Cheap Cars with the Most Horsepower

by Bruce Sheridan
 
More pep for less money

With the way the auto industry is moving, more and more people are looking for the most affordable new vehicles. The lineup of the most inexpensive vehicles is getting more attention than ever, and people who want to buy a car on a budget do not have to settle for subpar vehicles.

If you want more power under the hood but have to stick to a budget, we can point you to the cheap cars with most horsepower. Car makers understand that just because you are buying a car on a budget does not mean you shouldn't get as much excitement out of the ride as possible, and some new cars deliver a bit more than the competition.

Here are the cheap new cars for sale that will give you more of a white knuckle driving experience:

  • 2012 Suzuki SX4 - 150 hp
  • 2012 Chevy Sonic - 138 hp
  • 2012 Kia Rio - 138 hp
  • 2012 Hyundai Accent - 138 hp
  • 2012 Ford Fiesta - 120 hp
  • 2012 Nissan Versa - 109 hp
  • 2012 Toyota Yaris - 106 hp
  • 2012 Mazda Mazda2 - 100 hp


Trade offs

Naturally, you get what you pay for. Keeping the cost low but increasing the car's performance means that it typically loses out in another area. For example, the Suzuki SX4 gets you the most horses for the least dollars, but its stronger engine is slightly less fuel efficient than the competition. However, it is also one of the cheapest cars with available AWD.

Cars like the Chevy Sonic are pretty easy to recommend a look. It has a very good balance of all the important aspects to shoppers in this car segment. It doesn't have the most horsepower of these cars, but its base engine and its sportier turbocharged engine provide a lot of excitement behind the wheel.

Just having the most horsepower is not the only determining factor for how much fun you will have driving a car. There are many different things that play a role, such as how well the car handles and how heavy it is. It might be up to your opinion, so check all these affordable cars out and give them some test drives.