16. Mitsubishi Mirage
Budget-conscious car shoppers may be swayed by the Mitsubishi Mirage’s low price tag, but Consumer Reports warns you’re better off spending your money on a used car. Even the older used models of this tiny compact car should also be avoided, according to U.S. News and World Report, which declared that “the Mirage has very little to offer, and once these cars hit the used market, they start to deteriorate quickly due to cheap build quality and poor reliability.” In Car Connection’s review of the 2019 model, they said it was small, slow and unsafe, and even called its highway handling “scary.”
The three-cylinder engine of the 2020 model and the car’s clumsy handling make a terrible combination. Consumer Reports refers to the Mirage’s road test results as “laughably low” and describes the car’s interior as “drab, cheap and insubstantial.” Available as a sedan or hatchback, the fuel efficiency of the 2020 Mirage is a bright spot, but all in all it is too noisy and unreliable to be driven every day.
Reliability score: 31
• $13,995 starting price
• 37 mpg