Early automobiles like Carl Benz’ Patent Motorwagen and Henry Ford’s Model T couldn’t keep up with the world’s fastest horses, but in the century-plus since those primitive vehicles took the roads, things have changed quite a bit. Several modern supercars can top the 250 mile per hour mark, and the Tesla Model S Plaid has three electric motors that combine for over 1,000 horsepower and a 0 to 60 time in the low two-second range. Not every car on the road can take you to ludicrous speed, though. There are plenty of cars available for sale in the United States today that struggle to get up to highway speeds, thanks to engines that might be better suited to motorcycles or boats than to four-wheeled vehicles.
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This list would be longer if market demand hadn’t led to the discontinuation of several low-powered cars over the last decade or so. The Scion iQ was dropped after 2015, Toyota dumped the Yaris and its hatchback twin five years later, and the Honda Insight hybrid and Chevrolet Spark didn’t live to see 2023. We scoured the catalogs of every carmaker with dealerships in the United States to find you the slowest and lowest-powered cars still available today, although these five models are far from being unredeemable stinkers.
The Nissan Kicks isn’t meant for spririted driving
Bobby Troup credits his wife Cynthia with coming up with the lyrics, “Get your kicks on Route 66,” but the song that featured that line didn’t become famous until it was recorded by the likes of Nat King Cole, The Rolling Stones, and Asleep at the Wheel. It’s unclear if Nissan was making a callback to “Route 66” when they brought the Kicks to North America in 2018, but the Kicks provided very little in the way of driving enjoyment. The original model had a 125-horsepower, 1.6 liter inline four-cylinder engine that took 9.7 seconds to get the crossover from 0 to 60.
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The Kicks still sold well, peaking at 83,000 units in 2021. It underwent a major redesign for the 2025 model year, including an upgrade to a 2-liter inline four that puts out 140 horsepower and 141 lb-ft of torque. Nissan hasn’t released an official 0 to 60 time for the Kicks, and most major outlets haven’t put it through a timed test; presumably because its target market is likely more interested in features and comfort than flat-out performance. Car and Driver estimated its 0 to 60 sprint at 9.5 to 9.8 seconds, which is well short of peppy. SlashGear’s Cameron Aubernon got a preview of the 2025 Kicks back in September, and judged it a good value at between $21,830 and $27,680 depending on trim level.
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The Mitsubishi Mirage is on its way out, slowly
The Mitsubishi Mirage hung on just long enough to make this list. This compact crossover is still available as a 2024 model, although it won’t be back to U.S. dealerships in 2025. The 2024 version is powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that produces just 78 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque. It’s intended to be an easy-handling and economical city car, and delivers on both fronts. Mitsubishi claims that it provides 39 miles per gallon of combined fuel efficiency, but with a 0 to 60 time of around 12 seconds, you’ll probably want to stay clear of any highway on-ramps.
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The curb-to-curb turning circle of just 30.2 feet makes it a great city commuter, though, and you can still drive one home in any of the five available trims for under $19,000. For that modest price, you get 47 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded flat, and a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The 2024 Mirage also has an active stability control system to keep you on the road when it’s slippery, and seven airbags to protect you in the event of a crash.
The Corolla Hybrid is the wimpiest of several Corollas available
The Toyota Corolla has been on the market for over a half century, and is now the best-selling car model of all time, at more than 50 million units. The 2025 Corolla lineup includes sedan, Cross (small SUV), hatchback, Hybrid, GR (performance), and Cross Hybrid versions. The one with the weakest powertrain is the Hybrid, which has a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that cranks out just 138 horsepower and 105 lb-ft of torque. Edmunds clocked it at 9.6 seconds from 0 to 60, which will leave you lagging behind the latest Prius by almost two seconds.
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While it won’t win you many drag races, the Corolla Hybrid delivers as much as 53 miles per gallon in the city and 46 on the highway for its modest base price of $23,625 in the low-end LE trim. The priciest version is the XLE, which starts at a still affordable $27,990. The LE and mid-level SE are available in front-or four-wheel drive versions, while XLE buyers are stuck with the two-wheel drivetrain. All Corolla Hybrids come with a 4.2-inch thin-film transistor dash display, Toyota’s Audio Multimedia system via an eight-inch touchscreen, and the Toyota SafetySense 3.0 suite of driver assist features.
The Buick Envista masks its weak engine with decent performance around town
Buick has been making cars since 1903, and outlasted several other General Motors brands like Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Saturn. Buick’s current lineup is packed with crossovers, from the affordable Envista with its starting price of $23,700 to the high-end Enclave Avenir, which will set you back at least $58,000. Each of Buick’s four models — the Envista, Encore GX, Envicion, and Enclave, is available in a Sport Touring and Avenir version, adding features and cost. Every Envista comes with the same 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine, which relies on a turbocharger to produce 137 horsepower. Car and Driver clocked it at 9.3 seconds from 0 to 60, but reported that after a decent 6.7 seconds to 50 miles per hour, “the turbocharged three simply runs out of steam.”
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SlashGear’s Chris Davies drove the 2024 Envista and found that the engine performed “a reasonably convincing impression of a bigger engine.” He found it enough to keep up with highway traffic and judged that it “proved sufficiently perky to avoid feeling like a liability” in the city. The Envista’s interior is its main drawing card, with an 11-inch infotainment screen, Buick’s QuietTuning system with active noise cancellation, and an available moonroof. There’s also a sizable suite of driver-assist features, including parking assist and a collision avoidance system with automatic braking and pedestrian detection capabilities.
The Nissan Versa’s engine leaves a bit to be desired
Nissan gets the unenviable honor of being the only manufacturer to land two models on this list. The 2025 Versa comes in S, SV, and SR trims, all of which are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque. In comparison, Harley-Davidson’s Screamin’ Eagle V-twin is capable of providing 143 lb-ft of torque. The Versa S is budget-friendly with a starting price of just $17,190, and the top-end Versa SR is still affordable at just $4,000 more.
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The SR comes standard with heated front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, via the eight-inch touchscreen, and four USB ports and a wireless charging pad to keep your smartphone powered up. Safety features include a rearview camera, rear cross-traffic alert with automated braking, and a blind spot warning system. Motor Trend timed the Versa SR at 9.5 seconds from 0-60. That puts it somewhere in the middle of this plodding pack, although it’s still a well-appointed car for the price.
