4 SUVs with Adaptive Cruise Control for Under $30,000

Photos by Multiple Manufacturers

Article QuickTakes:

• Honda HR-V
• Mazda CX-30
• Nissan Kicks
• Toyota C-HR

There was a time when you'd have to pay a pretty penny if you were looking for SUVs with adaptive cruise control (ACC). Initially, only the more expensive vehicles offered this feature. But over time, ACC trickled down to less expensive models and became more widely accessible.

Adaptive cruise control is intended to automate certain aspects of your driving experience, helping make time spent behind the wheel simpler and less demanding. It's designed to automatically adjust your speed so you can maintain a safe and consistent distance behind the vehicle that's immediately ahead. It can help you stay within the speed limit on highway commutes, and because it governs the car's velocity, it's intended to free you from having to manipulate the brake and gas pedals.

If you're on a budget and are currently shopping for SUVs with adaptive cruise control, this list is for you. The four SUVs in our roundup offer this feature for an MSRP of under $30,000, including destination charge.

We know adaptive cruise control is just one of many amenities that interest modern car buyers. With that in mind, we used these parameters to guide the choices on our list:

• Safety features: The vehicle offers at least three safety features, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning or monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, or lane-keeping assist
• Technology and comfort features: The vehicle offers at least three technology features, including Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, in-car Wi-Fi, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry, or keyless ignition

Our choices are in alphabetical order, and we've listed pricing for the most recent model year available at time of publication. Finally, next to each feature that is unavailable or optional on the base trim, we've noted in parentheses the least expensive trim offering the corresponding nicety as standard equipment.

Honda

Honda HR-V

The Honda HR-V's base LX trim starts at around $23,000, and the Sport spec starts at about $25,000. Last but not least, the EX grade begins at roughly $26,000 and comes with adaptive cruise control.

• Safety features: forward collision mitigation (EX), blind-spot monitoring (EX models come with Honda LaneWatch, which presents a camera view of what's in your blind spot), and lane-keeping assist (EX).
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration (Sport), keyless entry, and keyless ignition (EX).

Mazda

Mazda CX-30

The Mazda CX-30 is a subcompact SUV that starts at around $23,000, and it's the smaller sibling to the popular CX-5. The base CX-30 2.5 S trim comes standard with adaptive cruise control. You can get additional features with the Select trim, which kicks off at about $25,000.

• Safety features: forward collision mitigation, blind-spot warning (Select), rear cross-traffic alert (Select), and lane-keeping assist.
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, in-car Wi-Fi, dual-zone automatic climate control (Select), keyless entry, and keyless ignition.

Nissan

Nissan Kicks

Starting at roughly $21,000 for the base S trim, the Kicks is Nissan's subcompact SUV. The upgraded SV trim comes standard with adaptive cruise control and starts at around $23,000.

• Safety features: forward collision mitigation, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, keyless entry, and keyless ignition.

Toyota

Toyota C-HR

The C-HR subcompact crossover in base XLE trim starts around $25,000. Next up is the Limited spec, and it starts at roughly $28,000. Adaptive cruise control is standard on the XLE.

• Safety features: standard forward collision mitigation, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keeping assist
• Tech and comfort features: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, in-car Wi-Fi, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry, and keyless ignition

Adaptive cruise control can help ease your driving experience and keep you safe on the road, especially when coupled with additional safety features like lane-keeping assist or forward collision mitigation. If you think one of these SUVs with adaptive cruise control is right for you, take it for a test drive before signing on the dotted line.