Overview & Reviews

Introduced in the early 1990s, the Hyundai Elantra didn't exactly get off to a good start, earning a well-deserved reputation for overall shoddiness and unreliability. But more than two decades later, the Elantra has become one of America's most popular small sedans. Take one for a spin and you'll likely be impressed with its smooth ride, roomy interior, high fuel economy and solid build quality. The Elantra also offers plenty of features for the money and long warranty coverage. While those long-ago Elantras are best forgotten, any new or used Elantra (that you'll realistically come across) is an excellent choice for a small car shopper.

Current Hyundai Elantra
The Hyundai Elantra sedan is offered three trims: SE, Limited and Sport. A coupe and Elantra GT four-door hatchback are also available and reviewed separately.

Standard SE feature highlights include alloy wheels, full power accessories, air-conditioning, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite radio and USB/iPod interface. An option package provides 16-inch (versus 15-inch) wheels, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, voice controls, a rearview camera and heated front seats. The Limited comes with all that as well as 17-inch wheels, leather upholstery, a power driver seat, heated rear seats and Blue Link telematics. The Sport includes the Limited's features minus the heated rear seats and Blue Link and adds a more powerful engine, a sunroof, a sport-tuned suspension and keyless ignition and entry. The Limited can be had with a larger 7-inch touchscreen display, dual-zone automatic climate control and a navigation system.

The SE and Limited trims are powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 145 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the SE, while a six-speed automatic is optional. The Limited comes only with the automatic. The Elantra Sport has a 2.0-liter four that makes 173 hp. With the Sport, the manual transmission is standard, while the automatic is optional.

Slide inside the Elantra and you'll find a cabin that matches or betters most others in it class. A stylized center stack and controls lend some flair to the cabin, and the materials, while not best-in-class, offer a rich look. Ample headroom and a smaller-diameter steering wheel contribute to the interior's spaciousness.

On the road, the 1.8-liter engine has decent punch and the automatic transmission provides smooth, well-timed shifts. This volume-selling powertrain should be fine for the majority of drivers. The added punch provided by the Sport's bigger engine should be appreciated by those willing to sacrifice a few mpg in favor of some added oomph. A compliant ride and a quiet cabin make the Elantra a comfortable choice for daily driver and road trip duty alike. The only significant downside to this Elantra is a lack of rear headroom compared to what's available from some other top small sedans.

Used Hyundai Elantra Models
The current Hyundai Elantra represents the fifth generation, which was introduced for the 2011 model year. Apart from lacking some slight styling tweaks, upgraded touchscreen displays, added sound insulation and the Sport trim level, these Elantras are otherwise identical to the current version.

 The fourth-generation Elantra ran from 2007-'10. Having established the Elantra as a legitimate contender in the compact segment with its previous-generation car, Hyundai updated the Elantra's styling, improved its handling and ride quality, and revamped the interior to near-premium levels.

Two main trim levels were available: GLS and SE. The GLS came reasonably well equipped, though it lacked stability and traction control. Those came standard on the SE after 2007. The SE also had more features and a sport-tuned suspension. In your used-car search, you might also encounter the top-line Elantra Limited ('07 only) and the Elantra Blue, which was an entry-level model offered for 2010 only.

Fourth-generation Elantras came with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for 138 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. The transmission was either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Cars sold in California-emissions states could have cleaner tailpipe emissions (PZEV) but were rated for 132 hp.

Changes were minimal for this car. For 2009, the Elantra received enhanced suspension and steering tuning, along with new interior instrument and radio displays. A USB/iPod audio jack also became available. But in general, we were very impressed by this car and praised its roomy and comfortable interior, agreeable ride quality and value for the dollar.

The third-generation Elantra was produced from model years 2001-'06 and represented a considerable step up from the earlier cars. The sedan was bigger inside and out, and revised sheet metal gave it a more upscale look. Reliability and overall quality were also much improved. The standard features list was generous for the car's price, and included amenities like air-conditioning, full power accessories, side airbags, 15-inch wheels and an AM/FM cassette player. The 2.0-liter engine generated 135 hp (138 after 2003) and was mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic.

An Elantra hatchback, the Elantra GT, was also offered starting in 2002 and came with additional standard features, including leather seats and a CD player. Initially, the sedan was available only in base GLS trim, but by 2003, Elantra sedans could be purchased in two trims -- GLS and the top-of-the-line GT. Although it still lacked the refinement of segment leaders like the Honda Civic, the third-generation Hyundai Elantra shone as a solid choice for buyers seeking maximum value for their money.

One would probably do best by avoiding the second-generation Elantra – built from model years 1996-2000 -- though it did at least take a turn for the better from the forgettable original. The car got a welcome boost in power with the addition of a new engine, a 1.8-liter four-cylinder capable of 130 hp and 122 lb-ft of torque. Airbags were added to the safety features list, and a wagon body style was also offered. The Elantra's engine was upgraded yet again in model year 1999, to a larger 2.0-liter. Overall, the second-gen Elantra represented a decent buy in the economy car segment. It wasn't as polished as the offerings from Honda, Nissan or Toyota, but it was well-equipped and fun to drive.

The first-generation Elantra was produced from model years 1992-'95; during this period, Hyundai's hauler was available as a sedan only. Sadly, the car's build quality and reliability reflected its bargain-basement price. Elantras from this era were notorious for being sloppy in most of the areas that matter. They were none too quick either, as all models were motivated by a 1.6-liter inline-4 good for 113 hp and 102 lb-ft of torque.

User Reviews:

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  Engine replaced at 4YO 35K Miles - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jennifer - January 24 - 10:21 am

  Was very excited to have the heated seats and ipod cable for my first car, when I was 25 yrs old female. It has been downhill ever since. Noticeably different handling and seat comfort after 3 years and new tires didnt really help. Most maintenance has been covered by warranty, but this does not seem realistic for Chicago road/highway driving: replaced rear shock absorber after 2 years, cleaned fuel injectors ($200 out of pocket) due to some additive required for this elantra engine (?), and now engine replaced after 4 years (only 35K miles!). Happy that Hyundai is replacing the engine (currently in-progress, so not sure if just the short engine, or full engine with header) however had to wait a week for dealership to confirm the issue (was inconsistent grinding on start/shaking at idle approx. 10% of the time over the last 6 mos). Having a rental car in the city of Chicago for that long - worried about damaging the rental car with street parking in the middle of winter. Will be another 1-2weeks for engine to ship from LA by truck, and then install. Dealership has been great, we both win with this finding, however would have loved to avoid altogether in the first place. The hassle and nuisance are not worth the additional skin-deep features. Also there is still not an ipod cable compatible with Lightning. The Apple lightning cable has been out for years now, and Hyundai still sees no reason to manufacture usb > lightning so I can charge and listen to music through the console electronic system. Maybe should have purchased a sonata - for better build? Now looking to avoid Hyundai completely and will offload this car around 5 years 40K mi, too worried about future problems not worth it impacting my commute.

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  Amazing Car. Tons of cool upgrades! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Da-Mi-An - January 7 - 12:45 pm

  I drive a 2001 Hyundai Elantra GLS. The car is fantastic on gas mileage and is rather cheap to fill up! I love how easy the steering is along with how fun it is to drive. My brakes work great. The interior is rather ugly as is in most Elantras the good part about that is they come with so many cool options for seats and dash kits that you can purchase to really make the car feel like your own. It is a great buy and I would recommend all of my friends and family to purchase one just so they can see how comfortable and smooth driving the elantra gls really is. I do plan on purchasing a newer one this year and turning mine into a rally car. So if you wanna race lets be in touch haha.

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  Disappoints - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dan Yodet - November 27 - 3:07 pm

  Bought the elantra 6 months ago. Car noise is significant. My chevy cobalt was much quieter. Have the rough idling when I come to a stop. This is a common issue. On the plus side I get good gas mileage and enjoy heated front seats. I will never purchase a Hyundai vehicle again.

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  Oh, the things they dont tell you! - 2015 Hyundai Elantra
  By John - November 25 - 2:28 pm

  Ive had this car for about 6 months and its ok, but there are a few things that will make it the last Hyundai Ill buy. First, the gas mileage. I do a lot of highway driving for work and so far the best Ive gotten is 33.2 mpg. I drive around 70 in a 65 (any closer to 65 and Id get run off the road) and Ive found that in order for me to get better gas mileage I have to drive closer to 80. I dont get it. There seems to be something wrong with the gearing for this to occur, or maybe electronics, but this makes no sense. Secondly, this so called "10 year, 100,000 mile warranty" that Hyundai pushes was attempted to be added by the salesman or sales manager to my contract. I was told it came with the car, but what I wasnt told was it was going to cast me an additional $6K!! This was after they told me the honor Truecar estimates and then tried to add $5K to the price of the car. (They said it had extras not on the estimate until I showed them the VIN number on the estimate was the same as the car on the contract.) After 2+ hours of getting a tad hot under the collar I got the price without the bogus warranty. Then I got home and found out there was no spare. Just a repair kit that you cant use since the majority of tire failures happen on the freeway which pretty much destroys the tire. After finding out the ungodly amount of money Hyundai wanted for what should have been in the car (or at least I should have been told wasnt in the car) I found everything on Ebay for less than half. As for form fit and function, the cars not bad. Its quiet and comfortable. I have the sport and popular packages so it has the sunroof, fog lights, etc.. Throttle reponse is weak, though, and sometimes the transmission jerks on acceleration as if the car doesnt know what gear it should be in. The suspension is weak. Real weak. The Hancook tire are also garbage. When I encounter a rough patch on a curve I have to be ready because this thing will jump all over the place. Also the "slip angle" of the tires on turns is terrible. Theres 2 more things to buy. The sound system is ok. The volume capability is less than half of what it should be. To have any decent volume just to listen to talk radio it needs to be just short of full blast. And no I dont have any hearing problems. Also the controls are designed to cause accidents. If you want to say lower the bass, park first because youll be tapping the screen controls that are badly placed and too small for driving just to get to the small, badly placed buttons to make the adjustments. This will be corrected with a small amplified equalizer in the center console compartment-one with knobs so you dont have to take your eyes off the road. Yet something else to pay for that shouldnt be an issue. Anyway, for me this car is a swing and a miss. With the other quality cars out there that granted cost a bit more, Hyundai comes up lacking. Best warranty in the business? Maybe, but they need to make it clear that it will cost you dearly. Not inform the buyer theres no spare, because Ive yet to meet anyone that asks if there is one? Major issue. How many husbands would like to find out while out with the family or from your wife because shes on the freeway with a shredded blow out? Change the station and you want to lower the blasting bass? Dont even think about it if your driving. Hit a bump on the freeway? Hang on brother or you could be modifying the body style real quick. Sorry Hyundai. As long as these types of things exist in your sales staff and vehicles, Ill be driving Hondas. Again.

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  Fun to drive, high maintenance costs - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jason Williams - October 26 - 7:50 am

  Purchased used with 60k this year. Unfortunately 60k is the cut-off for 2nd owner warranty so dont purchase without warranty. So far this car has cost more in repairs than my two other cars (03 Toyota matrix and 06 Dodge Stratus) combined. So far two bad wheel bearings, ac compressor making loud noises, replaced battery, alternator is starting to fail (lights are flickering at idle) has intermittent rough idle, and the power seat controls work intermittently. No complaints on gas mileage gets about the same as my matrix (average around 33-35 mixed driving) . The car is fun to drive but a little noisy. Bluetooth system keeps trying to pair phone when not active.

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  Not good - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Percy - October 12 - 1:30 pm

  Steering wheel has to be replace, tires developed a bump on the side, now engine it is leaking oil.

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  Trouble From The Start - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Patti - October 1 - 8:20 pm

  Ive owned seven little old cars in the past fourteen years, many much older than this one, and this one has given me the most trouble bar none. As you probably suspected, the Toyotas and Hondas behaved perfectly. Now Im not gonna say it is all the cars fault, because Im certain its at least partially the fact that the previous owners were idiots (reversed the radiator hoses, made sure the PCV valve would never come out with the application of hardening mud). Plus, you have to consider, if idiots are buying Hyundais... yeah, that was kinda mean. But beware! Every thing I do to it, every fix, is like going down the rabbit hole, even though this car is relatively easy to work on. Let me start from the beginning. I bought the car only 4k miles ago, and with blown struts and cracked windshield and a little hitch in its shifting--I knew about all that. One week after the purchase, driving down the highway, radiator blew. So, tow bill. New radiator, and it was still overheating. This is when we realized the hoses were reversed. New thermostat, new belts while were at it. Two week long saga of getting the belts on juuuuuust right to get one or the other or all of them to stop squealing. Pro tip: tighten the alternator belt. Before I forget, let me mention that now, one of the pulleys is squeaking, will probably need to replace THAT soon. One of the back drum brakes was squeaking, tried to get that off to fix... of course its well and truly stuck, /fail. I did some research on the internet about the shifting, found a lot of people had had success with changing the transmission speed sensors. Bought them on ebay, installed, and... I think its shifting somewhat better. It doesnt do the odd shifting thing anymore... mostly. Its still not perfect, and its driving me a little insane. I think its manuals from here on out for me. But anyway, back to the car. Tried to change the PCV valve, unscrewed it from the valve cover... and the whole effing brass fitting came out of the valve cover with it, because apparently, someoned glued it in. Jammed it back in, PCV valve unchanged. Option at this point: Get really, really creative getting the PCV valve out, or new valve cover, $250. The engine was filthy, decided I was going to wash it before working on it. Wound up flooding one of the spark plugs. Couple-day saga of changing spark plugs (which were due anyway, so whatever), Heet, wires. Apparently Id fried the wire, too. Couple days after that, headlights went out. Both of them, at the same time. Odd, yes? Anyway. Theres more, I know theres more, but Im drawing a blank right at this second, so how about the good: The seats are comfortable, the sunroof still works and doesnt leak, aftermarket stereo plays Pandora. Oh! And Im beginning to suspect parts are cheap, cuz the junkyard quoted me $550 for a new (100k miles) engine. Peeves: Rear foot space is sparing, little spots of rust starting on body.

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  I would not buy another Hyundai Elantra - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Derek - July 22 - 12:09 pm

  I purchased this car new in August of 2013 with 16 miles on the odometer. At 11,000 miles the drivers seat rail failed and had to be replaced under the warranty. Now at 20,000 miles the front drivers side ball bearings have failed, leaving me stranded on the side of the road. Road side assistance was amazing, but I found it very hard to get a Hyundai dealer to take the car. None of the dealers would offer me a courtesy car or rental. I had to find my own ride. The car is now fixed and back on the road, but needs a tire balance and alignment, which was affected during the repairs. The dealership said they are not responsible for this. My overall thoughts about the car, very sporty looking car, handles well, good gas mileage, reliable engine, I like the technology package, but very poor components aka powertrain and poor interior quality.

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  Mediocre with some big disappointments - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Douglas Shaffer - February 26 - 5:33 pm

  Overall, the car is "OK" but I will not be a repeat Hyundai buyer. I have the Limited and it has nice convenience features. However, the gas mileage has been a huge disappointment - not even close to the advertised levels. (And yes, my tires are properly inflated, filters and sensors are clean and I dont drive hard.) Also, in the winter months - every time I encounter a pothole - I create a blister in the sidewall of the tire. Ive had to replace all four tires way before normal wear would dictate. The other disappointment is the poor handling in bad weather. Obviously the car is light but driving in any kind of snow is more treacherous than it should be.

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  Follow Up Review: I wouldnt do it again! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By brooklynjoel - September 18 - 4:28 pm

  Sadly, my experience with my car since my last review has soured me on it. I originally purchased it in June of 2012. In the last year, I have experienced multiple issues which make me question the long-term reliability, quality and engineering of this car. My issue with intermittent rough idle continues unabated, whether using or not using the a/c. It is clearly not an engine load issue. As well, now the transmission has developed an absolutely maddening metallic clicking sound intermittently when accelerating from a stop, or a roll, and sometimes when letting off the throttle. There is also a tick in the engine when it hasnt fully warmed up. This car is a "good looker" with a black heart.