Best AWD Sedans on a Budget

Choosing a sensible sedan shouldn’t constitute sacrificing all-weather capability. A preference for an affordable car with four-doors and a proper trunk doesn’t exclude the need for maximum traction.

Thankfully, automobile manufacturers have been listening. There are plenty of all-wheel drive mainstream sedans on the market, and they’re not just Subaru’s (although the company is well represented). More and more manufacturers have begun equipping sedans with AWD, and some of the brands may surprise you.

Best of all for consumers, everything from compacts to traditional full-size sedans are now available with all-wheel drive. After scouring the build sheets and specification tables, we present to you the 10 best AWD sedans on a budget.

To expand on the Toyota Camry‘s already dominate sales figures, the mid-size sedan adopted all-wheel drive for the 2020 model year. Available even in the base LE trim level, an all-wheel drive Camry starts at $28,915 USD ($34,650 CAD for SE AWD), including destination. Toyota offers AWD on any of the Camry’s four-cylinder engine trim levels, but it unfortunately cannot be included with either the V6 or the hybrid powertrain—well, at least not yet, as the '25 model goes hybrid-only. At least the four-cylinder is a strong engine generating 203 hp, paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Barely beating the Toyota Camry to market, the redesigned Nissan Altima has been available with AWD for the past three years. It too only offers all-wheel drive with the entry level engine, a 2.5-liter unit that makes 182 hp (188 hp with front-wheel drive). Unlike the Camry, the Altima cannot have all-wheel drive paired to the entry level trims in the USA, but is available with the S in Canada. In the United States, the SV AWD begins at a price of $29,440 USD ($33,628 CAD for S AWD)—a bit more than the entry level AWD Camry. In total, Nissan offers all-wheel drive on three trim levels of the Altima.

Continuing the list of mid-size sedans offering all-wheel drive is the Kia K5. All-new for the 2021 model year, it now offers all-wheel drive on just one trim level, the GT-Line. It includes a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine making 180 hp paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The GT-Line starts at a price of $29,845 USD, putting it right in line with higher trim AWD versions of the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima. Surprisingly, the K5 launched with all-wheel drive while its corporate sibling the Hyundai Sonata waited until 2024 to add it.

The K5 is no longer available in Canada, after quietly bowing out in late 2023.

The Subaru Legacy is the ubiquitous all-wheel mid-size sedan. Having been on sale since 1989, the Legacy has always been available with AWD, and has only come that way for the past two decades. It’s the lowest-priced mid-size sedan to offer all-wheel drive, starting at a price of $26,015 USD. The Subie is the only car in its class to have all-wheel drive as standard, paired to a 182 hp four-cylinder engine. If that’s not enough, unlike its competitors, the Legacy offers AWD with an upgraded engine, a 260 hp turbocharged unit in Legacy XT. This model is called GT in Canada, and it's the only remaining Legacy up north, for $45,390 CAD. Both engines come paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission.

Hyundai launched the current Sonata for the 2020 model year, with divisive looks and a pair of similarly-powered engines: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder. For 2024 the largest Hyundai sedan gets a sleek makeover, ditches the 1.6L, and gains available AWD. That better aligns the Korean model with the rest of the segment: it's now only the Honda Accord and (ancient) Chevrolet Malibu that soldier on as front-drive-only. (There is also the high-performance N Line, which keeps its 290-horsepower, 2.5-liter turbo power going through the front wheels.)

Chock-full of tech and featuring a spacious cabin, the Sonata remains one of the most affordable options on this list, clocking in at $30,150 ($34,524 CAD for the Preferred Trend AWD).

If a relatively affordable all-wheel drive compact performance sedan is what is required, there’s the Subaru WRX. All-new for the 2022 model year, the WRX continues the rally-bred car’s tradition. It now features a new 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four engine making 271 hp. It continues to be offered with either a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission, both of which power all four wheels. Pricing for the performance sedan starts at $30,600 USD ($32,720 CAD).

Subaru is not alone in offering a compact sedan with all-wheel drive as it is now also available on the latest Mazda3. Unlike the Impreza, the Mazda3 does not offer all-wheel drive with the base engine or entry level trim package. To acquire AWD, the 2.5-liter engine is required at a starting price of $29,665 USD ($30,445 CAD). This is a more powerful 186 hp engine, and the Mazda isn’t just targeting the Impreza. The WRX is also firmly in the car’s crosshairs as the available 250 hp turbocharged engine comes standard with all-wheel drive. Sadly though, no manual transmission is available on any AWD Mazda3.

A different take on all-wheel drive compact sedans is the Toyota Corolla Hybrid AWD. As the name suggests, the Corolla is powered by a fuel-sipping 134 hp hybrid system powering the front wheels. The all-wheel drive part comes from Toyota calls e-AWD. It utilizes a 30 kW electric motor on the rear wheels to help provide additional grip when the front wheels slip at low speeds.

Although it is not a true AWD setup, it still offers the same benefits when driving in slippery conditions around town. It’s also the most fuel efficient all-wheel drive sedan currently on sale as well. Pricing for the Corolla Hybrid AWD starts at $25,295 UDS ($29,310 CAD).

It's true: Toyota offers no fewer than four different sedans with AWD. That includes the stylish fifth-generation Prius, which debuted for 2023. The latest Prius sacrifices a wee bit of cabin and cargo space for a vastly improved look, not to mention genuinely enjoyable driving dynamics. The front-drive model pairs a 2.0-liter gas engine with a hybrid setup for 194 hp; the AWD model slings an electric motor on the rear axle, for a combined 196 hp. There's also the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, though that model sticks to front-drive only. Meanwhile, Canada only offers the regular Prius with AWD.

Pricing starts from $30,445 USD for the LE model, or $39,510 in Canada (for XLE AWD).