Compare the2022 Hyundai Sonata HybridVS 2021 Nissan Altima

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Sonata Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Altima’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sonata Hybrid has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Altima.

Both the Sonata Hybrid and the Altima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is safer than the Nissan Altima:

	Sonata Hybrid	Altima
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33%	54%
Neck Stress	98 lbs.	280 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/21 lbs.	260/280 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is safer than the Nissan Altima:

	Sonata Hybrid	Altima
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	163	187
Chest Movement	1 inches	1.4 inches
Hip Force	498 lbs.	511 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	539 lbs.	544 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	42 G’s
Hip Force	577 lbs.	769 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sonata Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 113 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Altima is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

The Sonata Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Altima’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Sonata Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Altima. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Altima ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Sonata Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Altima’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sonata Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Altima.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 7 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The Sonata Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 10 more horsepower (192 vs. 182) and 93 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 178) than the Altima’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sonata Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 4 more horsepower (192 vs. 188) and 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 180) than the Altima’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sonata Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 267) than the Altima SR’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sonata Hybrid gets better mileage than the Altima:

			MPG
Sonata Hybrid
	FWD	Blue 2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/54 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	45 city/51 hwy
Altima
	FWD	S 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		SV/SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
	AWD	SV/SL 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
		SR/Platinum 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/35 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Sonata Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Altima doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Altima SR requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Sonata Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Altima:

	Sonata Hybrid	Altima
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.65 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11.02 inches

The Sonata Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Altima are solid, not vented.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata Hybrid is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Altima.

Chassis

The design of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Sonata Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .24 Cd. That is lower than the Altima (.26) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Sonata Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sonata Hybrid a Large car, while the Altima is rated a Mid-size.

The Sonata Hybrid has 3.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Altima (104.4 vs. 100.8).

The Sonata Hybrid has .8 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom and .9 inches more rear headroom than the Altima.

Cargo Capacity

The Sonata Hybrid has a larger trunk than the Altima (16 vs. 15.4 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sonata Hybrid’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Altima doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The Sonata Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Altima uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Sonata Hybrid Limited has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Altima doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Sonata Hybrid’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Altima’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Sonata Hybrid and the Altima have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sonata Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Altima prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Altima’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Sonata Hybrid’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Altima’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

When the Sonata Hybrid Limited is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Altima’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Sonata Hybrid Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Altima doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Sonata Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Altima SL/Platinum.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid SEL/Limited has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Altima doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Altima doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Nissan Altima, based on reliability, safety and performance.