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2025 Subaru Impreza ReviewBest Used Hatchbacks Under $15,000
Looking for a hatchback car for under $15,000? We’ve found ten of the best used hatchbacks available to fit your budget!
Affordable Hatchback Cars
The humble hatchback, a body style that brings together the handling and efficiency of a car with the cargo versatility of a SUV. Some car shoppers go out of their way to find hatchbacks for sale, but what are the best options out there for under $15,000? We’ve got you covered there. We looked through our national listings on Carsforsale.com and compiled a list of the top ten best used hatchbacks on the market that you can find within this budget. These used hatchbacks are available with low miles, great features, and are relatively new for under $15,000. While most of these hatchbacks are dutiful daily drivers, there are some hot hatches on here too that offer exceptional performance for our price point. Check out the best used hatchbacks you can find for under $15,000!
Toyota Yaris
While the Toyota Yaris is discontinued here in the United States, it’s a great little hatchback option on the used market. The last generation of the Yaris hatchback (2019 – 2020) is a rebadge of the Scion iA and technically a Mazda2 under the skin, but that doesn’t detract from its value in any way. The subcompact hatchback comes with a 1.5L four-cylinder that makes 106 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission and powering the front wheels exclusively. This setup allows the Toyota Yaris to achieve an EPA-estimated 32 mpg city and 40 mpg highway. The handling of this hatchback benefits from its Mazda manufacturing as it confidently rounds the curves and keeps its composure over bumps in the road. Cargo space in the Yaris hatchback expands to about 23 cu-ft with the rear seats down and it carries a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity.
Honda Fit
The Honda Fit is another discontinued subcompact hatchback that can be a great option for under $15,000. The third generation of the Fit (available for 2015 – 2020) came with a 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC four-cylinder engine that produces 129 horsepower and 113 lb-ft of torque when paired with the continuously variable transmission (CVT). There was also a six-speed manual available that bumped horsepower up to 130 and torque to 114 lb-ft. Both options run power to the front wheels, but the CVT optioned Honda Fit achieves the better fuel efficiency of 33 mpg city and 40 mpg highway. The CVT optioned models also gain the Honda Sensing suite that tacks on extra advanced safety tech like emergency automated braking and lane keep assist. The Honda Fit expands to a maximum cargo space of 52.7 cu-ft with the rear seats down and it also offers a great little 7-inch infotainment touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity. If you’re looking for a sportier Honda hatchback alternative for under $15,000, be sure to check out listings for the Honda CR-Z too.
Hyundai Elantra GT
The Hyundai Elantra GT is a nice little hatchback that unfortunately ended after 2020. Its discontinuation came about due to the heightened SUV trends and not necessarily because it was a bad vehicle, so it should be on your list for shopping under $15,000. The Elantra GT is a great package that comes with some nice features at an affordable price. Powering the front wheels is a naturally aspirated 2.0L four-cylinder that generates 161 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The automatic option gets the best fuel economy at 24 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. There is a turbocharged version available too with a seven-speed DCT, but that’s just outside our price range on this one. Entertainment duties are handled by an intuitive 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, and it comes standard with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. If you’re looking for a little best fuel conscious options from a Hyundai hatchback, be sure to look out for Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid and Electric models out there for under $15,000.
Toyota Prius
Another Toyota hatchback to keep an eye out for under $15,000 is the highly regarded Toyota Prius. This hybrid hatchback isn’t going to wow you off the line, but its fuel efficiency is staggering no matter the generation. We’re going to suggest aiming for the fourth generation Prius (2016 – 2022) though as it’s the newest available for our price range, has some modern technology, and carries the best efficiency of the prior generations. The 1.8L four-cylinder engine works in conjunction with an electric motor to generate 121 horsepower and 105 lb-ft of torque. That unit is paired with a CVT that sends power to the front wheels that come together in helping the Prius achieve an EPA estimated 54 mpg city and 50 mpg highway. Cargo space in this hatchback hybrid expands to 50.7 cu-ft with the rear seats down and most models within our price range feature either a 6.1-inch or 7-inch infotainment touchscreen. If you’re fine with a smaller hatchback package, look for the Toyota Prius C that’ll get you the same great fuel efficiency and technology for a cheaper price.
Chevrolet Bolt EV
Chevrolet has plenty of hatchbacks out on the used market that fall under $15,000. The Chevrolet Spark, Sonic, and Cruze are all decent for the segment, but maybe look into one of the cheapest entries to electric vehicles? You can find early Chevrolet Bolt EVs for under $15,000 and leave the gas pumps behind. Sure, with a max electric range of 259 miles, charging times, and charging station availability you won’t be doing much cross-country travelling in the Bolt EV, but it’s great for a little daily commuter in the city. What really makes this electric option enticing is its technology. A 10.2-inch infotainment touchscreen capably handles vehicle information, navigation, and entertainment duties while your phone wirelessly connects and charges. Chevrolet also includes their HD Surround Vision that creates a display of the area surrounding the Bolt EV. The electric motor found in the Bolt EV also inspires a little performance with 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque that sends the hatchback from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Cargo space inside this EV is also decent for a hatchback as it can expand to 56.6 cu-ft with the rear seats down.
MINI Cooper
Looking for something a little sporty for your next hatchback? For under $15,000, you could pick up a second-generation version of the MINI Cooper hatchback produced by BMW. These modern takes on the classic British hatchback are fun drivers with great handling. The first version you’ll find is the base Cooper that carries a naturally aspirated 1.6L four-cylinder engine making 121 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque. Move up to the S trim and you’ll gain a turbocharged version of that same engine that’s tuned up to 181 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque with a minor hit to fuel economy. Both MINI Cooper hatchbacks can be found paired to either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission and are only available in FWD. Being over 10 years old, the technology found in these MINI Coopers is bit outdated, so only consider this hot hatch if you don’t car for items like a backup camera or lane keep assist. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for John Cooper Works versions of the MINI that not only add on a cool exterior package but also aid in the hatchback’s performance.
Ford Focus
Ford has given us a couple of great hatchbacks like the Ford Fiesta and the C-Max Hybrid, but the one to look out for is the Focus. The last generation of the Ford Focus (2012 – 2018) in North America fits our $15,000 budget while also offering low mileage options and some nice features. You’ll mostly find used examples with the 2.0L four-cylinder engine that makes 160 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque. However, it is possible to snag the highly fuel efficient 1.0L EcoBoost three-cylinder, a 2.0L EcoBoost four-cylinder, or even an electric variant of the compact hatchback. All these different engine options utilize FWD, but the performance-based ST model with an intercooled 2.3L turbocharged four-cylinder making 252 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque gains AWD. Whatever version you pick, you get a Sync 3 8-inch infotainment touchscreen and up to 44.8 cu-ft of cargo space with the rear seats down.
Mazda3
Mazda is known for providing some of the best handling production cars on the market, so why not check out their hatchback? The fourth generation Mazda3 (2019 – present) is available as a used hatchback for under $15,000 and you can get a great package for that price. Most of these used examples in this price range will carry either the 2.0L four-cylinder engine that makes 155 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque or the 2.5L four-cylinder that makes 184 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque. In either case, you’ll more than likely only be able to find the FWD versions under $15,000 and the Turbo models are just out of reach too. While you can’t get the best performance available, you do still get a comfortable interior with 7-inch infotainment touchscreen handling entertainment duties and up to 47.1 cu-ft of cargo space with the rear seats down.
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is THE hatchback that’s helped keep this body style alive for so long. For under $15,000, you can find nicely used seventh generation VW Golfs (2015 – 2021) with relatively low miles. These German hatchbacks offer great handling, up to 53.7 cu-ft of cargo space with the rear seats down, and a 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen. You’ll encounter this model with the 1.8L turbocharged four-cylinder making 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque sent to the front wheels – unless you spring for a GTI model that is. Yes, the Golf GTI with the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder making 220 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque is available within this budget. The hot hatch version might have a few more miles on the odometer at this price, but it’s still worth a look if you’re in the market.
Subaru Impreza
Wanting standard AWD as a part of your hatchback purchase? Then you’ll want to take a look into a used Subaru Impreza Hatchback. The rally-inspired hatchback features Subaru’s competent Symmetrical All Wheel Drive system paired to a boxer engine. You can look into older generations of the Impreza if you don’t mind some outdated tech, otherwise you’ll want to look into the examples from last generation (2017 – 2022). Almost all of these models within the $15,000 budget will carry a naturally aspirated 2.0L flat four-cylinder engine making 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque that’s paired to a CVT. It’s a great driver on pavement and when the roads get rough. Inside, the Impreza offers up to 55.3 cu-fto of cargo space and gains a standard 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, though some higher trim levels feature the larger available 8-inch unit. You can even find used examples with the Subaru Eyesight suit of advanced safety technology to really make this the ultimate used hatchback.
