downluxe Shower Curtain Liner, PEVA Plastic Shower Liner with 3 Magnets, 72" x 72" Waterproof Bathroom Curtain, 4G Clear, 1 Pack

Across the reviewers we read, downluxe's 4G PEVA liner is the entry-price option that most reviewers feel guilty about how well it works. At roughly $5, it carries the second-largest verified-purchase pool in this candidate set, about 63,700 Amazon reviews at a 4.6 average, and apartmenttherapy.com lists it among recommended PEVA picks (a medium-trust source for our purposes, since they don't publish a testing methodology). The three magnets and 12 metal grommets are the same hardware found on liners costing two to three times as much.

The honest caveat is gauge. At 4G this is a thin liner, and r/Frugal and r/BuyItForLife threads warn that the cheapest PEVA tends to crack or develop pinhole leaks at the hem after a year or so. Several verified buyers explicitly treat it as a consumable: cheap enough to swap annually rather than wrestle into the washing machine. For renters, dorms, or anyone who'd rather replace than maintain, the consensus is that it's hard to beat at the price.