Hyundai Elantra vs. Toyota Corolla | The Car Connection
Hyundai Elantra vs. Toyota Corolla: it’s a matchup of two of the most popular, compelling sedans on the road today. The compact four-doors (the Corolla also comes as a five-door hatchback) both offer inexpensive entry-level models, fuel-sipping hybrid editions, and spicy performance editions.
The 2023 Toyota Corolla plugs in a familiar hybrid system—it’s on loan from the Prius hatchback—in a body that’s sedately styled, but still outfitted with a wealth of safety gear and other technology. The 2023 Hyundai Elantra swings for the styling fences while it tackles Toyota head-on with its highest-efficiency Hybrid edition.
For another day, and another comparison, the hottest versions of these cars can shock with their elevated performance, in the form of the GR Corolla and Elantra N. But most buyers opt for the more pedestrian versions, hybrid or no. Which one fares better when the scores get tallied—the Corolla or the Elantra? Here’s how we break it down, and which we recommend.
2023 Hyundai Elantra
Elantra vs. Corolla prices and trims
The Elantra costs at least $21,545 for the SE model; prices rise to about $30,000 for the Limited Hybrid
The Corolla costs at least $22,645, with Hybrids approaching $30,000
Best picks: Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue, Toyota Corolla Hybrid XLE.
How much is a Toyota Corolla? Which Corolla should I buy?
The Corolla family starts with the base $22,645 Corolla LE sedan, which comes with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless start, automatic climate control, and cloth upholstery. Spend a little more for the $23,895 Corolla LE Hybrid for the best value, but all-wheel drive isn’t offered on the LE; it’s available with the $27,695 Corolla Hybrid XLE, a bargain by most measures. The Corolla comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.
How much is a Hyundai Elantra? Which Elantra should I buy?
Every Elantra sedan has a huge list of standard features, even the $21,545 SE, which offers cloth upholstery, 15-inch wheels, power windows and locks, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Also standard: a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty and 3 years/36,000 miles of free scheduled service. For $22,795 the Elantra SEL comes with automatic climate control, 16-inch wheels, and satellite radio; it can be ordered with heated front seats, digital gauges, wireless smartphone charging, and 17-inch wheels. Spend a little extra for the Hybrid Blue Elantra: at $25,445, it’s an SEL with a gas-electric drivetrain. At the top of the lineup, the $27,395 Elantra Limited (plus $2,650 more for the Hybrid, if you like) adds a 10.3-inch touchscreen, leather upholstery, and adaptive cruise control, with options for a sunroof, a power driver seat, and Bose sound.
Advantage: Hyundai Elantra, with its low price and excellent warranty.
2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid SE Infrared Edition
The Elantra’s a stylish dazzler outside, but boring inside
The Corolla has a more plain appeal, inside and out
Corollas wear nicer materials, in general
The Corolla and Elantra post up at opposite ends of the styling spectrum, at least from the outside. While the Toyota has grown more interesting to look at in its latest generation, it’s still conventional from its slim grille to its pert taillights. There’s very little to distinguish between gas-powered and hybrid versions, too. Inside, the Corolla cabin feels open and airy, especially when it’s clad in lighter finishes like the synthetic leather that dresses up top versions. Best of all, it’s laid out clearly—no buttons or switches have been tucked out of sight.
The Elantra aims to dazzle, and it succeeds. It wears a wasp-waisted body with sharp folds and flaps that looks like origami from some angles, a jet fighter from others. It’s a signature shape with the promise of timeless appeal—but it loses much of that inside, where the plain plastic interior is a letdown. It’s built around a big touchscreen in the center stack of controls, one framed in part by a grab bar, but it’s somber in its execution.
Advantage: The Elantra, if only for its show-off body.
![2023 Hyundai Elantra]( "2023 Hyundai Elantra")
2023 Hyundai Elantra
2023 Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai Elantra vs. Corolla space, size, and trunk room
The Corolla plays plain to its advantage
The Elantra has lots of glossy plastic and thin seat padding
Trunk space is a close win for the Elantra
How big is the Toyota Corolla?
The Corolla sedan gets billed as a five-seat sedan, but it’s better thought of as seating for four plus one occasional middle-back-seat passenger. It benefits from its simpler interior design and from more thickly padded seats than the Elantra, too. Corollas have basic cloth upholstery on entry-level versions, while Hybrids have a different fabric that’s appealing, too. Top-end versions have heated front seats and synthetic leather upholstery. The front seats suit a wide range of body types, and so does the bench in back, but headroom in row two can be limited; legroom beats expectations, though trunk space is on the slighter side, at 13.1 cubic feet.
How big is the Hyundai Elantra?
The Elantra’s grown into near mid-size dimensions, but its lower and thinner seats could use some work. Smaller drivers will notice the seat position and can adjust around it on models with power front seats; 6-footers will have no problem in front, but tall passengers will find less headroom in back due to the racy shape. Ordinary materials could improve matters all around: with more padding and more graining on the cabin finishes, the Elantra interior would better match its engaging exterior vibe. Its trunk checks in at 14.2 cubic feet, usefully more than that in the Corolla.
Advantage: They’re close in dimensions, but the Corolla just feels more comfortable than the Hyundai.
2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid SE Infrared Edition
Toyota Corolla vs. Hyundai Elantra performance
The Corolla Hybrid trades fuel economy for acceleration…
..and so does the Elantra
Corollas have a more compliant ride
Need more? There’s always GR Corolla and Elantra N
Performance comes to both the Corolla and Elantra in their special sport editions, the GR Corolla and Elantra N (and the Elantra also comes in a turbo-4 Elantra N-Line). But most shoppers will study the base models and the hybrids for their stellar fuel economy and low prices; here, the Corolla Hybrid and Elantra Hybrid trade slight advantages, with neither emerging a clear winner.
How fast is the Toyota Corolla?
It’s not fast at all in base or Hybrid spec, especially when fitted with available all-wheel drive. Most versions now use a 169-hp 2.0-liter inline-4 that makes a lot of noise for its relative lack of power. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) uses belts and pulleys instead of gears, and it does the 4-cylinder no favors. The Corolla isn’t slow, but it’s also far from fast. It’s better as a Hybrid in any case: Hybrids take a small gas engine, team it with a battery pack and a motor to send gas mileage soaring but acceleration plummeting—nine seconds or so to hit 60 mph. Where the Corolla shines is in ride quality, where its softer tuning and direct steering seem well-matched to its intended use.
How fast is the Hyundai Elantra?
Base Elantras aren’t very quick either, for what it’s worth. They offer a 147-hp 2.0-liter inline-4 and a CVT that sends power to the front wheels. It’s a hardworking drivetrain that still can’t thrill most drivers—and even though it’s somewhat slower, the Elantra Hybrid’s combination of 4-cylinder and battery-electric add-ons fares better. It’s smoother in power delivery, for starters, despite its trick 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Elantra may have slightly sharper steering than the Corolla, but it also rides slightly more stiffly, particularly on versions shod with the bigger 17-inch wheels offered by Hyundai. Hybrids, too, ride and handle with more confidence, as they get a more sophisticated rear multi-link suspension, versus the torsion-beam setup on the base Elantra.
Advantage: The Corolla, ever so slightly, thanks to its general composure.
2023 Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai Elantra vs. Toyota Corolla fuel economy
The Corolla’s a Prius in four-door clothing
The Elantra has the top EPA ratings
Both vehicles have SUV companions with plug-in variants
Elantra Hybrid vs. Corolla Hybrid
Base versions of both the Elantra and Corolla score EPA-rated fuel economy in the range of 35 mpg. That’s to be expected; it’s even common in bigger sedans, which score better because their more aerodynamically friendly shapes taper the wind better.
It’s in Hybrid spec where both the Elantra and Corolla soar. Toyota pegs the Corolla Hybrid at a top EPA rating of 53/46/50 mpg—but the Elantra’s most efficient edition checks in at 53/56/54 mpg as the Hybrid Blue.
Worth noting: both brands offer compact SUVs with plug-in hybrid drivetrains. The Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid and Tucson Plug-In Hybrid can drive more than 42 and 34 miles on electric alone, respectively, and have even more engaging styling. They’re more costly too, of course.
Advantage: The Elantra’s higher EPA ratings take a rare hybrid win from Toyota.
2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid SE Infrared Edition
Elantra vs. Corolla safety
The Corolla’s nearly flawless in crash testing
The Elantra could use better headlights
Toyota fits more standard safety gear into the Corolla
How safe is the Toyota Corolla?
It’s exceptionally safe, with a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS, when upgraded LED headlights are fitted. Other versions miss the award due to “Marginal” headlights. The NHTSA says the Corolla earns five stars overall. Every model has active lane control, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking, while blind-spot monitors are an option on low-end versions.
How safe is the Hyundai Elantra?
The NHTSA still hasn’t re-tested the latest Elantra, but the IIHS says the Elantra Limited with the premium LED headlights earns its Top Safety Pick award. Other versions have “Poor” headlights, the agency reports. All Elantra sedans come with automatic high beams, active lane control, and automatic emergency braking; adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitors are widely available.
Advantage: The Corolla’s a top performer here.
2023 Toyota Corolla
2023 Hyundai Elantra
2023 Toyota Corolla
Which car is better: Hyundai Elantra or Toyota Corolla?
Overall, the 2023 Toyota Corolla ekes out the win with a score of 6.7 out of 10. The Elantra’s not far behind, with a 6.5 out of 10. The difference comes down largely to clear deciding factors: we like the Elantra’s styling and features better, while the Corolla scores better in safety and has a smoother ride. Hyundai’s fuel economy numbers are higher—but Toyota sells more Corolla Hybrids. In the end, these two economy sedans spare little—except for change.