2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid: Cheaper and more lively than expected
A small sedan with an engine coupled to motor remain the best way to maximize fuel economy. And the prices are among the best you’ll find. No wonder they’re a dying breed.
2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited vs. Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring: Fuel-sipping small hybrid battle.
This week: Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
Price: $31,280 on the window sticker. White paint, $470; floor mats, $210. This price includes heated and ventilated seats.
Having just completed a report on vehicle prices, I can say this is far below average and among the lowest prices you’ll find.
Conventional wisdom: Motor Trend likes the “Fantastic fuel economy; spacious interior, comfy ride; many standard features.” They were less enthusiastic about “some plasticky interior materials,” that the “base trim lacks desirable features,” and there’s “tough competition from Prius, Civic Hybrid.”
Marketer’s pitch: “The hybrid sedan with an edge.”
Reality: For the money, wow.
What’s new: The little sedan gets some new trims and paint color for 2025 and 2026.
Competition: In addition to the Civic Hybrid, there are the Kia Niro Plug-in, and the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Prius, and Prius Plug-in.
Up to speed: I was tempted to move this farther down, but this is more important than one would think in a small car. At this price point (and power point), buyers want to know that they’re not going to feel like they’re going to be rammed getting onto highways.
I’m here to report that the Elantra Hybrid has some really nice pickup. Even in Eco mode — normally a mode I avoid altogether — passing cars or using entrance ramps as runways for takeoff worked just like pricier autos. Not a turbocharged BMW, mind you, but as good as a standard sedan or SUV.
Motor Trend finds the acceleration to 60 mph to be a pokey 8.7 seconds. The vehicle must get to 30 mph quickly enough — The Inquirer has not provided me with fancy testing equipment — because the feel is really smooth and sure.
Shifty: The six-speed automatic transmission operates quietly, though it becomes abrupt and clings to lower gears in Sport mode. It was much of the reason I never bothered leaving Eco mode. (I didn’t find Smart mode all that smart.)
On the road: The handling in the Elantra limited remains as Elantra-y as ever. There’s no sporty feel or zig and zag livening up the drive, but it goes where you point it. There’s some lean if you get a little crazy.
Driver’s Seat: Granted, this was the Limited trim, but the seat was quite nice. There was a bit too much lumbar for me, but only by degrees.
The controls remain as Hyundaiesque as ever, with steering wheel controls and gauges that are easy to follow, in the familiar Hyundai typeface.
Friends and stuff: I’m sure the acceleration falls off quite a bit with extra passengers, which I have a harder time gathering these days, now that all the Sturgis Kids are actually Sturgis Adults and off adulting. But the Lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat did get overly optimistic at the home improvement center (the blue one) and loaded us down with a bunch of stuff that had the Elantra rear end sagging like … well, never mind. Still, the Elantra Hybrid pep remained.
Obviously, the seat folds to allow for all that stuff. Cargo space is 14.2 cubic feet in the trunk, but the seats fold. Sadly, the seat fold only happens from the trunk.
The rear seats are also a surprise: Legroom and foot room are spacious — even for the center passenger — and headroom is good. Taller people might feel squeezed.
In and out: It’s way down to Elantratown, almost like a sports car. Believe me, the sports car feel fades away once you start moving.
Play some tunes: Sound from the Bose Premium audio system was also better than I expected, about an A-.
Buttons under the 10.25-inch touchscreen let you navigate through the different operations, and even change the settings.
Keeping warm and cool: The Elantra hybrid controls stick to the tried and true, with knobs for the temperature, buttons for everything else, and a small screen for showing what you have done.
Fuel economy: This is where the Elantra Hybrid really pays off — I averaged 45 mpg in a suburban-heavy 200 miles of testing. My own testing had a slightly higher average than other drivers’, which is remarkable. Eco mode must really keep the fuel sipping happening.
Where it’s built: Ulsan, South Korea. The United States and Canada supply just 6% of the parts; South Korea manufactures the bulk, at 90%.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Elantra Hybrid to rate a 4 out of 5 for reliability.
In the end: I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Elantra Hybrid, especially because I never bothered to look at the price until the end. It’s not often that a car I enjoy has a pleasant surprise at the bottom line.
Next week: How does the Honda Civic Hybrid compare?