape, to help send used car prices down. While it’s not a guaranteed way to make a car less appealing, it’s often the case that something no longer top of mind may end up being better value on the used car market. The last of the Ford Escapes was the ZH model and it is now solid buying, at the very least for its hearty 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Throw in sharp driving dynamics and it made the Ford Escape one of the more engaging medium SUVs on the road. And what it lacks in wow factor in the cabin presentation, the Ford Escape makes up for with solid practicality and functionality.

Subaru Forester

Honda CR-V 7-seat

The Honda CR-V has long been a popular mid-sized SUV, and the addition of a third row of seats to some variants in 2017 made it even more appealing. These days you can pick up a circa-five-year-old seven-seat Honda CR-V for less than $30,000 providing the additional seating flexibility that families love. While a 1.5-litre engine may sound undernourished, the addition of a turbocharger matched to a CVT auto transmission made for thoroughly acceptable performance. Throw in excellent build quality and it partially makes up for the CR-V's occasionally skinny levels of standard equipment. Honda was slow on the fitment of blind spot monitoring, for example.

Holden Commodore

The last of the Holden Commodores – the only imported Commodores – didn’t quite live up to expectations for the nameplate when compared with the Australian-made cars. That made the front-wheel-drive, European-made Commodores less popular on the used car market, something that has negatively impacted prices. So much so that those 2017-2020 models have dipped below $15,000. For that price, you’re getting a lot of car for the money, especially if you can get one of the roomier Commodore wagons. Shop for the Holden Commodore with a V6 engine and you also get all-wheel drive, making for something of a large sedan bargain given the price.

Volkswagen Golf GTI

If you’re after hatchback practicality with some driving spice then the Volkswagen Golf GTi has long been at the pointy end of the hot hatch field. While the price of a brand new Golf GTi has crept up to about $60,000, used examples from 2018 and 2019 are now selling for less than half that. With a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine powering the front wheels, the Volkswagen Golf GTi is an accomplished small hatch that’s loads of fun to drive. Occasional barks from the exhaust and a slick-shifting twin-clutch transmission add to its driving talents. Throw in a cleverly thought-out cabin, good build quality and impressive everyday comfort, and it makes the Golf GTi a compelling proposition that doesn’t have to break the bank.

Lexus CT200h

LDV D90

The LDV D90 lacks the heritage and reputation of rivals such as the Toyota Prado or Isuzu MU-X. The LDV D90 also misses out on a diesel engine, instead making do with a relatively thirsty 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. But beneath the large wagon body is solid off-road hardware that makes the LDV D90 popular for getting out of the city. That’s where the D90 does its best work, easily able to pound over gravel roads and get to that remote camp site. The LDV D90 is less convincing on the bitumen, where its weighty body and chunky suspension give it a somewhat ponderous driving dynamics. Still, with seven seats and a decent list of features, the LDV D90 packs plenty in for a used car for well under $30K. It wasn’t until late 2022 that LDV started offering a seven-year warranty, with five years of coverage for cars sold prior to that.

Mazda BT-50

Want a Ford Ranger ideally for less money? The previous Mazda BT-50 is a great place to start. Beneath the skin, the BT-50 shared its hardware with the popular Ranger, but is often priced a bit below it on the used car market. The Mazda BT-50's 3.2-litre engine is a solid workhorse with decent performance. A good mix of on-road liveability and off-road capability make the Mazda BT-50 an honest choice for those looking for a ute. While it’s mostly 4x2 models priced below $30,000, there are occasional 4x4 models that are also available second hand at that price point. As well as the usual used car checks also look for evidence of hardcore off-road work in a Mazda BT-50 - excess dust in seals is one telltale, and scars on the underside can also be a good indicator.