20 Used Family Cars That Offer the Best Value

Vance Cariaga
©Buick
©Buick

Raising a family is a rewarding experience — and an expensive one. The average family of four spends nearly $8,500 a month on living expenses, according to U.S. government data cited by The Motley Fool. That comes to more than $101,000 a year. Because families spend so much on housing, utilities, groceries and other essentials, many try to cut costs in other areas — including the cars they drive.

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This isn’t necessarily easy in 2024. The average used-vehicle listing price was $25,328 in early February, according to research from Cox Automotive. Although that was down from a revised $26,505 at the start of January and prices are lower now vs. 2022 and 2023, they still remain much higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic pushed prices to historic highs.

Finding the best value in a used car isn’t all about the purchase price (although that’s a good place to start). You also need to consider its age, odometer reading, reliability, gas mileage and maintenance costs. Picking the right car could save you thousands of dollars over time.

The iSeeCars recently analyzed more than 1.1 million 5- and 10-year-old vehicles to determine which had the most value based on metrics such as average price and remaining lifespan. Below are the 20 used cars that offer the best value based on the average estimated price per 10,000 miles, according to the iSeeCars analysis.

5-Year-Old Cars

  1. Chevrolet Trax: $1,442 per 10,000 miles

  2. Honda Insight: $1,485

  3. Buick Encore: $1,492

  4. Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: $1,498

  5. Honda CR-V: $1,588

  6. Jeep Renegade: $1,716

  7. Toyota Avalon: $1,694

  8. Mitsubishi Outlander: $1,763

  9. Ford Edge: $1,803

  10. Mazda CX-5: $1,815

10-Year-Old Cars

  1. Honda CR-V: $1,417

  2. Honda Accord: $1,427

  3. Mazda CX-9: $1,453

  4. Lincoln MKX: $1,481

  5. Lexus GS 350: $1,513

  6. Honda Pilot: $1,654

  7. Toyota Sequoia: $1,703

  8. Lexus ES 350: $1,762

  9. Acura MDX: $1,876

  10. Toyota 4Runner: $1,908

Note that the vehicles listed include only SUVs or 4-door sedans that work best for families. Pickup trucks and smaller vehicles cited by iSeeCars are not included. When the same car landed on both iSeeCars lists, only the 5-year-old versions are listed, so all 20 cars represent different models.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Used Family Cars That Offer the Best Value

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