Every Hatchback Ranked By Price

There are a lot of folks out there that will tell you that America is poor in hatchbacks. Don't believe them. We set out to catalog every member of the breed, and were reminded of how diverse the US hatch landscape really is. 

There's a vast gulf in price point, for sure. The hatchbacks on sale today span a price range from the most inexpensive new cars you can buy all the way up to luxury-level window stickers. 

In fact, we had to restrict our list to what we're calling "traditional" hatchbacks, meaning those sleek, German, liftback wagons that sometimes earn the designation aren't here, nor are some true wagons with smaller cargo holds. Oh, and we picked the least expensive variant in nameplates that have multiple models, as this list is based on price. Cargo space is maximum, unless otherwise noted, and fuel economy refers to those entry-level models. Feel free to call us out in comments if you disagree with any of that. 

And, if you're interested in diving into the data even more, check out our Hatchback Finder. We picked just 2015-16 models for the list, but some older makes are deserving, too. 

MPG: 31 City / 39 Highway

Cargo: 31.2 Cubic Feet

Chevy's tiny hatch still looks more like a European castaway than an American Heartland car, but it is super inexpensive. 

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MPG: 34 City / 42 Highway

Cargo: 47 Cubic Feet

The Mirage has a low list price going for it, reasonable space, and excellent fuel economy. But driving it feels like a punishment. 

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Price: $13,990

MPG: 27 City / 37 Highway

Cargo: 49.8 Cubic Feet

Kia's five-door Rio offers a jump up in passenger space compared with the first two cars on this list, while incrementally expanding cargo room, as well. Perhaps our pick of the five least expensive cars on this list. 

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MPG: 27 City / 36 Highway

Cargo: 38.3

The last-generation Versa was one of the last new cars to sell for under ten grand. This Versa Note is considerably nicer, but still quite a value play. Less capacious than the cars that surround it, but the tall roof equates to tons of headroom. 

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MPG: 26 City / 35 Highway

Cargo: 47.7

For a few thousand more than the Spark, Chevy will sell you the better-looking Sonic. With more power and a bit more space it seems like a no-brainer. 

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MPG: 30 City / 37 Highway

Cargo: 15.3 Cubic Feet

Toyota refreshed its small hatchback for the '15 model year, but the underpinnings are very similar to the previous car. Cheap and with a cheerful design, the Yaris is not remarkably good on gas or fun to drive compared to its competitors. 

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MPG: 28 City  / 36 Highway

Cargo 26 Cubic Feet

We've always admired the way the Fiesta offers the driving refinement of a larger car. It's not the largest, most fuel efficient, or sportiest subcompact hatchback, but its a good balance of all of those traits.

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MPG: 27 City / 38 Highway

Cargo: 47.5 Cubic Feet

The Accent scores well on our three target measurements, but it's sort of s strange middle child in the larger Hyundai/Kia universe. The Rio5 is almost identical in size and less expensive (with better design), while the Soul is just a bit more expensive and way bigger (with better design). 

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MPG: 24 City / 30 Highway

Cargo: 61.3 Cubic Feet

Starting just over $15k, the Soul packs a big design punch for a low sticker. Still, you'll have to love the boxy styling to get in on it. Huge cargo area makes this one a great value for volume. 

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MPG: 36 City / 37 Highway

Cargo: 16.7 Cubic Feet

Outside of the Smart Fortwo, you can't do better for a parkable footprint. City dwellers might value that form factor, but the iQ never caught on in America. You can clearly find more car for the money. If you still want an iQ, though, 2015 is your last chance before parent company Toyota stops production.

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MPG: 29 City / 37 Highway

Cargo: 52.7 Cubic Feet

Honda's last hatch standing (for now) is still a marvel of spacious packaging and zippy handling. Yes, it's roughly a grand more expensive than its prime competitors, but its refinement and ingenious packaging make the Fit at least that much more appealing. 

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MPG: 31 City / 40 Highway

Cargo: 30.1 Cubic Feet

You're paying a sort of lifestyle tax when it comes to the little Fiat, as with the Mini Cooper, but at under $17,000 the wee Italian is still affordable. If you're willing to stand out from the crowd, the low-power 500 can still make a driver giggle, and that back seat isn't as bad as it looks.  

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MPG: 25 City / 37 Highway 

Cargo: 52.7 Cubic Feet

The VW Golf has always been near the top of it's class, but this latest generation is, perhaps, the best hatchback in America. You can spend less, certainly, but Golf offers everything: great space, a terrific base engine, excellent fuel economy, good looks, and gleeful driving dynamics. 

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MPG: 26 City / 35 Highway

Cargo: 34.7

A bit more practical than a typical coupe, but less so than comparably priced hatchbacks, the Veloster is its own niche. The combination single passenger-side door and two driver's-side doors set the Veloster's styling apart. The base engine is underpowered, but this car is fun to drive in a low-powered, floor-it-all-the-time kind of way.

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MPG: 25 City / 34 Highway

Cargo: 52.4 Cubic Feet

The five-door Impreza's specs seem right on even before you consider that it's the only all-wheel-drive player on this list. There's a great reason Subaru sells so well in snowy, mountainous regions. 

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MPG: 24 City / 33 Highway

Cargo: 51 Cubic Feet

Hyundai refreshed the Elantra GT for 2016, and it looks terrific. Fuel economy is low compared to its big competitors at Ford and Mazda, but it'll hold and haul a ton of stuff. Spend more, and you can get features that are rare in this segment, like cooled front seats.

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MPG: 29 City / 40 Highway

Cargo: 47.1 Cubic Feet

Aside from the premium cars at the top of this price list, the Mazda3 offers the best interior you can find. The exterior styling is a match, too, but without the high-price caveat. We wondered for years why cars that look and drive as good as this don't sell more, but this 3 is worth your time if you're hatchback shopping. Believe that. 

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MPG: 26 City / 36 Highway

Cargo: 44.8 Cubic Feet

The Focus is in lock-step with the Mazda3 and Elantra GT in terms of price and available content, but has the smallest cargo area. Still one of the great, affordable, do-anything cars out there. 

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MPG: 25 City / 33 Highway

Cargo: 68 Cubic Feet

The big Fiat is not styled to everyone's taste (few kind words have been heard in the Autoblog office), but it's a space star. It boasts more cubes than anything else on this list. Another hatchback that tiptoes on the "small wagon" designation. Squeaking in under $20k doesn't make it cheap, but it is uniquely positioned. 

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MPG: 53 City / 46 Highway

Cargo: 17.1 Cubic Feet (rear seats up)

The most inexpensive hybrid hatchback on sale, the baby Prius excels around town. A city economy rating of 53 mpg is the best you'll find from anything that's not an EV. Pretty unrefined if you have to commute in it, though. 

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MPG: 25 City / 33 Highway

Cargo: 23.2 Cubic Feet

The Forte5 is Kia's top-end hatchback. The stylish five-door sacrifices cargo space for passenger room, but it's a solid overall package. This is our last car to sneak in below the $20,000 barrier. 

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MPG: 25 City / 33 Highway

Cargo: 29.9 Cubic Feet

You'll have to love the retro styling to opt for Beetle over its Golf sister. The Bug may be cuter, but you'll pay in cash up front as well as at the pump for the pleasure of its presence.

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MPG: 29 City / 40 Highway

Cargo: 38 Cubic Feet

Mini is basically a premium brand at this point. Even this minimalist, three-cylinder Cooper Hardtop starts over twenty thousand dollars, and every other tall/long/convertible/AWD version of the MIni formula costs more. Still, the turbo engine is riotous, and the handling is immediate and satisfying. Not the most practical way to spend twenty-thousand hatchback dollars, but a really fun one. 

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MPGe: 126 City / 99 HWY

Cargo: 50.4

Mitsubishi's all-electric i-MiEV is the cheapest EV on sale, and it's pretty practical, too. Don't expect much in the way of refinement, or in boosting your self-confidence.

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MPG: 42 City / 37 Highway

Cargo: 52.6 Cubic Feet

Ford would like desperately to take some of the Prius and Prius V market away from Toyota with the C-Max. Its argument is space over economy: the C-Max is almost a small wagon or crossover when compared with the Prius hatchback (we consider the V a wagon). But lets face it, those mile-per-gallon numbers are super important for the hybrid buyer. 

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MPG: 51 City / 48 Highway

Cargo: 21.6 Cubic Feet

The granddaddy of hybrids is simply one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the world. It's fairly expensive compared to the rest of hatchback segment, but a great commuter option for those looking to consume less. 

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MPGe: 126 City / 101 Highway    

Cargo: 30 Cubic Feet

The second-cheapest EV hatchback is behind the i-MiEV in price, but more advanced and livable in every other way. Still more dear than most conventional hatches, even after most tax rebates. You buy it for the technology, not because it's a value. 

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MPG: 43 City / 40 Highway

Cargo: 14.3 Cubic Feet

Lexus is one of the few luxury automakers to dip into the traditional hatchback space, doubling down with a hybrid (of course). The CT 200h certainly blends high-end amenities with a practical form factor, but we'd probably still opt for a loaded Prius. 

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MPGe: 85 City / 82 Highway 

Cargo: 54.6

Like the other three hatches at the tippy top of the price chart, the B-Class has an expensive mix of badge and battery technology. At least it's way more capacious than the Lexus and the BMW.

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MPGe: 137 City / 111 Highway

Cargo: 11.8 Cubic Feet

The BMW i3 is a marvel. It uses racecar-like carbon-fiber construction, has an advanced battery pack, and draws as much attention on the road as your average supercar. It's even pretty fun to drive when you remember that it basically has bicycle-tire levels of grip. But man, all of that costs a lot of dough. A $42,000 hatchback is wild for the segment, even if it is an appropriate price for the technology and powertrain.

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