10 Cheapest Cars with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
We rounded up the 10 least-expensive cars that offer this new set of tech
Connectivity: It’s not just for luxury cars anymore. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the newest smartphone integration/mirroring technologies, are so simple that they have quickly propagated to plenty of new cars people can actually afford. These handy systems allow you to essentially project many smartphone functions onto the vehicle’s in-dash screen once the phone is plugged into the car via USB. The result is a familiar interface that automatically incorporates the user’s personal settings and applications.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto should become even more widespread in the near future, but not every automaker is there quite yet. We rounded up the 10 least-expensive cars that offer this new set of tech. Quoted prices are as of mid-July 2016 and are for the lowest-priced model in the lineup, including option packages, that offers both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. The cars are presented in descending order of price.
2016 Volkswagen Beetle: $22,170
Standard: 1.8T SE, 1.8T SEL, 2.0T R-Line SE, 2.0T R-Line SEL, 1.8T Dune
Not available: 1.8T S, 2.0T R-Line S, Denim
Volkswagen introduced new infotainment systems for nearly its entire lineup recently, and the upgrade included all sorts of new smartphone integration capabilities. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are on the menu in the Composition Media and Discover Media infotainment systems, both of which come with a 6.3-inch touchscreen.
2016 Volkswagen Beetle: $22,170
The Beetle coupe and convertible offer the upgraded touchscreens as standard on all but the base S trim level and the special-edition Beetle convertible Denim (apparently the retro blue-jeans look doesn’t mix with 21st-century technology).
2016 Honda Civic: $21,875
Standard: EX, EX-T, EX-L, Touring
Not available: LX, LX-P
Honda’s new, tenth-generation Civic is a return to form, with entertaining dynamics and a pleasant mix of space, efficiency, and tech. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available on a wide range of models, offered on all sedans but the base LX and all coupe models with the optional 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (comprising EX-T, EX-L, and Touring trims).
2016 Honda Civic: $21,875
We’re still wary of the touch-sensitive volume controls that come with the Civic’s 7.0-inch touchscreen, but it’s nice to be able to use Apple and Android’s intuitive and familiar interfaces rather than Honda’s own sometimes-frustrating infotainment system.
2016 Volkswagen Golf: $20,395
Standard: 1.8T S, 1.8T SE, 1.8T S with Sunroof, 1.8T SE, 1.8T SEL, GTI (all), e-Golf (all), Golf R (all), Golf SportWagen (all)
Not available: Base two-door Golf 1.8T TSI
The only car on this list that’s a recipient of our 2016 10Best Cars award, the Golf is undoubtedly one of our favorite vehicles on the market today. The fact that nearly all versions of the Golf now come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard is just a cherry on top of the Golf’s solid chassis, upscale interior appointments, and strong powertrains.
2016 Volkswagen Golf: $20,395
The only Golf that misses out on VW’s upgraded infotainment system is the stripped-out, special-order-only base two-door Golf (known simply as the 1.8T TSI in VW's configurator). All other versions of the Golf, whether the two-door, four-door, or station-wagon body styles, the electric-powered e-Golf, or the high-performance GTI or Golf R, come with smartphone mirroring as standard. The only Golf you won’t be able to get with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the time being—along with any of its other features—is the diesel Golf TDI, still under a stop-sale order due to EPA emissions violations.
2017 Kia Forte: $20,050
Standard: S, EX, SX
Not available: LX
Kia’s Forte compact, updated for 2017, marks another mid-cycle refresh that brings with it Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Both sedan and Forte5 hatchback models come with this new smartphone tech, along with revised styling and a new base engine. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are part of an updated Uvo infotainment system that’s standard for the sedan’s S and EX trim levels, and for the hatchback’s EX and SX trims.
2017 Kia Forte: $20,050
The sedan comes standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder shared with the Hyundai Elantra, making 147 horsepower, while the EX trim level upgrades to a more powerful 2.0-liter four, making 164 horsepower. The more powerful 2.0-liter is standard on the hatch, while the top Forte5 SX ups the ante with its even more powerful 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.
2017 Hyundai Elantra: $19,785
Standard: Eco, Limited
Optional: SE with automatic transmission ($800)
Not available: SE with manual transmission
Hyundai jumped onto the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto bandwagon relatively early, but for a while these features were only offered on vehicles equipped with navigation systems. The new Hyundai Elantra sedan, redesigned for 2017, finally jumps fully on board with Apple and Android smartphone support across a wider range of models.
2017 Hyundai Elantra: $19,785
The $800 Popular Equipment package for automatic-transmission Elantra SE models includes the tech, and the top-spec Limited comes standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen that enables both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The fuel-economy-oriented Elantra Eco ($21,485), with its punchy 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, also comes standard with the same 7.0-inch screen.
2016 Volkswagen Jetta: $19,495
Standard: 1.4T S w/ Technology, 1.4T SE, 1.4T SE w/Connectivity, 1.8T SEL, 1.8T SEL Premium, 1.8T Sport, GLI (all)
Not available: 1.4T S
Like the Beetle and Golf earlier on this list, VW’s Jetta compact sedan offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as part of a recent infotainment upgrade. Buying a Jetta so equipped will also cost you a bit less than the equivalent Beetle or Golf, as the cheapest Jetta with the 6.3-inch touchscreen that enables smartphone mirroring is the 1.4T S with Technology trim, starting at $19,495.
2016 Volkswagen Jetta: $19,495
The only Jetta without the upgraded touchscreen is the base Jetta S, meaning you also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the more powerful Jetta GLI with its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Lesser Jetta models come with either 1.8-liter or 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder units; as with the Golf and the Beetle, the diesel-powered Jetta TDI is currently under a stop-sale order due to EPA emissions violations.
2016 Chevrolet Cruze: $17,495
Standard: L, LS, LT, Premier
Like the Spark city car and Sonic subcompact, Chevy’s Cruze compact offers wide availability of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The 7.0-inch MyLink touchscreen that enables these features comes standard on all Cruze trim levels—even the stripped-out Cruze L that starts at the low, low price of $17,495. To get other conveniences like cruise control, steering-wheel audio controls, and satellite radio, you have to step all the way up to the Cruze LT, starting at $21,390 (the mid-level Cruze LS is only modestly better equipped than the L).
2016 Chevrolet Cruze: $17,495
Regardless of trim level, the Cruze comes with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that mates with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission that’s optional on L, LS, and LT, and standard on the top-level Cruze Premier.
2017 Chevrolet Sonic: $16,020
Standard: LS, LT, Premier
Nearly every automaker seems to be adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto whenever one of its models goes in for a mid-cycle refresh, and the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact is no exception. As of its 2017 update, it now comes standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple and Android smartphone integration, regardless of whether you choose the sedan or hatchback body style.
2017 Chevrolet Sonic: $16,020
The Sonic also benefits from some styling revisions for 2017, along with newly available features like a power driver’s seat, push-button start, and a heated steering wheel. The two available four-cylinder engines, though, are unchanged, and remain a 1.8-liter four as standard and a 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder as an option.
2017 Mitsubishi Mirage: $15,630
Standard: SE, GT
Optional: ES sedan with automatic transmission ($800)
Not available: ES hatch, ES sedan with manual transmission
Mitsubishi is hoping that technology will lure buyers to the Mirage—because this simplistic subcompact’s awkward styling, middling performance, and Third World–level comfort sure won’t. A 2017 refresh for the Mirage added a sedan version called the G4 and a new 6.5-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This screen, standard on SE and GT trim levels, also includes a rearview camera and Bluetooth.
2017 Mitsubishi Mirage: $15,630
The base-model Mirage ES sedan can also be optioned with an $800 Smartphone Display package that adds CarPlay and Android Auto, although that package is only available on ES models equipped with the $1200 CVT automatic. The Mirage otherwise comes standard with a five-speed manual, which strikes us as a better way to make the most of the 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine and its paltry 78 horsepower.
2016 Chevrolet Spark: $13,535
Standard: LS, 1LT, 2LT
Chevrolet’s smallest car isn’t the cheapest new car on the market—the Nissan Versa sedan still holds that title—but it’s darn close, and it comes surprisingly well equipped for the tech-savvy buyer. Every single version of the Spark hatchback—including the base-model Spark LS, which starts under $14,000—comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen that enables both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functions, among other features like Bluetooth streaming audio and a rearview camera.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
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