Compare the2023 Hyundai ElantraVS 2021 Honda Civic

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

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Elantra are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Civic doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Elantra Limited has standard Reverse Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Civic doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Elantra’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Civic doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Elantra’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Civic doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Elantra and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available rear parking sensors.

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

	Elantra	Civic
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	142	201
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	53 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	66/48 lbs.	192/350 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 Elantra is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Elantra	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	83	204
Abdominal Force	239 lbs.	252 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	345	404
Hip Force	355 lbs.	356 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	12 inches
HIC	184	260

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

Warranty

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

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

The Elantra’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Civic’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Elantra for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Civic.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Elantra has a standard 760-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 82 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 24th.

Engine

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Elantra is faster than the Civic Sedan 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

	Elantra	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	8.1 sec	8.3 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	22.1 sec	22.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	16.5 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Elantra gets better mileage than the Civic Sedan:

			MPG
Elantra
	Auto	SE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/40 hwy
Civic Sedan
	Auto	1.5 turbo 4-cyl. (174 HP)	32 city/42 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Elantra gets better mileage than the Civic Hatchback:

			MPG
Elantra
	Auto	SE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/40 hwy
Civic Hatchback
	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy
	Auto	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/40 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Elantra SE’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Civic doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Elantra uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Elantra higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (3 to 7). This means the Elantra produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Elantra stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Elantra	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	175 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Elantra has standard rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Civic’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Elantra is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Elantra Limited handles at .88 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Elantra Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (27 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Elantra Limited is quieter than the Civic Sport Hatchback:

	Elantra	Civic
At idle	35 dB	38 dB
Full-Throttle	79 dB	85 dB
70 MPH Cruising	68 dB	73 dB

Passenger Space

The Elantra has 1.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Civic Sedan (99.4 vs. 97.8).

The Elantra has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Civic Sedan.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, just waiting momentarily behind the back bumper can open the Elantra SEL/Limited’s trunk, leaving your hands completely free. The Civic doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

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

The Elantra’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Civic LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Elantra and the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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