Compare the2025 Hyundai ElantraVS 2024 Kia Forte

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Hyundai Elantra is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Kia Forte, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Elantra	Forte
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-4 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-1 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-14 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-20 MPH	-3 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-11 MPH
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-27 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2.1 sec	1.7 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-27 MPH	-9 MPH

The Elantra 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 Forte’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Elantra has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Forte and its not available on the LX.

Compared to metal, the Elantra’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Kia Forte has a metal gas tank.

Both the Elantra and the Forte 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 is safer than the Kia Forte:

	Elantra	Forte
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	142	245
Neck Injury Risk	21%	24.2%
Leg Forces (l/r)	66/48 lbs.	74/132 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	314	325
Chest Compression	.6 inches	1.1 inches
Neck Injury Risk	42%	49.1%
Neck Compression	6 lbs.	99 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	135/61 lbs.	173/101 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 is safer than the Kia Forte:

	Elantra	Forte
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	83	153
Abdominal Force	239 lbs.	282 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	68 G’s	89 G’s
Hip Force	355 lbs.	735 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	12 inches
HIC	184	367

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 is much safer than the Forte:

	Elantra	Forte
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Injury Criterion	189	812
Head Peak Forces	no contact	104 G’s
Neck Tension	312 lbs.	379 lbs.
Neck Compression	-134 lbs.	22 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	2.4 in
Shoulder Force	424 lbs.	759 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	2.4 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Pelvis Force	1093 lbs.	1762 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	167	398
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	156 lbs.
Neck Compression	-156 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.18 in	1.85 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.5 in	1.81 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	558 lbs.	982 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Hyundai Elantra 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 Forte is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Elantra’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Forte’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Elantra for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forte.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Elantra has a standard 760-amp battery. The Forte’s 640-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked fourth.

Engine

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Elantra is faster than the Kia Forte 4 cyl.:

	Elantra	Forte
Zero to 30 MPH	3.3 sec	3.6 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.9 sec	8.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	88 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Elantra gets better mileage than the Forte:

			MPG
Elantra
	Auto	SE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	32 city/41 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/39 hwy
Forte
	Manual	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	Auto	FE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/41 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Elantra SE’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Forte doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Elantra stops much shorter than the Forte:

	Elantra	Forte
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	139 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Elantra has standard rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Forte’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Elantra is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forte.

The Elantra Limited handles at .85 G’s, while the Forte pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Elantra Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forte (27 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Elantra Limited is quieter than the Forte GT (35 vs. 36 dB).

Passenger Space

The Elantra has 3.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Forte (99.4 vs. 96).

The Elantra has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forte.

Ergonomics

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Elantra’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Forte’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Elantra owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Elantra will cost $875 less than the Forte over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Elantra will be $1020 to $3041 less than for the Kia Forte.

Recommendations

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

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Elantra as the 2021 North American Car of the Year. The Forte has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Elantra outsold the Kia Forte by 8% during 2023.