Most new cars sold in the United States have seating for five passengers, from subcompact hatchbacks to full-size luxury sedans. But there is also a demand for additional passenger capacity, most commonly found today in a third-row seat found in an SUV or minivan.

But most SUVs and minivans are expensive. Of the dozens available on the market, only three traditional minivans (two of which are simply different versions of each other) are under $20,000 with seating capacity for over five passengers.

But there are other choices. The nearly-forgotten bench seat bumps a sedan and three pickup trucks up to six passengers without bumping their prices past $20,000. And two new compact station wagons have inserted a tight third row for those with tight budgets.

These nine represent an odd grouping, but they share the merits of additional passenger capacity under $20,000, using CarsDirect target prices for vehicles with an automatic transmission.

Read on to find which of the nine manage to fit six passengers and which fit only six seatbelts, and to find out which one is the best budget-priced passenger hauler. 

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Note: For reviews of the more expensive but more traditional passenger haulers, see the IFCAR minivan comparison test.