Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Hyundai Elantra

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Elantra doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda Civic 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 Elantra doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Elantra’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Touring/Sport Touring has standard parking sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Elantra doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

Both the Civic and the Elantra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Civic	Elantra
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	268 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	51 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	42%

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 Honda Civic is safer than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Civic	Elantra
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.2 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	327 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	268	345
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	805 lbs.	954 lbs.

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Civic the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Elantra last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

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

Reliability

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 Civic’s reliability 30 points higher than the Elantra.

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.

Engine

The Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (158 vs. 147) and 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (138 vs. 132) than the Elantra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (180 vs. 147) and 45 lbs.-ft. more torque (177 vs. 132) than the Elantra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Civic	Elantra
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.4 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Civic EX 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder Auto gets better fuel mileage than the Elantra (33 city/42 hwy vs. 30 city/40 hwy).

Regardless of its engine, the Civic’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Hyundai only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Elantra SE.

The Civic 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 Elantra doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Elantra (5 to 7). This means the Civic produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Elantra every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic’s standard front disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The front discs on the Elantra are solid, not vented.

The Civic stops shorter than the Elantra:

	Civic	Elantra
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	175 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	116 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Elantra (215/50R17 vs. 195/65R15). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Elantra (235/40R18 vs. 225/45R17).

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Elantra SE’s standard 65 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Elantra’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic EX/EX-L has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Elantra SE. The Civic Sport/Touring’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels optional on the Elantra.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic 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 Elantra has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

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

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Elantra Limited pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The Civic Sedan is 5.1 inches shorter than the Elantra, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Elantra uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Civic Touring Sedan is quieter than the Elantra Limited (75 vs. 79 dB).

Passenger Space

The Civic has .9 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Elantra.

Cargo Capacity

The Civic Sedan has a larger trunk than the Elantra (14.8 vs. 14.2 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Elantra 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 Civic’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Elantra’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

On a hot day the Civic’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Elantra can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers and the Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Elantra’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

Consumer Reports rated the Civic’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Elantra’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Model Availability

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Hyundai Elantra isn’t available as a four door hatchback.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $390 less than the Elantra over a five-year period.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Hyundai Elantra isn't recommended.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its October 2021 issue and they ranked the Honda Civic Touring Sedan first. They ranked the Hyundai Elantra Limited fourth.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2022 North American Car of the Year. The Elantra was last chosen in 2021.

The Honda Civic outsold the Hyundai Elantra by 14% during 2022.

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