Cars with Adaptive Cruise Control: 4 Great Picks for Under $30,000

Looking for cars with adaptive cruise control? These four picks offer this feature at budget-friendly prices.

Warren Clarke | 

Apr 26, 2022 | 3 min read

Mazda

If you're shopping for cars with adaptive cruise control, the good news is this feature is more widely available today than it has been in the past. But it can be a challenge to find among less-expensive cars.

Adaptive cruise control is intended to simplify your driving experience by automatically keeping a safe distance between your car and the one in front of it. It can help you stay within the speed limit during highway travel. Additionally, because it relieves you from manipulating the gas and brake pedals, it intends to ease stress placed on your leg muscles during long drives.

If you're a price-conscious shopper on the hunt for cars with adaptive cruise control, this list is for you. The four cars in our lineup offer this feature for an MSRP of less than $30,000.

Adaptive cruise control is one of many features valued by today's car shoppers. With that in mind, we used these parameters to select the cars on our list:

• Safety features: must also offer blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keeping assist
• Tech and comfort features (must offer at least three of these for under $30,000): Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, in-car Wi-Fi, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry, and keyless ignition

Our choices below are presented in alphabetical order. After each safety or comfort feature, we've listed the least-expensive trim package that includes the feature.

Hyundai

Hyundai Elantra

The Elantra is Hyundai's compact sedan; like all vehicles made by that automaker, it comes with outstanding warranty coverage. The base SE starts at around $21,000. The SEL adds features like dual-zone automatic climate control and starts at around $22,000. You can add adaptive cruise control by equipping the SEL with the Convenience Package (about $900).

• Safety features: forward collision mitigation (SE), blind-spot warning (SE), rear cross-traffic alert (SE), and lane-keeping assist (SE)
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration (SE), dual-zone automatic climate control (SEL), keyless entry (SE), and keyless ignition (SEL)

Mazda

Mazda 3

The Mazda 3 is sold in hatchback and sedan body styles. The base 2.0 trim starts at about $22,000 and comes standard with adaptive cruise control. For additional features, Mazda offers the 2.5 S (about $23,000) and Select (about $24,000) trims.

• Safety features: forward collision mitigation (2.0), blind-spot warning (Select), rear cross-traffic alert (Select), and lane-keeping assist (2.0)
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration (2.5 S), in-car Wi-Fi (2.0), dual-zone automatic climate control (Select), keyless entry (2.0), and keyless ignition (2.0)

Nissan

Nissan Versa

Nissan's Versa is a subcompact sedan that holds the distinction of being one of the least expensive new cars you can buy. The base S trim with an automatic transmission starts at about $18,000. The SV (about $19,000) and SR (about $20,000) trims add features like blind-spot warning and keyless entry. To get adaptive cruise control, add the Convenience package (approximately $400) to the Versa SR.

• Safety features: forward collision mitigation (S), blind-spot warning (SV), and rear cross-traffic alert (SV)
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration (SV), keyless entry, (S) and keyless ignition (S)

Toyota

Toyota Corolla

The Corolla is a capable small sedan that's long been one of Toyota's best-selling models. The base L trim starts at about $21,000 and comes standard with adaptive cruise control. The LE (about $22,000) and XLE (about $26,000) trims add useful features like keyless entry and blind-spot warning at pricing that's beneath our $26,000 limit.

• Safety features: forward collision mitigation (L), blind-spot warning (XLE), rear cross-traffic alert (XLE), and lane-keeping assist (L)
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration (L), in-car Wi-Fi (L), keyless entry (LE), and keyless ignition (XLE)

Bottom Line

Cars with adaptive cruise control can make long commutes less of a hassle. The models listed above offer this feature at lower prices.

Warren Clarke

A car purchase is a big decision. And once you've made the purchase, you'll be faced with countless other choices that will affect your ownership experience one way or another. Throughout my career in the automotive industry, I've written everything from vehicle reviews to articles covering topics such as car insurance and leasing. My mission is to help you make the best decisions regarding your vehicle.