Real Prices of Compact Cars
If you're in the market for a new compact car, sales of these vehicles had taken a nosedive even before the pandemic, as consumers gravitated toward SUVs. In general, this category offers really good deals.
Take a look at the following table I compiled using TrueCar's average selling prices. These days, MSRP doesn't mean much since hardly anyone expects to pay that price. But it can be difficult to determine which competing models are actually cheapest without knowing what kind of average discount they're selling for.
The default view shows the biggest average discount you can expect for each model this week, with the 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia having the biggest discount (17.2% after incentives).
You can sort the table by clicking on any column. For examle, if you want to see the cheapest cars, sort by "Avg" column and you'll see that the 2020 Nissan Sentra has the cheapest average selling price - at $18,701.
I hope you find these tables useful. As always, I recommend you use TrueCar No Haggle, CarsDirect and RydeShopper to see the best deals being offered in your local area.
Compact Cars with Biggest Discounts Off MSRP
Year | Make | Model | MSRP | Avg | % Off |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Alfa Romeo | Giulia | $45,572 | $37,930 | 17.2% |
2020 | Hyundai | Ioniq | $30,835 | $25,861 | 16.5% |
2020 | Hyundai | Elantra | $22,983 | $19,823 | 13.8% |
2021 | Kia | Forte | $21,828 | $18,999 | 12.9% |
2021 | INFINITI | Q50 | $47,438 | $41,444 | 12.7% |
2020 | Nissan | Sentra | $21,393 | $18,701 | 12.7% |
2020 | Volkswagen | Golf | $24,515 | $21,460 | 12.5% |
2020 | Volkswagen | Jetta | $25,906 | $22,777 | 12.1% |
2020 | Cadillac | CT5 | $42,740 | $37,752 | 11.8% |
2021 | Alfa Romeo | Giulia | $49,331 | $43,674 | 11.8% |
2021 | Toyota | Corolla | $24,494 | $21,786 | 11.1% |
2021 | Volvo | S60 | $48,530 | $43,469 | 10.8% |
2020 | Honda | Insight | $26,188 | $23,470 | 10.3% |
2021 | Toyota | Prius | $29,291 | $26,395 | 10.0% |
2020 | Acura | ILX | $30,069 | $27,117 | 9.9% |
2021 | Toyota | Prius Prime | $31,735 | $28,633 | 9.8% |
2021 | Nissan | Sentra | $21,543 | $19,471 | 9.6% |
2021 | Volkswagen | Jetta | $26,235 | $23,793 | 9.5% |
2020 | Mercedes | C-Class | $62,408 | $57,052 | 8.9% |
2021 | Mazda | Mazda3 | $27,613 | $25,238 | 8.7% |
2021 | Cadillac | CT5 | $43,040 | $39,382 | 8.6% |
2020 | Kia | Niro | $33,705 | $31,145 | 8.1% |
2021 | Volkswagen | Golf | $24,590 | $22,628 | 8.0% |
2020 | Honda | Civic | $25,653 | $23,676 | 7.9% |
2021 | Honda | Insight | $26,722 | $24,787 | 7.3% |
2021 | INFINITI | Q60 | $52,008 | $48,259 | 7.2% |
2021 | BMW | 3 Series | $48,828 | $45,333 | 7.2% |
2021 | Acura | ILX | $30,100 | $27,986 | 7.0% |
2021 | Volkswagen | Golf GTI | $34,163 | $31,797 | 6.9% |
2021 | Subaru | Impreza | $23,347 | $21,886 | 6.3% |
2021 | Toyota | GR Supra | $51,886 | $48,622 | 6.2% |
2020 | Kia | Forte | $21,555 | $20,250 | 6.1% |
2021 | Audi | S4 | $50,945 | $47,894 | 6.0% |
2021 | BMW | 4 Series | $51,562 | $48,652 | 5.7% |
2021 | Audi | A4 | $41,045 | $38,738 | 5.6% |
2020 | Subaru | WRX | $35,125 | $33,263 | 5.4% |
2021 | Acura | TLX | $44,413 | $42,178 | 5.0% |
2021 | Genesis | G70 | $42,445 | $40,349 | 5.0% |
2020 | Subaru | BRZ | $30,995 | $29,438 | 5.0% |
2020 | Acura | NSX | $159,495 | $151,900 | 4.8% |
2021 | Lexus | IS | $43,025 | $41,124 | 4.5% |
2020 | Toyota | 86 | $30,228 | $28,895 | 4.4% |
2021 | Audi | A5 | $48,245 | $46,141 | 4.4% |
2021 | Lexus | RC | $54,943 | $53,026 | 3.9% |
2021 | Mercedes | C-Class | $63,137 | $60,955 | 3.8% |
2021 | Audi | S5 | $57,595 | $55,572 | 3.5% |
2021 | Hyundai | Veloster | $26,699 | $25,904 | 3.1% |
2021 | Honda | Civic | $28,440 | $27,662 | 3.1% |
2021 | BMW | Z4 | $57,695 | $56,088 | 2.9% |
2021 | Audi | RS 5 | $76,295 | $74,478 | 2.4% |
2021 | Audi | TT | $52,895 | $51,680 | 2.4% |
2020 | Audi | TT RS | $68,595 | $67,179 | 2.1% |
2020 | Audi | TTS | $55,495 | $54,349 | 2.1% |
2021 | Porsche | 718 Cayman | $78,890 | $77,531 | 2.0% |
2020 | Porsche | 718 Cayman | $74,600 | $99,233 | 1.3% |
2020 | Alfa Romeo | 4C | $68,745 | $67,822 | 1.3% |
2021 | Audi | TT RS | $73,545 | $73,468 | 0.1% |
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar No-Haggle, CarsDirect, and Ryde Shopper are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan

Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author

Latest Weekly Car Buying Tips
April 2021
- Top 100 Cheapest Lease Deals Apr 15, 2021
- Biggest Discounts on New Cars Apr 15, 2021
- Real Prices of Compact Cars Apr 15, 2021
- Largest Hidden Dealer Rebates Apr 15, 2021
- Best Bang for Your Buck Lease Deals Apr 08, 2021
- Best Electric, Hybrid Lease Deals Apr 08, 2021
- Best 0% Finance Deals March 2021 Apr 08, 2021
- Real Prices of New Compact SUVs Apr 08, 2021
- Top 100 Cheapest New Cars Apr 01, 2021
- Real Prices of Large SUVs Apr 01, 2021
- New Cars You Should Wait to Buy Apr 01, 2021
- Luxury Lease Deals Under $500/mo Apr 01, 2021
March 2021
- Best Car Deals by Category Mar 25, 2021
- Worst Cars to Lease Right Now Mar 25, 2021
- Which Cars Better to Lease or Buy Mar 25, 2021
- Real Prices of Midsize Cars Mar 25, 2021
- Best Car Deals Around the Country Mar 18, 2021
- Cars With the Largest Rebates Mar 18, 2021
- Price Comparison of Subcompact SUVs Mar 18, 2021
- Real Prices of Midsize SUVs Mar 11, 2021
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December 2020
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- Real Prices of Midsize Luxury Cars Dec 24, 2020
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