What features would you cut to cut car costs

The average new car in the U.S. now costs around $50,000. Higher tariffs, mandatory safety equipment, and ever-larger vehicle designs are pushing prices up, while automakers produce fewer models each year. That has left many buyers considering giving up some features to bring the price down.

Used cars aren’t much cheaper at roughly $30,000.

What drivers say they’d give up

A recent online discussion asked exactly that question, and the answers were long and specific. Participants listed features they’d happily lose for a cheaper car. The list is striking in its consistency: people want less technology, not more.

Safety nannies topped many lists.

Lane departure warnings, blind spot monitoring, and collision alerts were singled out. ‘If you’re actually paying attention to your driving, you don’t need these things,’ one commenter wrote. Another agreed, though they noted that removing such features would require changes to NHTSA regulations.

Related: Koenigsegg Jesko smashes quarter-mile speed record

Infotainment screens were another common target. ‘Give me an analog gauge and a phone mount,’ one person said. Others wanted no screen at all — just a stereo with Bluetooth and a place to mount a phone.

Power seats, sunroofs, and heated seats were considered non-essential.

‘The entire reason everybody loves heated seats is because leather and fake leather absolutely suck in the cold,’ one driver pointed out, suggesting they’d be fine with fabric seats instead.

Auto stop-start, paddle shifters, and other annoyances

Auto stop-start systems and cylinder deactivation drew nearly universal criticism.

So did paddle shifters on non-sporty cars. ‘Unless it’s a 430 Scud, it doesn’t need an F1-style box,’ another driver said. ‘Manual or auto, I don’t need to pretend I’m Lewis Hamilton while driving a Blazer.’

Large wheels with expensive tires were another frustration.

Related: Rare Vintage Cars and Motorcycles For Sale Online

Drivers asked for smaller wheels with more sidewall — cheaper to produce and replace. Transmissions with more than six gears were also on the chopping block. ‘Oh, so I want a pre-Tesla era car,’ a participant summed up.

One participant wanted to scrap the automated tech entirely: self-driving features, AI, and anything that tracks driving data. ‘I’ll sacrifice the manufacturer tracking me and selling my driving data for free,’ they wrote.

A separate thread focused on power-adjustable components.

‘I’m the only one that drives my truck 99.99% of the time,’ one driver said. ‘Power seats, power steering wheel, power pedals — they were set ages ago and left alone.’ Power sliding doors and power tailgates on trucks were also called unnecessary.

Size matters more than gadgets

Several commenters didn’t mention features at all. They pointed to vehicle size as the real problem. ‘I just hate that every vehicle has to get bigger and bigger,’ one person wrote. They compared a first-generation Subaru Outback — 185 inches long — to a current model that’s 6 inches longer, 7 inches wider, and 5 inches taller. The older Outback could fit in a single-car garage alongside a Civic, with room left over. Now, the new Outback barely fits alone.

That sentiment was common.

Related: Consider Hybrid For 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross

Many drivers said they’d sacrifice size and weight before they’d give up basic comfort or safety.

The discussion also touched on how much of the price increase is driven by regulations — crash standards, emissions equipment, and pedestrian safety rules all add cost. Removing features like screens or sunroofs would save some money, but not as much as downsizing the entire vehicle.

A tough trade-off for automakers

It’s easy to say you’d ditch heated seats or a moonroof.

The harder question is whether automakers would actually pass those savings to buyers. In recent years, the industry has shifted toward higher-margin, feature-rich vehicles. A stripped-down model might sell for less, but it could also undercut profits on more expensive trims.

A participant framed the problem differently, calling capitalism a feature they would gladly sacrifice.