There's only one new car for sale for less than $20,000

• Nissan announced that the 2025 Versa subcompact sedan would start at $17,190.
• That will make it the cheapest new car on sale in the US and the only one to start under $20,000.
• The 2025 Versa comes standard with a 122-horsepower four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission.

The cheapest new car for sale in America is about to get more expensive.

The Mitsubishi Mirage, which starts at $16,695, will be discontinued at the end of 2024, while the $19,990 Kia Forte will be replaced in 2025 with the pricier K4 sedan.

That leaves just one option for consumers with budgets under $20,000: the Nissan Versa .

The automaker said in September that the 2025 Versa would start at $17,190. That's $500 more than before but still cheap enough to claim the title of cheapest new car on the market.

But the subcompact sedan will be fairly lonely at the affordable end of the spectrum as most of its closest competitors are set for the scrap heap.

The Hyundai Venue , which also starts at $19,990, is expected to get a minor price hike past the $20,000 mark.

The next-lowest-priced options for consumers next year will be the Kia Soul, at $20,295, and the Chevrolet Trax, at $20,400.

The Versa's starting price is less than half of the average transaction price of a new car these days and about $8,000 less than the average price of a used car.

The current fourth-generation Nissan Versa debuted in 2019 and will enter 2025 virtually unchanged, getting only updated LED headlights and three free oil changes.

The base $17,000 Versa S is the definition of basic transportation, with a 1.6-liter, 122-horsepower naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine and an old-school five-speed manual transmission.

What isn't old school are its standard safety features, which include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, rear automatic braking, and high-beam assist.

It does come standard with a few minor luxuries, such as a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth audio streaming, and keyless entry.

But there really isn't much more beyond that.

If you need the car to handle the gear changes, the price point jumps to $18,990 for a Versa S with Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission.

At the top of the range is the $21,190 Versa SR, which comes with sporty 17-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, heated mirrors, SR-branded heated front seats, and a dark chrome front grille.