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Looking to buy a pre-owned vehicle? Check out our top 10 picks for the best used cars in Canada for value, from family sedans and minivans to luxury cars.
Honda Accord photo by Carpages.ca
Buying a car is one of the biggest purchases Canadians make, so there’s a lot to consider. Often, the first question is “Should I buy new or used?” While there’s obvious appeal to owning a new vehicle, in many cases it makes sense to buy used. Not only is buying new pricey, but with the current worldwide supply shortages we’re facing, it can be tricky to get your hands on a new car or truck without waiting months for delivery.
With a little research, you can find plenty of options for good-quality previously driven cars, trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUVs), priced competitively—and ready to drive off the lot.
In collaboration with MoneySense, our expert car reviewers at Carpages.ca have come up with a list of the top 10 used cars for Canadians in 2022. Whether you need a commuter car, a family mover or a work truck, we’ve narrowed down the field to the vehicles we believe offer the best overall value in their category, including:
Our top pick for best-value used car in Canada is the Honda Accord, which continues to hold up its reputation as a safe, reliable and spacious people mover. Not only that, but the Accord offers spirited and enjoyable performance with the kind of styling that other rides in its price range sometimes lack.
Before we turn the key on our picks, let’s talk costs. When comparison-shopping used car prices, remember that unlike new vehicles—which make it easy to compare apples to apples—each used vehicle is unique. The number of kilometres a vehicle has been driven is a key factor, but so are less obvious things, like whether the vehicle has had regular oil changes and maintenance, or how much winter driving the vehicle was subjected to.
For detailed tips on shopping for a used car—including where to buy, costs to consider (fuel economy, auto insurance and more), inspecting the vehicle and negotiating a deal—see our tips below the list of best used cars. There, you’ll also find our methodology for choosing these 10 vehicles.
At Carpages.ca, we’ve long maintained that if everyone drove a Honda Accord, the world would be a better place. This car burst onto the Canadian automotive scene in the late 1970s, and its formula of thoughtfully designed and laid-out interiors, time-tested quality and reliability, and a surprisingly high fun-to-drive quotient make for an elusive combination so many other brands have tried to emulate. Plus, the Accord is very roomy, with tons of space for your stuff and to keep passengers comfortable on long drives. You’ll also see several drivetrain options, and you can even find a hybrid. Manual-drive enthusiasts will love the slick shifting manual gearbox on some models. In 2018, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) picked the Accord as its Canadian Car of the Year.
Read our review of the Honda Accord.
Do you know the bestselling vehicle of all time? It’s Toyota’s venerable Corolla, 50 million of which have found their way to driveways since the car’s debut in 1966. (To put that into perspective, the current population of Canada is 38 million.) The Corolla doesn’t offer much in the way of glamorous styling, edgy handling or neck-snapping acceleration, but it excels masterfully in other metrics, namely reliability, efficiency and an impressive roster of optional equipment. Those who see cars as a means to an end, the way they regard a toaster or other appliance, will gravitate to the Corolla. It never asks anything of its owners other than gasoline and oil changes. It’s a hardworking car, day in and day out, under a huge variety of conditions.
Read our review of the Toyota Corolla.
Most would expect to find the Toyota Prius as the top pick for a pre-owned hybrid, and for good reason—it’s the one that started it all, and it’s an all-around excellent embodiment of the technology. But we think the Ford Escape Hybrid is a better bet, not only because its hybrid inners work as flawlessly as Toyota’s, but also because its compact SUV body style is more appealing to most buyers than a compact sedan.
Canadians can appreciate the four-wheel drive option, which is ideal for navigating treacherous wintery roads. And anyone concerned about long-term reliability really shouldn’t be—the number of Escape Hybrids employed as New York City taxis (a scenario that gives durability engineers nightmares) is the best demonstration of how well these SUVs hold up long after they’ve left the showroom floor.
Read our review of the Ford Escape.
Dancing hamster ads notwithstanding, the Kia Soul has long been a favourite of Canadian drivers shopping for a compact SUV. The first thing that gets most people is the styling; the Soul shares the boxy profile of just about every other SUV, yet Kia’s stylists have managed to inject an appreciable dose of cheer into the little runabout. The interior isn’t nearly as distinctive as the exterior, but that’s a good thing. Everything is where you’d expect it, and the simple infotainment system is more intuitive than what’s in similar vehicles. The Soul’s biggest demerit is that it doesn’t offer all-wheel drive, but a good set of winter tires will get you to your destination even when Jack Frost wakes up petulant and angry.
Read our review of the Kia Soul.
The Chevrolet Suburban is the truck that hatched this genre back in 1934, so it’s fitting that the jumbo SUV template closely followed by its competitors is our pick for best pre-owned large SUV, along with its corporate twin, the GMC Yukon. In 2019, these vehicles received a clean-sheet redesign complete with independent rear suspension, but the current generation is in such high demand that you’ll need to go back a few years (or more) to find a good previously loved example.
These brutes do have an alarming thirst for gasoline, but what they lack in efficiency, they more than make up for in terms of capability. They can fit up to eight people and their gear, and navigate bad weather and shoddy roads, thanks to their robust underpinnings and four-wheel drive—all while towing a large boat.
Read our review of the Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon.
These days, more and more people are choosing to indulge themselves, and as a result, pre-owned sports cars are having a moment. Drivers looking for something with a high grins-per-kilometre figure would be perfectly served by anything with a Porsche badge. But those cars aren’t cheap, and they’re increasingly difficult to find due to red-hot demand. Thankfully, the Mazda MX-5 has always been an incredible sports car bargain since it first turned a wheel in 1989. Mazda’s little funster is all about that intimate connection between driver and machine, with enough handling prowess and horsepower to navigate your favourite stretch of backroads—it’s no surprise that AJAC named it the Best Performance Sports Car in 2019. MX-5s are also impeccably built and are lauded for their reliability. What’s not to like?
Read our review of the Mazda MX-5.
Parents, take note: this is the perfect family vehicle. Does it look cool or offer much in the way of luxurious touches? Not really. But it does offer one revelatory feature no other minivan does—Stow n’ Go seating. With a flip of a lever, the seats fold away acrobatically into the floor, neatly disappearing while leaving a cavernous space in their wake. You’ll never have to wonder “Will it fit?”—because it will.
Want more good news? With the current Pacifica model garnering all the headlines (and the lofty price tag to match), Grand Caravans are much easier on the wallet, and they’re widely available, too. They are fairly durable as well—they have to be, to stand up to the abuses a hockey team subjects them to on the way to practice—but because Chrysler built so many of them, parts are generally cheap.
Read our review of the Dodge Grand Caravan.
Fun fact: If Ford only sold the F-150 and abandoned the rest of its vast portfolio of vehicular offerings, it would still be a successful Fortune 500 company. That’s because the F-150 pickup truck finds itself atop the list of most popular vehicles in North America year after year. And these days, it’s no longer the exclusive domain of contractors and tradespeople. With its dizzying array of body configurations, trim levels and drivetrains (transmission, driveshaft, axles and wheels), there is an F-150 for everyone. Its popularity is also attributed to its robust build quality and reliability—owners report few problems of concern despite the punishment they subject their trucks to. The 2015 model and newer are particularly good bets because Ford switched to military-grade aluminum for the bodies, making rust a thing of the past. And not that this truck needs more praise, but AJAC named the F-150 the Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year in 2015.
Read our review of the Ford F-150.
When the Lexus brand made its debut in 1989, it floored competitors with a compelling blend of lower pricing, reliability and handsome styling inside and out. It caused legions of drivers who owned premium cars from other companies to question their life choices, often while sitting in the customer lounge of their local dealership for yet another issue.
The ES series has long been a stalwart of the Lexus portfolio, and for good reason. It gives entry-level buyers a chance to own a luxury car at a tidy price. It doesn’t hurt that the ES offers a variety of drivetrain choices including a hybrid and all-wheel drive, and these cars are well equipped and beautifully assembled. Two more points in the ES’s favour: its unimpeachable record of reliability and its 2018 AJAC award for Best Safety Innovation, including pedestrian detection and more.
Read our review of the Lexus ES.
The drawback in driving anything with a Genesis badge is having to explain its stealth excellence to those who ask about it—and plenty will, if you snag a pre-owned G90. This full-size sedan has swagger but manages to balance it with tasteful restraint. Every single bell and whistle shows up for duty in the interior because the G90 has always come fully loaded. You can choose a V8 or turbocharged V6 engine and HTRAC all-wheel drive, which has a loyal following here in Canada. No matter the drivetrain, the Genesis G90 pours itself down the road in serene comfort and silence. Thankfully, the same attention to detail that went into the G90’s aesthetics and equipment also made its way into the engineering; this car ages gracefully and with minimal issues to report.
Read our review of the Genesis G90.
To avoid buyer’s remorse, here’s what to consider when shopping for a used car, truck or SUV.
The first question is whether to buy from a private seller or a registered car dealer.
When buying a vehicle privately, you buy “as is”—and if the seller misleads you about the car’s history or condition, or if anything goes wrong after the purchase, you have no recourse whatsoever. Buying from a registered dealer gives you access to more protections and services.
The bottom line: Dealer prices might be a bit higher than those on classified advertising sites, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Once you’ve decided on a vehicle, shop around to get a feel for current prices. Then break out your calculator: there’s more to a vehicle’s cost than its sticker price. Add up the overall cost to own, including insurance, gas, maintenance, taxes and—if you’re getting a car loan—interest fees.
Before financing your purchase, compare the rates offered at the dealership and your bank. Most dealers offer financing on used vehicles for most buyers, regardless of credit rating, and they help to arrange loans with prime or subprime lenders.
As with any big-ticket item, you should be aware of the warning signs that a vehicle may not be worth buying.
Never rely solely on what anyone tells you about a used car’s history or condition. Again, ask for a Carfax report, and learn to look for simple signs of excessive wear and you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble.
When negotiating with a dealer or private seller, keep these things in mind:
Read more tips on preparing to negotiate.
The car review team at Carpages.ca has road-tested and written about hundreds of vehicles. We’ve condensed our expertise into this used car buying guide to help you make the best purchase decision.
When selecting our picks for the best used cars of 2022, the team considered each vehicle’s reliability, fuel efficiency and driving enjoyment. The sum of these factors determines the overall value of the vehicle when compared to other vehicles in the same category.
In addition, we’ve included the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) awards for certain vehicles on the list. These prestigious awards are given out each year by AJAC’s members, who identify the best new vehicles in various categories through a rigorous testing program and a ballot-based rating system.
If a link has an asterisk (*) at the end of it, that means it's an affiliate link and can sometimes result in a payment to MoneySense (owned by Ratehub Inc.) which helps our website stay free to our users. It's important to note that our editorial content will never be impacted by these links. We are committed to looking at all available products in the market, and where a product ranks in our article or whether or not it's included in the first place is never driven by compensation. For more details read our MoneySense Monetization policy.
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