There are a few things to consider when shopping this time of year:
Dealerships tend to be more eager to move leftover models (2025s) now because they have likely been financing them for a while, and they are eager to make way for the 2026s. This is to the shopper’s advantage, if 2025s are available.
However, there are trade-offs: A 2025 model will essentially depreciate a year’s worth of value as soon as you buy it, which, these days, isn’t as much of a concern as it once was. Depreciation may not be a significant factor if you are a high-mileage driver or plan to keep the car for six years or more. Bear in mind that the 2026 version may have more safety equipment or other desirable features.
Among 2025s, we’re seeing potential savings off MSRP (factoring in all national discounts and negotiation room) of up to 16 percent. Plus, there may be regional and local incentives to add urgency to this shopping holiday.
In choosing the models to highlight, we concentrated on those CR-recommended models with a strong Overall Score, which factors in road-test performance, owner satisfaction, reliability, and safety. (Learn more about CR’s car ratings.) From them, we are presenting only those models whose bottom-line price is under $50,000 and carry incentives.
All nationwide incentives featured here are good until at least Dec. 1, meaning they extend through Black Friday (Nov. 28) to Cyber Monday (Dec. 1). A couple even extend into 2026. The vehicles are listed in order of the percentage of potential savings available off the sticker price. Similar discounts can be found on other versions in addition to those spotlighted.
Detailed pricing information is available on all current vehicles from their respective model pages, linked below.
