JD Power's latest reliability survey names the 2026 Lexus IS as the most dependable car overall, scoring an impressive Quality & Reliability rating of 91/100, which qualifies it for a "Best" ranking, according to the consumer watchdog group. Unfortunately, for us bargain-hunters, a 2026 IS starts at $46,795 for an entry-level 350 F Sport Design model.If you're after a deal, you're probably not willing to spend more than $35,000 on a new car. Does that mean you have to compromise on reliability? Absolutely not. There are some real winners out there for well under that cut-off, with the $27,995 Buick Encore GX Preferred leading the pack.For the purposes of this overview, the most reliable vehicles under $35,000 have been selected based on the highest Quality & Reliability rating, according to JD Power, under the price cut-off, within their own segment, or across the entire industry. Maintenance costs and common expenses have been included, as well. The Most Reliable Cheap Car Is A Mildly Premium SUV Buick Good news; the most reliable cheap car this model year isn't some boring, undersized sedan, but the Buick Encore GX. It's not the most powerful vehicle on the road, but the top-spec trim – with its leather seats and heated steering wheel – offers a luxury-lite experience for just $33,495. Adding all-wheel drive to the Avenir will push us just over the limit, at $35,095, but even without that option, we're getting plenty of car for under $35,000.The base engine will take around 10 seconds to get up to 60 mph. The 1.3-liter engine found in the Sport Touring and Avenir trims is a little quicker, at around 8.8 seconds. The Preferred and Sport Touring trims both pack a CVT, which, in our last review, for the 2025 model year, we found underwhelming.If you want the most driver-friendly version of this SUV, all three trims are available with the 1.3-liter engine, and the 1.3-liter engine is always paired to all-wheel drive and a 9-speed automatic transmission. The sweet spot would be a $30,795 AWD Sport Touring, with 18-inch gloss black aluminum wheels, remote start, and an 11-inch touchscreen. The Avenir Offers A Luxury-Lite Experience, Emphasis On "Lite" Buick No matter the trim, there's no mistaking the Encore GX for a Cadillac Escalade, but, in the Avenir, you've got heated leather seats, an 11-inch touchscreen, keyless entry, and remote start, all for under $35,000. It's not a true luxury car, even fully loaded, but it's a bit cushier than you expect for the price. Exactly How Reliable Is The Buick Encore GX? Buick The Buick Encore GX makes our pick for most-reliable under $35,000 based on its JD Power Quality & Reliability rating of 90/100, which was the highest score we could turn up for a vehicle with a base MSRP under $35,000, in any segment. Buick ranks as JD Power's favorite mainstream automaker for 2026 (coming in just behind Lexus for most dependable overall), so this should come as no surprise.JD Power's Q&R ratings are based on frequency of mechanical malfunction moreso than severity. To get an idea of how that translates to the headaches you might or might not experience owning this car, we can turn to CarEdge, which estimates a maintenance cost of $2,756 for the first five years of ownership, and RepairPal, which lists the following as the most expensive common fixes... Exhaust manifold replacement $1,341–$1,666 Starter replacement $1,021–$1,257 Exhaust manifold gasket replacement $868–$1,269 Air conditioning refrigerant pressure sensor replacement $476–$641 Throttle body replacement $266–$328 CarComplaints Shows Very Few Issues With Any Model Year CarComplaints According to CarComplaints, the most troubled model year, by volume, is the 2020 Encore GX, with just five complaints on file. The most worrying is the 2025 model year, with a single complaint for lane assist malfunction. Unfortunately, the driver provided no details on the problem besides the fact that the issue first occurred at 50 miles.The worst issue we could find for the 2026 model year was a single complaint for a "service stabilitrak" warning, at 1,000 miles. Again, no further details were provided, so there's not much to report on the matter.Finally, the NHTSA shows zero complaints, recalls, or investigations for the 2026 Buick Encore GX. No news is good news, in our book, and we've found no reason to try and poke any holes inJD Power's 90/100 Q&R rating for the SUV. What If You Don't Want To Drive An SUV? Nissan Not everyone wants an SUV. If you clicked on this article hoping that it would be a pickup or a sedan in first place, we've got you covered with a pick for each segment. The Nissan Altima Comes In A Single Point Shy Of Most-Reliable Nissan We're going on JD Power's latest rating for the Nissan Altima, which was for the 2025 model year, when it earned an 89/100. If it scores a few extra points in its next review, it could easily take the top spot the next time we revisit this subject.The base Altima packs a 188-hp 2.5-liter straight-four paired to a CVT in front-wheel drive. The cheapest all-wheel drive model, the SV AWD, starts at $30,325, well below our $35,000 cut-off.Your best-spec for under $35,000 is going to be an SR Midnight Edition with all-wheel drive, bringing our total MSRP up to $34,525. We can even add some $430 illuminated kickplates, and we're at $34,955, so we can pick up some Burger King on the way home and still not go over our cut-off. The Hyundai Santa Cruz Leads The Pickup Segment For Affordable Reliability Hyundai We're on record naming the Hyundai Santa Cruz as one of the most underrated pickup trucks on the market for a long list of reasons. Well here's a few more: It's a hassle-free pickup that's cheap to maintain.The base Santa Cruz packs a 2.5-liter straight-four delivering 191 hp, and towing up to 3,500 lbs. Adding all-wheel drive brings us up to $32,850, leaving us $2,150 short of our $35,000 cut-off. There Are Plenty More Affordable, Dependable Vehicles To Pick From Toyota If you're not happy with any of the models we've listed, for some reason, the following JD Power dependability award winners all sell for less than $35,000.So there you go, that's something for everyone. Or just about everyone, at least. If you're wondering why we didn't list the most reliable minivan, the cheapest one available right now is the Kia Carnival, which starts at $37,390, and has a Q&R rating of 76/100.Meanwhile, all the cheapest base-spec full-size pickups start at just under $40,000 these days, so you're kinda stuck with compact and mid-size pickups if you're on a budget.