What is the cheapest car in America? Until recently, we might have said the Mitsubishi Mirage or the Nissan Versa, but there’s a surprise new contender. This is no penalty box hatchback either. It’s a four-door luxury sedan with cutting-edge looks and a radical powertrain. That’s right—I’m talking about the Toyota Mirai!
As covered by CarsDirect, Toyota has been dishing out massive discounts on 2024 models of its flaghsip fuel cell vehicle. Southern California has seen discounts approaching 70%, dropping the price of a Mirai to less than $17,000. Not only that, but Toyota has been throwing in $15,000 in free fuel to sweeten the deal.
The Mirai was supposed to help Toyota herald in the age of hydrogen transportation. Now it’s sitting firmly in the bargain bin. Let’s explore these crazy deals and how it all went so wrong.
Hot Deal
It’s no surprise these cars are going out cheap, as Mirai sales have slowed to a crawl. Demand for hydrogen cars has never really eventuated and it doesn’t help that you can’t access the fuel in most of the country. Just 499 examples were sold in 2024, compared to 2,737 sold in 2023. The big discounts have been on 2024 models which naturally became less desirable when the calendar flicked over to 2025.
In Southern California, you can save up to $35,000 on a Mirai XLE, which usually retails around $51,325 including destination fees. After the discount, that comes down to around $16,325. That’s enough to make the Mirai the cheapest new car on sale in the United States right now. You’re also getting a whole lot more car for your money compared to the next cheapest entry, with the compact Nissan Versa starting at $18,330 in comparison.
If your tastes are a little more luxurious, you could go with the Limited trim. It starts at $68,250, but discounts up to $43,000 are available. Do the sums, and you’d end up paying around $25,000 and some change.
You want to buy in Southern California to score big. Up in Northern California, you’re only going to get discounts of $25,000 on the XLE and $33,000 on the limited. Stingy, no? Whichever way you go, these offers are available under Toyota’s Finance Subvention Cash program. Basically, they’re cutting you a sweet deal that’s only available with special financing, which is at an attractive 0% APR right now. Throw in $15,000 of free hydrogen fuel, and you’re laughing all the way to the bank.
Sadrogen
It’s worth noting that you don’t actually have to live in California to get this deal. You could fly in from anywhere in the country and pick up a cheap Mirai, no problems. However, you would struggle to drive it far beyond the state border. That’s not because of any laws or regulations, but purely down to the 402-mile range of the Mirai and the limitations of hydrogen infrastructure.
The Department of Energy lists just 54 hydrogen filling stations in the US, 53 of which are in California and 1 in Hawaii. Some of those are currently out of order, too, due to supply disruptions. Based on their locations, you could just about get from the Sacramento filling stop to Reno and back before you ran out of gas (haha, get it?). Alternatively, you could try a trip from LA to Las Vegas, but you’d probably run out of fuel somewhere near Edwards Air Force Base on the way back. Don’t crawl under the razor wire looking for help, they hate it when you do that.
Ultimately, it’s a sad reflection on hydrogen fuel cell technology. It was once touted as the ultimate replacement for gasoline, providing energy with no harmful carbon emissions and fast refueling. Regardless, it never found a foothold. Hydrogen cars were obscure, infrastructure proved expensive, and widespread rollouts of either never took place. As EV technology moved along at a rapid pace, the case for hydrogen cars grew ever weaker.
Let’s run the maths on that $15,000 of free fuel that Toyota is throwing in, too. Last year, hydrogen prices rose to around $34/kg. The Mirai will drive approximately 72 miles per kilogram of hydrogen. Thus, that offer will net you about 441 kg of hydrogen, enough for you to drive just over 31,000 miles. Not bad! You do only get three years to use your free fuel allowance, though.
It’s a funny state of affairs. On the one hand, there’s never been a better time to buy a Toyota Mirai. They’re cheap as hell, and the fuel is free. On the other hand, these cars have very little resale value. Punters won’t be lining up around the block to buy your Mirai in a few years, given it’s largely landlocked to California and the very western edges of Nevada and Arizona. Indeed, it’s no surprise the Ukraine Army used a Mirai as a bomb, given they’re not particularly useful as transport when there are no hydrogen pumps around.
If you’re a big fan of fuel cells, buy a Mirai to support the hydrogen cause. If you’re insanely rich, buy one for your friend as a joke. If you’re just looking to get around, though, you might find the Nissan Versa more useful, even at the hefty price premium of $2,000. It’s an interesting time to be shopping for a new car in California, no?
Image credits: Toyota, Cars.com via screenshot, h2fcp.org via screenshot
If only I had the time money and expertise, I’d love to convert one into a hybrid S232 Crown Sedan. They’re the same car and you’d remove the geographic constraint of hydrogen fuel. It would make for a great luxury sedan.
That’s a very good looking car, the Mirai, too bad it’s with that experimental powertrain. I think it would sell quite well as ICE or EV or hybrid.
It’s a great look!
It’ll be a Miraicle if they sell even at this price
….Ill show myself out