The Best AWD Cars for Under $10K in 2025

by Craig Fitzgerald

Up until fairly recently, if you wanted an all-wheel drive (AWD) sedan, your choices either possessed an Audi or Subaru badge. However, after these two brands cleaned up in the snowier parts of our fine country, other automakers began to catch on and offer new cars with four drive wheels of their own.

Now, most manufacturers offer all-wheel-drive cars. Many have made their way onto the used car market, too, and a good number can be had for under $10,000.

We won’t cover off-road capable and overlanding rigs here, like Jeeps, but will instead detail just a handful of sedans and hatchbacks that offer a bit more assurance on snow and ice. We’ll steer clear of anything front-wheel drive (FWD)—even if it’s known for being good in the snow—as well as higher-end sports cars like the Porsche Carrera 4 coupe taht come with much higher price tags. Some of the following models may have higher mileage to meet our $10,000 cap, but with good service history and attentive ownership, they’ve got plenty of life left. Here are some of the best cars that won’t break the bank.

The Best AWD Cars for Under $10K in 2025

2005 Acura RL SH-AWD

Acura RL

Best for: Those who appreciate well-made, understated Japanese luxury

The RL is the car the world forgot. In its all-time best year (1997) Acura sold 16,004 units. By 2007, it was down to 6,262, and fell like a stone thereafter.

It’s too bad, because it’s an interesting all-wheel-drive (AWD) vehicle. This is a car unique to Acura here in the United States. There is no Honda counterpart. The engine is mounted longitudinally, unlike most FWD cars which have the engine mounted transversely under the hood. It was the perfect platform for AWD, which arrived in the 2005 model year. It was the first AWD drivetrain to not only split torque front-to-rear, but side-to-side, which offered better handling, giving the car its “SH-AWD” badge for “Super Handling All-Wheel Drive” whether it was snowy or dry.

Despite being rare, you’ll find RLs for sale in your area, and if it snows at all where you live, they’ll likely be AWD models.

2014 Audi A4 Preview summaryImage

Audi A4 quattro

Best for: Driving enthusiasts dealing with all weather conditions

We couldn’t compile this list without discussing one of the most beloved all-wheel-drive (AWD) sedans of all time: The Audi A4. Audi was among the first automakers to throw awd systems in its lineup. Dubbed quattro, this special-sauce drivetrain has proven time and time again that consumers can have their cake and eat it when it comes to driving comfortable European coupes, subcompacts, compacts, and mid-size sedans in rain, snow, or ice.

In particular, the 2009 to 2016 model year generation is regarded as a solid one. When equipped with the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four powertrain, this upmarket Volkswagen is a fun yet thrifty way to get around, and models were available with a manual transmission to up the fun factor even further. Output is rated at 210 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, and it’ll reach the 60 mph mark in 6.4 seconds. Not the swiftest modern European sedan, and it’s a little slow off the line thanks to turbo lag, but it makes up for it with good poise and overall handling on any twisty road.

Additionally, its a very nice place to be with good interior materials quality and overall visibility, and its rear seats are comfortable and allow for occupants of all statures to fit. Keeping visits to the gas station to a minimum during cold and blustery winter months, EPA-rated gas mileage comes in at 21 mpg city and 27 mpg highway—a shade better than its BMW 3 Series competition.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Audi-A4-d25

2006 Dodge Charger SXT

Dodge Charger SXT

Best for: Fans of rear-drive-biased American sedans

The Charger SXT was kind of revolutionary when it arrived. Suddenly, you could buy a cool-looking sedan for relatively little money and get decent performance and all-wheel drive (AWD) as part of the package.

The plasticky interior was the car's downfall. Starting in the 2013 model year, newer Chargers offered a much nicer cabin, but you’re going to pay extra for those newer models, which generally trend a shade over our $10,000 cap when fitted with AWD. They’re probably worth the money, but we’re sticking with the plan here.

The Charger was a well-equipped car regardless of trim level. We like the SXT because it throws in a bunch of additional equipment, plus the SE wasn’t available with AWD. And don’t sleep on the former police cars. In recent model years, they were your only way to get AWD and the 5.7-liter V8 engine together. If you can deal with the spartan back seat, those old patrol units are hilariously fun.

2013 Ford Taurus Preview summaryImage

Ford Taurus Limited

Best for: Anyone who never wants to ever draw attention to themselves

The Taurus is never going to be on anyone’s “must have” list. But if you’re looking for a solid, reliable, comfortable sedan that will easily fit five people, the Taurus is pretty much it until you get into the top-tier luxury cars like the Lexus LS500—and you’re not going to find one of those for under $10k.

With 263 horsepower on tap from the 3.5-liter V6 engine, these are good performers, but they’re a lot larger than you might expect. Don’t look for a lot of fuel savings here. Its 20 MPG combined fuel economy is worse than you could expect from a Crown Victoria. But the AWD makes it a go-anywhere winter car for short money.

2007 Infiniti M35x

Infiniti M35x

Best for: Big, comfortable luxury value

This is more or less Infiniti’s answer to the forgotten Acura RL, a car that only 12 people seem to remember being produced. And like the Acura, there’s no counterpart from Infiniti’s sibling mainstream brand, which is Nissan, in this case.

The M35x's styling is rather plain, but the whole car is too weird not to love. You’ll see roughly 27 Infiniti G37s on your ride to work, but you won’t see an M35 more than once a month. Prior to the Great Recession, the M35 sold at a reasonable pace, somewhere around 25,000 units a year. After that, the numbers fell off the face of the earth. By 2015, just 5,000 a year were finding homes.

With that in mind, you may need to travel for an M35x—the AWD version-but the travel will be worth it. You could conceivably drive this car for another 15 years without issue.

2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Preview summaryImage

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Best for: German luxury aficionados

Mercedes-Benz introduced the W204 C-Class for the 2008 model year. This generation of C-Class is a beautiful vehicle inside and out. W204s are a lot better looking than the blob-lensed W203 cars that preceded them, and feel much more modern inside than those cars, too.

These cars are solid and reliable, but you want to find someone who knows what they’re doing to work on them, and you have to keep up with the maintenance. The reason a lot of these cars are so reasonably priced is that a lot of second owners deferred maintenance. Sure, parts are expensive, but have you priced out a set of brake rotors for a 2011 Ford Fusion lately?

Regardless of where you live, you should be able to find plenty of C-Class models for sale within 50 miles, and with less than 100,000 miles on the clock. With many priced well under our $10,000 price cap, even before beginning a negotiation, you're looking at Mazda money for a Mercedes-Benz.

2008 Subaru Impreza Test Drive Review safetyImage

Subaru Impreza 5-Door

Best for: Outdoor and rally racing enthusiasts alike

Ok, we mentioned that Subaru is one of the original players in this arena, and here it is. There is no more plentiful AWD vehicle in North America than the Impreza. In a good year, Subaru is capable of selling more than 40,000 of these. The Impreza has been offered in both sedan and hatchback body styles, but Impreza hatchbacks in particular are readily available just about everywhere, and they split the difference between a sedan and a crossover in terms of cargo space. We especially like the barebones approach of every generation’s base model, too.

Depending on who you talk to, a Subaru is either reliable or it’s not. There are plenty of people who will tell you their head gaskets failed. On the other hand, Experian will tell you that the vast majority of Subaru Imprezas built in the last decade are still tooling around, which is more than the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic or Mazda3. Maybe that says more about their owners than the car itself, but it’s something to think about. Ultimately, this is one of the most popular AWD cars on sale, and there’s a good reason for it.

2010 Subaru Legacy Preview summaryImage

Subaru Legacy

Best for: Those in search of a reasonable midsize sedan with added grip

This is another forgotten car, although not quite to the extent of the Acura RL. You’ll see attention given to the Subaru Forester, the WRX, the Outback, the Crosstrek... but the Legacy? Who drives one? Plenty of people, judging by the numbers. Before the world turned its gaze away from sedans, you could count on 60,000 Legacys finding new driveways every year. That’s good news for used car shoppers, and you don’t have to hunt for one with AWD because they all have it. Unfortunately, 2025 will be the last year for this all-wheel-drive (AWD) Subaru sedan.

A $10k budget will definitely find you a pre-owned example, and the headlamps will definitely need to be polished because every one we looked at had cloudy lenses. But if that’s the worst of your issues, you’re doing pretty well. Additionally, their reliability has been solid over the years.

When shopping for a Subaru Legacy, expect a comfortable ride and a truly sensible commuter car to use for all seasons.

Volvo S80

Volvo S80

Best for: Anyone who wants top-level safety equipment in an aesthetically pleasing package

You will find lots of S80s for less than $10k. What you won’t find is lots of S80s with all-wheel drive (AWD). S80s equipped with AWD are a rare breed, but they're worth the hunt.

After all, you need only one car. And if it’s the right one in good condition with low mileage for a fair price, you should be willing to go retrieve it. Unlike a lot of cars from the 2005 era, the S80 doesn’t feel old inside. You won’t find big touchscreens or fancy flat panel information clusters, but in its own way, the S80 still feels modern today with its comfortable leather front seats, nice materials, and chic overall design. And there isn’t a new car built in 2025—unless its another Volvo—with seats that feel this good for this kind of money. EPA-rated fuel efficiency hits 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway—not the most efficient on this list, but its bank-vault-like driving experience definitely makes up for that.

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Craig began his automotive writing career in 1996, at AutoSite.com, one of the first online resources for car buyers. Over the years, he's written for the Boston Globe, Forbes, and Hagerty. For seven years, he was the editor at Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car, and today, he's the automotive editor at Drive magazine. He's dad to a son and daughter, and plays rude guitar in a garage band in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Peter Nelson is a freelance automotive journalist based in Los Angeles. He covers every corner of the automotive industry, but is particularly passionate about anything that's fun-to-drive. His bylines can be found on The Drive, Robb Report, J.D. Power, Grassroots Motorsports, Donut Media, Ars Technica, Winding Road Magazine, The Autopian and more. In his spare time he enjoys attending track days in his BMW 128i, as well as cycling all over Southern California.

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