For reasons beyond our control, off-roading and downhilling had a moment a few years ago. It seemed like everyone wanted to get lost on the long and winding road.
Unlike the homemade sourdough craze, the passion for off-roading hasn’t abated – in fact, judging by the number of powerful SUVs out there, enthusiasm may be at an all-time high. Although the enthusiasm for off-roading has not slowed, our budgets have certainly slowed.
With the average price of a new vehicle in the United States now exceeding $50,000, finding an off-road vehicle that doesn’t break the bank is a harder task than ever. If you’re looking to get into the off-road game but don’t have the Raptor, TRD Pro, or G-Wagen money, there are still options out there.
Based on 2025 base prices, including destination (or 2026 prices where available), here are the 10 cheapest new off-roaders you can get in 2025 — trucks, SUVs, and even a few crossovers alike.
10. Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss: $42,495
Photo by: Chevrolet
Rounding out 10th place is the 2026 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss, which starts at $42,495, including destination. As the name suggests, it’s the geared version of GM’s midsize pickup truck.
The Trail Boss package adds an off-road suspension with a 2-inch lift and a wider stance, 32-inch all-terrain tires, a two-speed automatic transfer case, along with underbody protection, and an off-road performance display. Despite being called the Trail Boss, this isn’t the most powerful off-road vehicle you can get in Colorado, and that honor goes to the $50,000 ZR2. But for those looking for a Chevy off-roader with lighter boost, the TB is your best bet.
9. Ford Bronco Sport Badlands: $42,110
Photo by: Ford
The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport took ninth place, specifically the Badlands off-road model, which is priced at $42,110.
Not to be confused with the larger “proper” Bronco, this is the smaller, inherently more pedestrian sports car that shares a platform with the Escape crossover. For rough terrain, Ford is upping its off-road reputation with all-terrain tires, sheet metal, Trail Control, and seven “GOAT” driving modes—that’s what Ford says “goes beyond any type of terrain.” Given this car’s reasonable price, it could also easily symbolize affordable off-roading… today?
8. Ford Bronco: $41,990
Photo by: Ford
In base two-door form, the proper, more rugged 2025 Ford Bronco is actually cheaper than the Badlands Sport, available for as little as $41,990.
Powered by a 300-hp 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, the Bronco is one of the best off-roaders you can get out of the box. Selectable part-time all-wheel drive, an off-road suspension, standard 30-inch tires (35s are available), and removable doors make it the perfect Ford for highway adventure. The Bronco starts at reasonable prices, but has a range of higher trims with creative names like Big Bend, Outer Banks, Badlands, and of course top dog, the $80,000 Raptor.
7. Nissan Frontier Pro-X: $40,265
Photo by: Nissan
If the aforementioned Colorado is more up your alley but still a bit pricey, the $40,265 2026 Nissan Frontier Pro-X might be worth a look.
Nissan’s midsize pickup gets all-terrain tires, Bilstein off-road suspension parts, red tow hooks, and beefier fenders in Pro-X form. We should note that this is the 4×2 Pro-X and not the 4×4 Pro-4X, which costs several thousand more. This truck may have been refurbished in 2021 and has gotten regular updates since then, but it is still an old-fashioned vehicle. As the seventh cheapest off-roader available today, it arguably has a nostalgia-worthy price tag, too.
6. Toyota Tacoma TRD PreRunner: $40,115
Photo by: Toyota
However, Toyota offers essentially the same recipe for less, albeit slightly less. Starting at $40,115, the 2025 Tacoma TRD PreRunner is the sixth least expensive off-roader on the market.
Adding an electronically controlled rear differential, 32-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires, and a front suspension lift, the PreRunner is a rear-wheel-drive Tacoma off-roader, just like Nissan’s Pro-X, and you’ll again have to ditch a few big things if you want the all-wheel drive of the Tacoma TRD Off-Road. While Nissan stubbornly clings to the V6, Toyota now has a turbo-four only. The Tacoma may only fall in the middle of this list, but its longevity is legendary, giving it a huge advantage in terms of cost of ownership when you take into account how long you can keep one of these things on the road.
5. Jeep Gladiator: $40,095
Photo by: Jeep
If reliability is less important, the 2025 Jeep Gladiator can be had for $40,095, putting it in fifth place on this list.
That price gets you up to a base Sport model, which features a Pentastar V-6 engine, 10.0 inches of ground clearance, 32-inch tires, heavy-duty Dana 44 axles front and rear, a two-speed transfer case, and three skid plates. Jeep also features class-leading towing and payload capacity: The Gladiator will tow up to 7,700 pounds and carry up to 1,725 pounds. That might undercut its pick-up competitors on this list, but if it were our money, we’d probably spend a little more on one of the others.
4. Subaru Forester Wilderness: $39,835
Photo by: Subaru
Subaru is synonymous with affordable and accessible road capability, and if you’re serious about taking your Subie out on mixed terrain after the occasional snowstorm, you’ll want one of the more rugged Wilderness models. Coming in at fourth most expensive off-road is the 2026 Forester Wilderness at $39,835.
Par for the Subaru course, symmetrical all-wheel drive is standard on all Foresters, but the Wilderness adds all-terrain tires, better cooling, and an upgraded suspension with longer coils and shocks, giving it 9.3 inches of ground clearance and better off-road cornering than the Normy Forester. They also look cooler than regular crossovers, and if many of us are honest with ourselves, that’s half the battle.
3. Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness: $35,215
Photo by: Subaru
Delving into true off-road territory, the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness starts at $35,215, earning the bronze medal on this list.
The Wilderness Crosstrek is what you get when you want your entry-level economy box to also be able to hack it on the road. Symmetrical all-wheel drive, the Forester Wilderness’s 9.3 inches of ground clearance, different gearing, taller suspension, all-terrain tires, and SUV-style cladding allow it to go places where, say, a Mazda 3 and its narrow shocks and sleek red paint wouldn’t dare.
2. Jeep Compass Trailhawk: $34,390
Photo by: Jeep
The 2025 Jeep Compass Trailhawk comes in priced almost less than the more rugged Crosstrek, starting at $34,390. We should note that Jeep recently revealed the next-generation 2026 Compass but not the Trailhawk version yet, so this is the previous Compass that has been around for nearly a decade.
The standard Compass may have a Jeep badge, but it’s a fairly compact crossover that shares platform genetics with the Fiat 500L. However, the Trailhawk model adds a 20:1 crawl ratio, a one-inch suspension lift, hill descent control, skid plates, off-road tires, and the obligatory red tow hooks. It can tow up to 2,000 pounds and wade up to 19 inches of water. Not bad for the Fiat 500L’s cousin.
1. Jeep Wrangler: $34,090
Photo by: Jeep
The 2025 Jeep Wrangler is arguably an affordable off-road icon, and the least expensive new off-roader you can get today, with a starting price of just $34,090.
This buys a base two-door Sport model, but you still get approach, breakover and departure angles of 40.8, 18.4 and 25 degrees respectively, as well as 10 inches of ground clearance. Dana solid axles, a two-speed transfer case, tow hooks, and skid plates are also part of the standard Wrangler package. Like its Bronco rival, you can take off the doors and roof, of course, and new standard for 2025 are power locks and windows. So, even though the Wrangler is the cheapest off-roader you can get, it’s not a complete penalty box anymore.
