Compare the2026 Subaru ImprezaVS 2026 Hyundai Elantra

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza 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 Hyundai Elantra doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Elantra doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Elantra doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Impreza has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Elantra doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Impreza and the Elantra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Impreza	Elantra
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	267 lbs.	268 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	170	314
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.8%	42%
Neck Stress	158 lbs.	177 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 Subaru Impreza is safer than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Impreza	Elantra
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1.2 inches
Abdominal Force	144 lbs.	239 lbs.
Hip Force	6 lbs.	327 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	291	345
Spine Acceleration	59 G’s	68 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	721 lbs.	954 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Impreza’s reliability 44 points higher than the Elantra.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Hyundai.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 10th.

Engine

The Impreza’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (152 vs. 147) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 132) than the Elantra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (180 vs. 147) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 132) than the Elantra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Impreza	Elantra
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	87.5 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Elantra doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

Regardless of its engine, the Impreza’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Hyundai only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Elantra SE.

The Impreza has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Elantra (16.6 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Impreza’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Elantra:

	Impreza	Elantra
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	10.3 inches

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The discs on the Elantra are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Impreza has larger tires than the Elantra (225/40R18 vs. 195/65R15).

The Impreza’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Elantra SE’s standard 65 series tires. The Impreza’s tires are lower profile than the Elantra SEL/Limited’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Impreza has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Elantra SE. The Elantra’s largest wheels are only 17-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza 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 Hyundai Elantra has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

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

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Elantra’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

Chassis

The Impreza is 9.2 inches shorter than the Elantra, making the Impreza easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Impreza has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Elantra uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Impreza uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Elantra doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza a Large car, while the Elantra is rated a Mid-size.

The Impreza has .6 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom and 2.7 inches more rear hip room than the Elantra.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Elantra’s liftover is 28.4 inches.

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

The Impreza’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Elantra’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Elantra. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Hyundai. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 66% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 30th.

Ergonomics

The Impreza’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch. The Elantra has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Impreza’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Elantra’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Impreza’s exterior PIN entry system. The Elantra doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Impreza has standard Keyless Entry and Start 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. Only the Elantra SEL Sport/Limited offers a Proximity Key.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Impreza has a standard rear wiper. The Elantra doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Elantra doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Elantra offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza has a 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. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Elantra SEL Sport/Limited.

Compared to traditional radio, the Subaru Impreza’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio is only offered on the Elantra Limited.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Subaru Impreza retains 66.09% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 59.43% resale value of the 2026 Hyundai Elantra after five years, which can save the Subaru’s owner.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Impreza and the Hyundai Elantra, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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