Compare the2024 Hyundai SonataVS 2024 Toyota Corolla

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Sonata 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 Toyota Corolla doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Sonata are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Corolla doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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

The Sonata 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Corolla’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sonata 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 and the Corolla’s Rear Cross-Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the Sonata and the Corolla have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee 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 and driver alert monitors.

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 Sonata is safer than the Corolla:

The Hyundai Sonata achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Corolla last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.

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

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

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

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sonata for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Corolla (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th.

The Sonata’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 22 more horsepower (191 vs. 169) and 30 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 151) than the Corolla’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sonata N Line’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 121 more horsepower (290 vs. 169) and 160 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 151) than the Corolla’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Sonata uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Corolla requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Sonata has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla (15.9 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Sonata N Line’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Corolla doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Sonata’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Corolla:

The Sonata stops shorter than the Corolla:

For better traction, the Sonata has larger standard tires than the Corolla (215/55R17 vs. 205/55R16). The Sonata N Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Corolla (245/40R19 vs. 225/40R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sonata has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Corolla LE. The Sonata N Line’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Corolla SE/Nightshade/XSE.

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Sonata 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 Corolla LE has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

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

The Sonata has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Corolla doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sonata’s wheelbase is 5.5 inches longer than on the Corolla (111.8 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Corolla.

The design of the Hyundai Sonata amounts to more than styling. The Sonata has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Corolla (.31) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Sonata get better fuel mileage.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sonata a Large car, while the Corolla is rated a Compact.

The Sonata has 15.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla (104.4 vs. 88.6).

The Sonata has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 4.1 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 3.1 inches more rear hip room and 4.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla.

The Sonata has a much larger trunk than the Corolla (15.6 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Sonata’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Corolla’s useful trunk space.

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

The Sonata uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Corolla uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Sonata has a standard Proximity Key that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. The Smart Key System costs extra on the Corolla.

The Sonata’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Corolla’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Sonata’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Corolla’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 Corolla SE/Nightshade/XSE’s manually variable intermittent wipers don’t change delay with speed.

The Sonata’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota charges extra for heated mirrors on the Corolla.

The Sonata’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Corolla doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

The Sonata’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 Corolla doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Sonata and the Corolla offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Sonata N Line has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Corolla doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Sonata and the Toyota Corolla, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sonata second among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Corolla isn’t in the top three in its category.