10:34 11-09-2025

Bare-bones base trims in 2025: the most spartan cars

Even in 2025, the global market still offers cars whose base trims are strikingly bare-bones. Carmakers deliberately strip equipment to flaunt a rock-bottom price in ads, while real comfort appears only on the options list. Experts at SPEEDME.RU have put together a roster of models whose entry versions look especially spartan.

Lada Granta

The Standard trim remains a study in austerity: you get a driver’s airbag, ABS, and electric power steering. There’s no air conditioning and no audio at all—the dashboard is a blank panel with placeholder caps. It’s transport in its purest form, nothing more.

Lada Niva Legend

The Classic configuration is almost devoid of amenities. Power windows and ISOFIX are on the menu, but there’s no AC and no modern safety systems. In essence, it’s the same old Niva formula, with charm that’s nostalgic and ergonomics that feel frozen in time.

Dacia Sandero SCe 65 Essential

Priced aggressively in Europe, it keeps kit to a minimum: a smartphone holder stands in for a multimedia unit, there’s no air conditioning, and the 0–100 km/h sprint takes 17 seconds. Efficiency over excitement—that’s the compromise here.

Renault Kwid RXE

Built for India and Latin America, the RXE does without AC and even front power windows. Only higher trims restore the features most drivers now consider basic. The point is clear: the price tag leads the pitch.

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 STD

One of the world’s cheapest cars, it offers hydraulic power steering and air conditioning in the base version, but the cabin is stark, sound insulation is minimal, and there’s no infotainment system. Everyday driving quickly reminds you what “base” really means.

Mitsubishi Mirage ES

In the U.S., this subcompact brings a no-frills interior with hard plastics and a lethargic 78-hp engine. Yes, there’s a screen with CarPlay, but the overall feel remains decidedly budget, from materials to dynamics.

Nissan Versa S

The most affordable sedan in North America comes with a screen and electronic driver aids even in base form, yet skips familiar comforts like heated seats, leather trim, or a surround-view camera. Sensible and honest, but hardly indulgent.

Fiat Mobi Like

Brazil’s most accessible car delivers just the essentials: air conditioning, central locking, and power windows. Everything else costs extra, underscoring how tightly the entry price is controlled.

Wuling Hongguang Mini EV

An ultra-cheap Chinese EV with a single airbag and a tiny battery good for about 120 km of range. As a city hopper, it makes a case on price alone; beyond that, expectations should be modest.

Citroen C3 Live

For India and South America, it pairs a stylish body with a bare interior: manual AC, no multimedia, and a plastic blank where the screen would be. Looks catch the eye; equipment doesn’t.

Base versions like these exist less for daily life and more to lure buyers with a seductive sticker price. In practice, living with a car that lacks air conditioning or even a head unit is a stretch for many in 2025. These trims work better as marketing tools than as genuinely smart buys.