Ordering a street-legal car from China is possible and even easier than buying a normal car. It can arrive right at your door and every single one on this list is electric, no gas required! Sure, the batteries are the same as the ones used to power WWII submarines, and most of the manufacturers also sell jazzy motor scooters, but when a car costs as little as $1,500 brand new, who cares? You can lift it up yourself, run it on a car battery, and drive it as you desire. You just can't get a great picture of it, so excuse the quality of the watermarked and poorly photoshopped photos as this is simply the nature of the cheapest cars market.

UPDATE: 2023/10/07 By Ron FP

The World's 13 Cheapest New Cars That You Can Own

Nowadays, there are only a handful of new cars that sticker for less than $20,000 in the US. However, elsewhere in the world - mostly in China - many of the cheapest cars still sell for $5,000 or less. Find out which ones, just to satisfy your curiosity, if nothing else. Through product listings found on manufacturer's websites, Alibaba, and Cardekho, we've updated this list to give you 13 of the world's cheapest new cars that you can own.

See, this isn't about freeway-ready cars like the Chevy Spark or Nissan Versa. These are four-wheeled machines with names we can't pronounce that are one plastic-film window away from a golf cart, except that they do mimic cars respectably for their insanely cheap MSRPs. Many YouTubers have bought one or another of these crate cars "just to see," and if your expectations are low enough they are actually somehow impressive! Sure, you could go get a good used Civic for the same price, but when you can take donor parts from Barbie Jeeps and RC cars, who cares?

After writing this, we are begging the world to give us a culture filled purely with Alibaba car modders who put power tool batteries in for boost and put hand truck wheels on for off-roading. Maybe one day we'll see a group of grown men going to Buffalo Wild Wings in their decked-out rickshaws!

13 Bajaj Qute

Starting MSRP: $4,200

Designed through a joint effort of Nissan and Renault, the Bajaj Qute is a cheap and affordable microcar (also called a quadricycle in some countries) originally meant exclusively for India. Now, just over a decade after its 2012 debut, the Bajaj Qute has found its way into several countries, including the US, Russia, Spain, Finland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and many more. Powered by a 217-cc single-cylinder, 4-stroke liquid-cooled engine, the Bajaj Qute uses either compressed natural gas (CNG) or gasoline to provide 13.3 hp and 14.5 lb-ft of torque. It's no hot hatch by any means, but the Bajaj Qute can still carry up to 4 passengers and reach a top speed of 40 - 45 MPH. In a controlled setting, the Bajaj Qute can purportedly return 35 - 43 km per liter, or roughly 80 - 100 MPG.

12 Hongsheng Tantu

Starting MSRP: $2,800

With a front fascia like that, we won't blame you if you mistake this vehicle for the safest Toyota pickup truck today, the redesigned 2024 Tacoma. But you'd be very wrong, because this is a Tantu, an electric pickup truck produced by Hongsheng. Available on Alibaba, this EV costs just $2,800. The Tantu is powered by a 4,000-watt electric motor running on a 72V 100Ah battery for a top speed of 31 mph and a range of 75 miles.

The Tantu weighs just 1,433 lbs, and it has a loading capacity of 4,400 lbs. It gets even better with this mini electric pickup truck as there's a way you can regulate the speed. Using a controller fitted in the vehicle, you can set the electric pickup to three different speeds: high, middle, and low. Furthermore, you wouldn't have to speed too much living with this pickup truck, at least for the first year, as it's provided with a one-year warranty that covers all quality glitches.

11 Hongsheng Pickup

Starting MSRP: $2,500

This is one golf-cart-based pickup that might actually be able to trick a very young child into thinking it's no different from a real pickup truck! While "solar" is in the listing title, this doesn't seem to be a real option, but it does have a pneumatic lifting hard bed cover, not typically a free option on full-size, half-ton trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Luxury options include a generator to charge your lead-acid battery and even the option of AC, though this is typically just a fan system installed in a covered slot in the ceiling.

Inside the Hongsheng Pickup, you get a working LCD screen and multimedia player. The fake leather looks realistic, and they even took a page out of Ford's book with a volume knob for a shifter. The battery actually has a warranty for over 60,000 miles - which isn't at all bad. That means you have to fully use up the battery 980 times from a full charge, something you're not likely to ever achieve at a top speed of 31 mph. But, let's face it, for the price of a nice golf cart, you're getting a heck of a lot in one package.

10 Changli Mini "Solar"

Starting MSRP: $2,090

"Changli" is the only one on this list we seem to have heard of. It's considered the cheapest brand, and indeed they scored the cheapest car on this list, and so many YouTubers and influencers have bought them up for kicks and giggles. The giggles turned to contemplative "hmmms", as they realized that these little cars might actually be a good deal! The Changli Mini, in this case, looks like a real Mini Cooper despite being almost two full feet shorter.

Again, solar isn't really a thing or even an option as far as we can tell, but don't discount the car just yet! It's got two respectably big and functional screens, one of which is a 9" touch screen. It has a 'manual' air conditioner - AKA a fan in the roof - and actually uses a Lithium battery. A backup camera is a yes, and Bluetooth reportedly has a microphone somewhere for making calls if the translation was done correctly. Frankly, as we go down the list this is the last of the potentially 'luxurious' cars you can get away with.

9 Changli PK-002

Starting MSRP: $2,060

Even cheaper than a Mini is the Changli pickup, as owned by Mikey on Youtube. After watching him drive it around we see that yes, it's a very cheap car with single-layer sheet metal and a shoddy paint job, but the thing is fully enclosed and has a hydraulic bed lift! The cheapest stateside alternative we could find that checks the same boxes is the John Deere Gator for $12,000 with an electronic dump and $1,000 in cabin enclosing accessories.

The Changli PK-002 comes with touchscreen infotainment and a working stereo, working AC, leather seats, off-road lights, and fully electric windows. If we were to buy any car on this list - and we might just - this one would be the best value we've seen without looking too far into the reliability aspect. Other included options are a rooftop basket and bed frame, so that really seals the deal. If it weren't an RWD we might even take it off-roading, and while an AWD version exists it does cost more. In fact, a sizable following in the US seems to have formed around the Changli PK, which owners have nicknamed the Pak Yak.

8 R&Z SUV

Starting MSRP: $1,750 - $1,990

This one has changed multiple times since we've looked but the basis of it is that you most likely would get an 'SUV' that looks eerily like a Ford F-150. That, or a Ford-Focus-looking thing with a spare tire compartment big enough to fit all four tires. Either way, you're looking at a four-seater with four doors and windows that can roll down! It's even got a push to start.

For your $1,990 ride, it seems that a nice metal cargo rack features on top, and you can get a 'water motor' (poor translation) that's either 48 or 60 volts. The thing has independent suspension, rear brakes, and comes standard with 'warm air' - possibly a working heater. One video that boldly assumes the guise of a 'Jeep', shows it going down a set of stairs, so we can be sure it's got the Ford Raptor almost beat.

7 Changli 003

Starting MSRP: $1,988

Ah, the old Chang Li Oh-oh-three! Not a lot of things differentiate this from the cheapest cars on this list except, as you can tell by the totally real picture of it playing in the snow... it's all-wheel-drive! Thus, the nose that's two grille slots short of a Jeep. The many options you can stack on here include a choice between a handlebar or steering wheel. Strangely it doesn't come with a cool roof rack or off-road lights like a lot of its counterparts.

The AWD (if you can call it that) comes at a cost. That neck-breaking 27 mph top speed is now only 21 with no headwind thanks to the distribution of power from the single 1200W motor. The inside is clean and modern, and frankly, it seems quite comfortable for winter driving. It might even make a good snowplow! After all, it does have vents you can poke out if you have a heater and some ducting! Take note, however, that most Chang Li models are not street-legal in the US.

6 QK Pickup

Starting MSRP: $1,859

The QK Pickup is not electric; instead, it uses a real, diesel-powered one-cylinder, 25-horsepower lifted lawnmower. Somehow it comes with 4WD and a hydraulic truck bed. Enclosed cabins exist as well as dually setups presumably for a little more traction and payload capacity. Sure, this is really pushing the limits of what we call a car, but the fact is that this has two mirrors (as an option) and can be entirely enclosed from the elements. In fact, it says that these trucks are automatic despite videos with a visible stick shift.

Frankly, it's just impressive to see a 4WD fossil-fuel-powered machine that costs less than a month's pay at California minimum wage! At this point, we do have to ask if these are just prices listed to bait buyers in or if someone can actually pick one up from a shipping port in LA for the advertised $1,859 plus some shipping. While no videos or users seem to exist in America, we can only assume that it's possible.

5 MH S3

Starting MSRP: $1,811

This is one that might make people laugh at first, then pause and say "What if?". For just 18% of the cost of its Ford look-alike, you can carry four people on a level road up to 21 miles per hour, and even faster if you upgrade from lead-acid to a DeWalt power tool battery! For that same $1,811, you get a normal-looking interior with decent trim, four doors, handles, electric windows, adjustable front seats, a ceiling fan, and a normal rearview mirror.

A barn door allows for negligible storage unless you take out the back seats. Interestingly, the fake spare tire compartment actually opens and presumable can fit all four tires in it. All four wheels have disk brakes, and you can see the red calipers. If you're thinking of getting one to tool around with your family in well, do it! We've seen videos of the S3 carrying three passengers and driving around like a capable, enclosed golf cart!

4 Haibao Qiao Hu

Starting MSRP: $1,669

What we can tell about the listing for the Qiao Hu is that it's great for taking pictures like you're getting out of it! We're not so sure about the driving though. What it does have is touchscreen infotainment that your current car probably doesn't, and if it does, it might not be stuck in Chinese. The vehicle has a backup camera, and except for a ceiling fan, there's not much more to write home about.

Now that we're getting low on the price spectrum we're starting to see far fewer other options, and the Haibao Qiao Hu's top speed is now reported to max out at 24 mph. You can, however, pick between some much more slick colors. Interestingly enough, they let you pick the logo and decals you want to put on your cars, so you can get it pre-pimped.

3 Aigle EV Minicar

Starting MSRP: $1,680

Aigle EV is a Chinese electric car manufacturer that specializes in low-speed EVs like electric mini cars and electric pickup trucks. The Aigle EV Minicar uses lead-acid batteries to power its electric motor and propel its 4-passenger body up to 28 MPH for roughly 60 miles. Although 1 unit of the Agle EV Minicar currently lists for $1,680, you can bring down the price to $1,068 if you order more than 30 units. That's a big "if".

Specs And Performance

2 Minghong S1-PRO

Starting MSRP: $1,265

Welcome to the cheapest of the cheap! Besides the Changli Nemica which was reportedly once just $975 USD, this is what your "cheapest ever" option is today. The S1-PRO includes 'Air Conditional' (Manual) and technically has three seats with a driver sitting upfront with a handlebar steering. It is the smallest on the list at just five and a half feet long and still clings to come decent human necessities beyond just being a plexiglass and plastic box.

Power windows, high/low beam LED lights, disk brakes, and a lithium-ion battery are all optional extras. A digital dash display offers speed which reports as 'less than 21 mph', but climbing is possible up to a 30° angle, thanks to the torque of the electric motor and lead-acid battery.

Specs And Performance

1 Changli Nemica

Starting MSRP: $1,249 or $975

The 'or $975' means that there was a period when these were under the $1,000 mark, but they have since gone back up presumably thanks to the plethora of YouTubers and their watchers who jumped on the 'cheapest car in the world' trend - driving up demand. Still, it retains its title and thanks to the coverage, there's more we know about the Changli.

For one, it remains drivable after frequent use a year later, as demonstrated by Jason Torchinsky. In fact, little more than the cheap mirrors and plastic bodies truly start to show their true colors. The waterproof claim seems to be correct, and the cost-savings really boil down to things like the manual-sliding windows, lack of power, and three-seat design. The sticker-plastered design has since gotten a facelift and three solid color options. It can go maybe 60 miles on a charge if you throw your body weight into it when you accelerate - and that's without using the working Bluetooth stereo. If you want your own one, you'll just need to negotiate the shipping method on Alibaba and then pick up your brand-new car from a port such as LA!

Specs And Performance