The best underrated and affordable used cars, SUVs and utes in Australia in 2026

Best underrated & affordable used small SUV: Nissan Juke

‘Pretty as a picture’ isn’t a phrase we’d expect a used car buyer is likely to utter while contemplating the purchase of a Nissan Juke, but sometimes divisive styling can look a darn sight better if it has impacted the car’s resale value. All of a sudden, an inherently good car can be highly attractive for what it offers in overall terms.

The Nissan Juke has a lot of runs on the board for flexible, practical packaging, affordable ownership, reliability and comfort. It’s also precisely the right size for an urban SUV – the sort of used car often sought by younger buyers, or those downsizing.

Discontinued by Nissan in Australia early in 2026, the second-generation (F16 series) Juke was launched here in May 2020, powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that drives through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Fuel consumption on the official combined-cycle test is as low as 5.8L/100km, while the Juke also earned a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating when tested in 2011 (first generation) and again in 2019 (second generation). As a bonus, the looks of the F16 you see here are not as confronting as its F15 predecessor’s.

Research & compare Nissan Juke models on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable used medium SUV: Ford Escape PHEV

Practical, stylish and enjoyable to drive, the European-designed Ford Escape is also today a very affordable SUV. What’s more, the plug-in hybrid variant of the Ford Escape is great value as a used car buy and newer examples might still offer the balance of the new vehicle warranty.

The Escape was discontinued by Ford in 2023, ending a run of more than two decades for the well-known nameplate and leaving the brand without a contender in Australia’s top-selling medium SUV segment. After a stop-start launch period due to issues with the car overseas, the Escape PHEV only became a ‘permanent’ addition to the range in 2022, so it had only a short tenure. Still, Australian versions were reasonably well equipped and came with the same maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating as its traditional combustion-engine counterparts (based on testing in 2019).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Ford Escape PHEV has depreciated rapidly in recent years. In part, this is due to the problem the Blue Oval brand faced right from the outset – convincing Australians to purchase a more expensive plug-in hybrid from Ford at a time when the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid was offered with similar benefits.

Today, plug-in hybrids have gained much broader acceptance and are more widely available. They can offer excellent fuel economy when taking maximum advantage of their limited EV driving range, while also offering powertrain flexibility that makes them easy to drive – and that’s finally bringing the Ford Escape PHEV onto people’s radar.

Research & compare Ford Escape PHEVs on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable used large SUV: Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid

Comfortable and roomy for a family of seven, the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid delivers plenty of value for the used car buyer on a budget. The hybrid version of Nissan’s large family SUV was sold with the previous fourth-generation Pathfinder offered in Australia from 2014 until 2022, whereupon the redesigned series returned to a petrol V6-only proposition – only to be discontinued early in 2026.

As with other generously sized hybrid family SUVs, the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid didn’t find a huge audience during the years it was on sale as a new car, but its reputation for reliability and its impressive level of equipment stands it in good stead now as a used car. Consequently, buyers casting around for a recent model of used car that will transport a larger family without breaking the bank are beginning to look closer at the petrol-electric Pathfinder.

All versions of the fourth-generation Pathfinder, including hybrids, were rated five stars for crash safety by ANCAP back in 2013. Hybrid was offered with a two-wheel drive (2WD) layout at the entry-level ST grade, while 4WD was standard on the ST-L and flagship Ti variants for optimal traction and enhanced safety.

Research & compare Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid models on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable used luxury SUV: Volvo XC60 PHEV

Yet another plug-in hybrid SUV that arrived in the Australian market too soon to ride the wave of changing consumer sentiment, the Volvo XC60 T8 PHEV didn’t draw in large swathes of buyers from the get-go.

But in the used car market, the Volvo XC60 T8 PHEV (or Recharge, as it is known) is now a great value proposition for buyers wanting lashings of luxury and a lot of safety. While ANCAP didn’t get around to testing the XC60 T8 when it was new, the safety authority did rate conventional variants a maximum five stars in 2017. The assessment included an outstanding 98 per cent for adult occupation protection and 95 per cent for Safety Assist systems.

A stylish and refined mid-size luxury SUV, the XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid was priced at over $90,000 when new in 2018 but can now be found for less than $50,000 as a used car. Its resale value over the years since it was sold new makes the Volvo XC60 T8 very affordable for budget-conscious buyers carefully watching the bottom line.

Research & compare Volvo XC60 PHEVs on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable city hatch: Toyota Prius C

Sharing its platform with the Toyota Yaris from the same era, the Toyota Prius C never attracted the same level of interest from the buying public as the larger Toyota Prius, but it did usher in an era of hybrid technology at an affordable price. It remains affordable in the used car market, too.

Discontinued in Australia in 2020 to make way for the new-generation Toyota Yaris Hybrid, the Prius C is a light-sized hatchback, so it’s smaller than ‘small’, but that makes it ideal for tight inner-urban laneways and congested shopping centre car parks.

Buyers will appreciate its practical packaging – accommodating two children in the back and a teenager in the front for the school run, for example – and its low running costs. In terms of fuel economy, the Prius C boasts a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of just 3.9L/100km. The Prius C also carried a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted in 2014.

A final point to note: this is a Toyota, with the company’s renowned Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which has proved itself to be a reliable powertrain set-up, time and time again.

Research & compare Toyota Prius C models on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable small car: Lexus CT 200h

While the body was a uniquely Lexus design, the Lexus CT 200h prestige hatch is essentially a Toyota Prius underneath. That’s no bad thing, combining a premium cabin fit-out with mechanicals that are very sturdy and a hybrid battery that promises low running costs and reliability in the long term.

The Lexus CT also rates well in safety terms, earning a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating when tested in 2011 (first generation) and with upgrades introduced in 2014 and 2017. The CT 200h was discontinued in Australia in 2021, due to changing local homologation requirements, but it remains an excellent used car buy.

Lexus is a brand that tends to appeal more to luxury SUV buyers, or those looking for larger passenger cars, in the used car market, so the CT 200h still has bargain written all over the nameplate in 2026.

Research & compare Lexus CT 200h models on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable medium car: Tesla Model 3

It may come as a shock to some buyers, but examples of the Tesla Model 3 that have travelled less than 100,000km are being advertised at asking prices around $30,000, placing the electric vehicle within reach of buyers wanting an affordable used car that will comfortably accommodate five adults and can run further than 400km on a single battery charge.

Tesla models have traditionally retained value very well, but not even Tesla can withstand the surge of new Chinese EVs such as BYD, Geely, MG, Chery, Jaecoo and Zeekr entering the market at such an accelerated rate. With demand for new Tesla Model 3 EVs softening in the marketplace, this is having a trickle-down effect with used car values.

Buyers on a budget will be looking at the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range with a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. Tesla has a reputation for batteries that will last years without significant degradation, and most will remain covered by the eight-year factory warranty for the battery.

The Model 3 is packed full of safety kit as well, including a plethora of active safety features. All that makes the Tesla Model 3 unexpectedly good value in the used car market.

Research & compare Tesla Model 3 EVs on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable large car: Honda Odyssey

Statistically, Australians would rather buy a seven-seat SUV than a people-mover. For a larger family, however, a people-mover like the Honda Odyssey can be a much more practical and cost-effective solution.

A well-established nameplate that was discontinued globally in 2022, the Honda Odyssey was built to a high-quality standard typical of Honda, it’s safe (rated ANCAP five stars in 2015, for example) and it has proven to be affordable to own – especially if you can lay your hands on a hybrid variant. Versatile to a fault, the Odyssey is built within an efficient footprint, making the car easier to park in the city while delivering more passenger and luggage space than comparable SUVs.

Used car buyers will appreciate the Odyssey’s refinement and comfort, as well as its dynamic competence. With the very worst of its depreciation already factored into its used car price, the Honda Odyssey also represents great value for families on a tight budget.

Research & compare Honda Odyssey models on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable luxury car: Genesis G70

If there’s one particular shortcoming of the Genesis G70, it’s simply the lack of a badge on the car that recalls a sense of history or legend.

For used car buyers who care less about cachet, the Genesis G70 sedan and Shooting Brake wagon embrace the very best that modern Korean design and engineering has to offer, delivering Euro-style driving dynamics and performance in an attractive package that won’t cost a fortune for parts and repairs.

Rated five stars for crash safety by ANCAP in 2018, and rivalling its German competitors for comfort, touring ability and driving dynamics, the G70 is an oft-overlooked gem in the used car market.

Research & compare Genesis G70 models on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Best underrated & affordable 4x4 dual-cab ute: Mazda BT-50

The Mazda BT-50 based on the (T6 series) Ford Ranger has lost resale value faster than its successor, which launched in October 2020 based on a different platform shared with the Isuzu D-Max.

That makes the older, second generation of BT-50, which entered runout in Australia in the first half of 2020, a more affordable alternative than its Gen 3 replacement from the same year.

What will buyers get in the Ranger-based BT-50 that they won’t get in the newer Isuzu-based model? There’s not much between them. The older BT-50 develops slightly more power and torque from its 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel. It also uses a little more fuel. The maximum braked towing capacity (3500kg) is the same for both and the older BT-50 is longer overall and in the wheelbase.

One aspect of the older BT-50 that works against it is the Mazda's styling, which wasn’t as well received in Australia when introduced to the local market in 2011. A common tactic by owners has been the purchase of an aftermarket bull bar to conceal the BT-50’s controversial nose.

Against that, the BT-50 offered what was considered at the time to be a significantly better interior than equivalent Ford models. In some cases, the Mazda BT also delivered sportier dynamics, albeit at the cost of ride comfort.

Research & compare Mazda BT-50 models on sale: prices, specs, features, running costs, safety

Buying an underrated, affordable used car FAQ

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