Summer road trips are a great tradition. Surviving on gas-station coffee, beef jerky, and questionable roadside attractions involving “the world’s largest” something is what it’s all about. The right vehicle can make the difference between an unforgettable adventure and a rolling hostage situation where everyone argues about legroom and phone chargers.
The good news is that you don’t need luxury car money to get a road-trip-ready vehicle. There are plenty of options under $40,000 that combine comfort, efficiency, cargo space, tech, and enough personality to make 900 miles of interstate feel less of a chore.
Here are five of the best summer road trip cars you can buy without detonating your savings account.
Kia Carnival (for 4+ people, $36,990 MSRP)
You may think you don’t want a minivan. Kia will tell you this isn’t one. Both of you are wrong.
The Kia Carnival is one of the best road-trip machines on the market regardless of price. Massive interior space, genuinely comfortable seating, clever storage solutions, and enough USB ports to power a small tech startup make it incredibly useful for families or groups.
And unlike older minivans that looked like sad transportation appliances, the Carnival actually has sharp styling and a surprisingly upscale cabin. Long-distance comfort is outstanding, highway cruising is effortless, and passengers in all three rows get enough space to avoid declaring war on one another halfway through the trip.
Also, sliding doors in tight parking lots are one of humanity’s greatest inventions. Right behind air conditioning and breakfast burritos.
Mazda CX-50 (for 3-4 people, $31,395 MSRP)
Mazda continues making vehicles for people who think driving should involve at least a tiny amount of joy. The CX-50 is one of the best examples of that philosophy.
Unlike many compact SUVs that feel engineered by accountants, the CX-50 actually has steering feel and composure through corners. Yet it still delivers all the practical things road trippers want: comfortable seats, solid cargo room, available all-wheel drive, and a genuinely upscale interior.
The cabin feels premium without the luxury-brand insurance premiums, and the available turbo engine gives it enough punch for mountain highways and loaded cargo runs. It’s also stylish enough that you won’t immediately lose it in a hotel parking lot full of silver crossovers. That’s an underrated feature.
Honda Accord Hybrid (for 2-3 people, $33,795 MSRP)
If road trips were an Olympic sport, the Accord Hybrid would already have several gold medals and a sponsorship deal with a coffee chain. This thing is spectacularly good at eating highway miles.
The Accord’s seats are comfortable for long hauls, cabin noise is impressively low, and the hybrid powertrain delivers excellent fuel economy without making the car feel sluggish. With around 50 mpg combined, you can travel shockingly far between fuel stops, which becomes increasingly important when gas costs the GDP of a small nation.
What’s more, the Accord’s trunk is huge, rear-seat space is generous, and Honda’s infotainment system is refreshingly easy to use while driving. It’s not flashy, but that’s part of the charm. The Accord Hybrid is like that friend who always volunteers to help move furniture and somehow seems happy to do it.
Hyundai Santa Cruz (for 2 people, $29,750 MSRP)
The Santa Cruz is what happens when somebody decides a compact pickup should just be a comfortable crossover with a truck bed.
Part SUV, part truck, and part lifestyle experiment, the Santa Cruz is surprisingly excellent for summer travel. The cabin is comfortable, tech-filled, and easy to live with, while the small truck bed is perfect for camping gear, coolers, bikes, or whatever impulse purchase seemed smart at the roadside flea market.
It also drives far better than most traditional pickups. Ride quality is smooth, handling is composed, and the turbocharged engine gives it enough energy to avoid feeling sluggish on long climbs. The little Santa Cruz is ideal for people who want flexibility without driving something the size of a downtown apartment building.
Ford Mustang EcoBoost (for 2 people, $34,635 MSRP)
Not every road trip has to involve practicality and emotional maturity. Sometimes you just want to point a car toward the horizon, roll the windows down, and ignore fuel-economy decisions while cruising a mountain road.
The EcoBoost Mustang delivers surprisingly decent efficiency for a sporty coupe while still offering plenty of power and personality. The turbocharged four-cylinder keeps fuel costs reasonable, but the chassis still provides the classic rear-wheel-drive fun people expect from a Mustang. Modern Mustangs are also far more comfortable than older generations. The seats are supportive, highway ride quality is solid, and the infotainment system is road-trip friendly.
And if you have a third passenger that happens to have four legs, the back seat is perfect.
