Compare the2024 Hyundai Elantra HybridVS 2024 Honda Civic

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

Safety

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To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Elantra Hybrid has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring offers Cross Traffic Monitor and the Civic’s Cross Traffic Monitor does not include automatic braking.

The Elantra Hybrid has a standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Elantra Hybrid 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, 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 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 Hybrid is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Elantra Hybrid	Civic
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	142	325
Neck Injury Risk	21%	30%
Leg Forces (l/r)	66/48 lbs.	189/372 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	314	444
Neck Stress	177 lbs.	189 lbs.
Neck Compression	6 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	135/61 lbs.	275/164 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 Hybrid is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Elantra Hybrid	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	83	195
Abdominal Force	239 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	68 G’s	79 G’s
Hip Force	355 lbs.	516 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	12 inches
HIC	184	260
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	51 G’s

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Sedan is safer than the Civic Sedan:

	Elantra Hybrid	Civic
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	189	205
Neck Compression	-134 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.26 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.85 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1093 lbs.	1138 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	-156 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.18 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.5 in	1.61 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	558 lbs.	580 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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 Elantra Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Civic is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

Warranty

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

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Elantra Hybrid for 1 year and 12000 miles longer than Honda pays for maintenance for the Civic (3/36,000 vs. 2/24,000).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated lower.

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

The Elantra Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 57 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 138) than the Civic LX/Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Elantra Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 177) than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is faster than the Civic LX/Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Elantra Hybrid	Civic
Zero to 30 MPH	3.2 sec	4.1 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.7 sec	9.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.8 sec	17.6 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Elantra Hybrid
	Auto	Blue 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/58 hwy
		Limited 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	49 city/52 hwy
Civic Sedan
	Auto	EX 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
		LX 2.0 4-cyl.	31 city/40 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/38 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy

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

			MPG
Elantra Hybrid
	Auto	Blue 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/58 hwy
		Limited 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	49 city/52 hwy
Civic Hatchback
	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	EX-L 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
		LX 2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Sport Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (6 to 7). This means the Elantra Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Elantra Hybrid offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is more internally efficient than a CVT but just as easy to drive. The Civic doesn’t offer an SMG.

Brakes and Stopping

The Elantra Hybrid stops shorter than the Civic:

	Elantra Hybrid	Civic
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Elantra Hybrid 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 Hybrid is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Elantra Hybrid Limited Sedan handles at .85 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Elantra Hybrid Limited Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (27.5 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Elantra Hybrid’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Civic LX/EX/EX-L’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The Elantra Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Civic Sport/Touring’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Passenger Space

The Elantra Hybrid has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear hip room than the Civic.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Elantra Hybrid’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, 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

When two different drivers share the Elantra Hybrid Limited, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Elantra Hybrid Limited’s standard Seat Easy Access glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Civic doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The power windows standard on both the Elantra Hybrid and the Civic have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Elantra Hybrid 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 Hybrid’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.

The Elantra Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring.

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

The Elantra 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 Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring.

Economic Advantages

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid will be $987 to $2344 less than for the Honda Civic.

Recommendations

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

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