Compare the2023 Honda HR-VVS 2023 Hyundai Venue

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda HR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Hyundai Venue doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda HR-V are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Hyundai Venue doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Honda HR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Venue doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The HR-V EX-L has a standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Venue doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The HR-V offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Venue doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the HR-V and the Venue have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Honda HR-V weighs 421 to 721 pounds more than the Hyundai Venue. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the HR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venue last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

There are over 29 percent more Honda dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the HR-V’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the HR-V’s reliability 20 points higher than the Venue.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Hyundai.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 8 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The HR-V’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 37 more horsepower (158 vs. 121) and 25 lbs.-ft. more torque (138 vs. 113) than the Venue’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

The HR-V has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venue (14 vs. 11.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The HR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Venue doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the HR-V’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Venue:

The Honda HR-V has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Venue. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

For better traction, the HR-V has larger standard tires than the Venue (215/60R17 vs. 185/65R15). The HR-V Sport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venue (225/55R18 vs. 205/55R17).

The HR-V’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venue’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the HR-V has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Venue. The HR-V Sport’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Venue SEL/Limited.

For superior ride and handling, the Honda HR-V has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Hyundai Venue has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The HR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the HR-V flat and controlled during cornering. The Venue’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the HR-V’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the Venue (104.5 inches vs. 99.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the HR-V is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Venue.

The HR-V EX-L AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Venue Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The HR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Venue doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The HR-V has 6.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venue (98.7 vs. 91.9).

The HR-V has .6 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 3.4 inches more rear legroom, 3.9 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Venue.

The HR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venue with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 18.7 cubic feet). The HR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venue with its rear seat folded (55.1 vs. 31.9 cubic feet).

The HR-V’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Venue has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The HR-V’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the switch, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Venue’s standard power window’s switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully. The HR-V Sport/EX-L’s front power windows open fully with one touch of the switches, and its driver’s window also automatically closes. With the Venue SEL/Limited’s power windows, only the driver’s window opens or closes automatically.

On a hot day the HR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Venue can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The HR-V’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Venue’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the HR-V’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Venue’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The HR-V EX-L’s 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. The Venue doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the HR-V has a standard Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Venue doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The HR-V will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the HR-V will retain 50.77% to 52.43% of its original price after five years, while the Venue only retains 49.25% to 49.72%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda HR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Hyundai Venue isn't recommended.

The Honda HR-V outsold the Hyundai Venue by over four to one during 2022.