Best City Cars & Commuters (For Under $15,000) in 2021
Have you found yourself shying away from public transit? That’s a sentiment popular since the novel coronavirus appeared in early 2020. But when employers start beckoning their employees back to the office, are you ready to brave stuffy buses and trains again? Maybe you're thinking about other methods of transportation?
Commuter vehicles are surprisingly affordable in Canada. Not only are there plenty of fuel-efficient options, but cars today are also more reliable than ever, keeping the overall cost of ownership lower than you might think.
Our writers have rated their five favourite daily commuter vehicles under $15,000 (plus five other contenders) based on fuel efficiency, reliability, and comfort & convenience to help you choose the best vehicle for your needs. To include all of the best deals out there.
Find out if you can get finance pre-approved for one of these vehicles. It's free to get pre-qualified online, and there's no obligation to buy.
Top 5 City Cars & Commuters
- Fuel Efficiency: 9
- Reliability: 8
- Comfort & Convenience: 8
- Fuel Efficiency: 10
- Reliability: 8
- Comfort & Convenience: 8
- Fuel Efficiency: 10
- Reliability: 9
- Comfort & Convenience: 7.5
- Fuel Efficiency: 9
- Reliability: 8
- Comfort & Convenience: 10
- Fuel Efficiency: 9
- Reliability: 10
- Comfort & Convenience: 9
Commuter #5 - 2018 Kia Forte LX+
TOTAL SCORE: 25 / 30
One of the newer used cars you can get at around the $15k mark is a three-year-old Kia Forte LX+. Since the factory warranty is for 5 years/100,000km from new, you’re likely still covered a couple more years. And the LX+ trim has goodies you’ll appreciate like available navigation, alloy wheels, heated seats, Apple CarPlay, backup camera, and of course, A/C.
The Kia Forte sedan is larger than the subcompact segment but gets similar fuel economy, even if it feels a little underpowered with a 147-hp 2.0L engine. 6.5L/100km highway and 8.8L/100km city make the 2018 Forte LX a good find if you can snag it.
Commuter #4 - 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDi Highline
TOTAL SCORE: 26 / 30
If you’re looking for something with powerful zip, then the superb fuel economy of VW’s diesel engine is right up your alley. The 2015 Jetta TDi could fall into the $15,000 range with some quirky German-engineered equipment thrown in. The Highline trim would include a power moonroof, heated power front seats, rear-view camera, and potentially a built-in navigation system.
The Jetta’s body will rot long before the TDi engine gives up on you. And this is the best fuel economy you’ll find in the bunch at 5.2L/100km highway and 7.6L/100km city.
Commuter #3 - 2017 Honda Civic Sedan LX
TOTAL SCORE: 26.5 / 30
For decades, the Honda Civic has had a reputation for being among the best cars on the road—and for good reason. The 2017 Civic Sedan LX sneaks in under the $15,000 mark with some nice features in tow. You’ll get Bluetooth, heated seats, A/C, and a backup cam. However, the infotainment system leaves something to be desired.
Renowned Honda reliability means you won’t be in the shop much, and the 2.0L engine and CVT tranny give you ratings of 6.0L/100km highway and 7.8L/100km in the city—among the best you’ll find on this list.
Commuter #2 - 2016 Mazda3 GS
TOTAL SCORE: 27 / 30
Fun to drive, great-looking, and efficient, the Mazda3 sedan ticks all the right boxes. The GS model is a value-packed trim level that should be high on any list of well-rounded commuter cars. Alloy rims, heated front seats, backup cam, push-button start, all the power options, and a fancy dash-top screen give it exceptional bang for your buck.
It’s not the most powerful car with a 2.0L 155-hp four-cylinder, but that’s enough to bring a smile to your face. What might catch you by surprise in a good way is the fuel efficiency – combined city/highway efficiency of 6.9L/100km.
Commuter #1 - 2017 Toyota Corolla SE
TOTAL SCORE: 28 / 30
Our top spot might be no surprise: the Corolla sedan. It offers incredible options, fuel savings, and Toyota dependability for a price you’ll like. For under $15,000 you could find a Corolla SE trim with leather heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, a brilliant Entune infotainment system, LED running lights, and alloy wheels. It even comes with Toyota Safety Sense technologies like Lane Departure Alert and Forward Collision Warning.
Since you’re looking for a commuter, the fuel economy is the big question, right? 6.5L/100km on the highway and 8.3L/100km in the city means the Corolla may not be perfect, but who is?
Commuters that almost made the Top 5
We thought long and hard about our top five city & commuter cars. Here are a few that nearly made the list and are therefore also worthy of your consideration.
- Fuel Efficiency: 7
- Reliability: 9
- Comfort & Convenience: 6
- Fuel Efficiency: 9
- Reliability: 7.5
- Comfort & Convenience: 6
- Fuel Efficiency: 10
- Reliability: 7
- Comfort & Convenience: 6
- Fuel Efficiency: 7
- Reliability: 7.5
- Comfort & Convenience: 9
- Fuel Efficiency: 8
- Reliability: 9
- Comfort & Convenience: 7
2015 Mitsubishi RVR
TOTAL SCORE: 22 / 30
A relatively well-known name with a small market share in Canada, the Mitsubishi RVR tends to get forgotten. But it’s fun to drive, economical, and quite stylish. Furthermore, their warranty protection is exceptional. New cars come with a 100,000km bumper-to-bumper warranty and 160,000km of powertrain coverage.
For under $15k, you could reasonably get into a 2015 Mitsubishi RVR GT with an all-wheel drive. At this trim level, you’ll get heated front seats, a sunroof, Bluetooth, and a decent-sounding infotainment system, albeit one that seems a little archaic. The 2.4L engine with CVT transmission is rated to achieve 8.5L/100km on the highway and 10.4L/100km in the city.
2019 Nissan Micra S
TOTAL SCORE: 22.5 / 30
The 2019 Nissan Micra is designed as a low-cost city car that fits into the tightest parking spots. It takes up less real estate than most other vehicles on this list and it’s powered by a 1.6L 4-cylinder engine with a modest-but-sufficient 109hp. The entry S trim level comes with a 5-speed manual transmission. Fuel economy is rated at 6.8L/100km highway and 8.7L/100km city, so the benefit for this model is in fuel savings.
Notoriously reliable and with very few things to actually go wrong, the Micra deserves to be on your commuter shortlist. With a basic trim, expect a spartan interior without A/C, power door locks, or power windows, but Bluetooth and a rear-view camera are included.
2020 Chevrolet Spark LS CVT
TOTAL SCORE: 23 / 30
You can pick up this subcompact Chevrolet Spark for just over $10,000. Forget the manual transmission this time though. Instead, the CVT automatic is in the running. This version gives you a little extra in the way of equipment including A/C, rear-view camera, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as a 7” touchscreen infotainment system. Even a 4G Wi-Fi Hotspot is available.
If you’re hoping to go fast, the Spark isn’t winning any races; the 1.4L four-cylinder offers just 98hp. But with combined city and highway fuel efficiency coming in at 7.1L/100km, it’s a worthy daily driver for any commuter.
2015 Ford Escape SE
TOTAL SCORE: 23.5 / 30
If an all-wheel-drive CUV is important to you, the Ford Escape is an extremely popular option for a reason. At better value than the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, you can get a five-year-old Escape SE with SYNC infotainment, Bluetooth, rear-view camera, A/C, power windows, heated seats, and more.
You might need to renew the warranty on this 2015 vehicle, but the Ford Escape is well worth your consideration at the very least. Fuel efficiency isn’t amazing–9.4L/100km combined–but not so bad that you should shy away.
2016 Hyundai Sonata GL
TOTAL SCORE: 24 / 30
Sometimes a commuter needs space for kids and other gear too. A good buy for under $15k would be the 2016 Hyundai Sonata. A sleek-looking model that potentially still has some factory comprehensive warranty and powertrain coverage in effect, the Sonata GL is well-equipped with features like alloy wheels, Bluetooth, heated front seats, backup camera, sunroof, cruise control, and a crisp-sounding audio system with colour infotainment screen.
Powering the Sonata is a 185-hp four-cylinder that has passing power yet maintains a surprising highway fuel economy of 6.5L/100km and 9.4L/100km in the city.
Get pre-approved for your next vehicle with ease
If you're interested in any of the cars on this list, Canada Drives you can get pre-approved for your next car loan online so you can shop with confidence knowing exactly what you can afford. You will even get connected with a local dealer in your area that will show you a selection of cars you already qualify for!
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