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 Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Elantra Hybrid Limited has standard Reverse Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Elantra Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Corolla Hybrid’s blind spot costs extra.
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. Toyota charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Alert on the Corolla Hybrid and the Corolla Hybrid’s Rear Cross-Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.
Both the Elantra Hybrid and the Corolla Hybrid 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 Toyota Corolla Hybrid:
|
Elantra Hybrid |
Corolla Hybrid |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
142 |
187 |
Neck Injury Risk |
21% |
27% |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
66/48 lbs. |
330/310 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 Toyota Corolla Hybrid:
|
Elantra Hybrid |
Corolla Hybrid |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
83 |
92 |
Hip Force |
327 lbs. |
330 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
355 lbs. |
367 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
11 inches |
12 inches |
HIC |
184 |
239 |
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 Corolla Hybrid:
|
Elantra Hybrid |
Corolla Hybrid |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Compression |
-134 lbs. |
134 lbs. |
Torso |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.26 in |
1.61 in |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
1093 lbs. |
1339 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Neck Compression |
-156 lbs. |
89 lbs. |
Shoulder Deflection |
1.18 in |
1.38 in |
Shoulder Force |
178 lbs. |
312 lbs. |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
558 lbs. |
1026 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 Corolla Hybrid is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.