The Best Years For The Hyundai Elantra, And Some To Avoid (According To Owners)

Hyundai currently produces two vehicles with histories greater than three decades long in the United States. The oldest is the Sonata, which hit the U.S. market in the late 1980s. Not too far behind that is the Hyundai Elantra, which made its way onto the streets in 1990. The Elantra remains one of Hyundai's best-selling vehicles due in no small part to it being one of its most affordable options. In many ways, it represents the platonic ideal of your average passenger vehicle: moderately reliable, comfortable enough, and just enough features to satisfy most drivers. Plus, in recent years, Hyundai has also produced a hybrid option for those who want it.

Because the Hyundai Elantra is an affordable vehicle fresh from the factory, its value on the used car market has the potential to be even more enticing to folks looking for the next vehicle in their garage. Because it has been around for decades, determining which Elantra a person should get can be a little overwhelming. This piece aims to look at the opinions and experiences of actual owners of the car and, with that information in mind, recommend four Elantra model years that stand as great used car prospects, as well as four that aren't worth your time.

The reliability and quality of early Elantra models can be a bit difficult to parse. With that being said, the earliest model year for the Hyundai Elantra that we are going to recommend is the 2008 model. This is the second model year of the car's fourth generation and easily stands as the best option from this four-year run. Drivers who rated the 2008 Elantra on Cars.com and Kelley Blue Book are in complete agreement, each giving it an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars. If that number isn't high enough for you, customers on Edmunds are even higher on it, with an average of 4.7 stars. Across these ratings, owners praise the vehicle's reliability, fuel economy that gets you 33 city mpg, and overall ride quality.

Drivers surveyed by J.D. Power are also quite effusive about the 2008 Elantra. They have given the car an overall average of 84 out of 100. Even more impressive is the 87 out of 100 quality and reliability score. While they praised the smoothness of its drive, they also spotlighted features like ample trunk space. Only 28 complaints have been made by drivers on CarComplaints, and considering there are model years that have several hundred reviews, that is a terrific number. The 2008 Hyundai Elantra makes for a rock-solid vehicle that can be gotten for under $4,500 on average.

The fifth generation of the Hyundai Elantra was not that successful in the eyes of drivers, but there is one exception: the 2016 Elantra, the final model year for the fifth generation. Customers reviewing the car on Edmunds gave it an overall average of 4 out of 5 stars, citing the infotainment system and overall appearance among its top qualities. Kelley Blue Book drivers gave it a slightly higher 4.2-star average, while owners on Cars.com remain steady with an average of 4.5 stars. These drivers are also quick to point out how stylish they think the 2016 Elantra is.

This is the highest-rated model year for the Hyundai Elantra's fifth generation, according to drivers surveyed by J.D. Power, with an overall average score of 80 out of 100 and an 85 quality and reliability rating, particularly appreciating how comfortable the second-row seating is. In another mark of reliability, the 2016 Elantra has the lowest number of complaints submitted by drivers for this generation on CarComplaints, with just 60. This model has also only been subject to one recall concerning the emergency trunk latch. This isn't the absolute best model year, but it's a very good one.

The sixth generation's highest point was the penultimate 2019 Hyundai Elantra. This is the very first year that the Elantra earned the CR Recommended badge from Consumer Reports after being surveyed by drivers, almost entirely due to the impressive 73 out of 100 reliability score for the vehicle. To earn this, the car got 5 out of 5 scores for its engine, transmission, in-car electronics, brakes, and more. Even better is the quality and reliability rating from drivers surveyed by J.D. Power, which is 86 out of 100.

Owners on Cars.com gave it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars, praising features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Kelley Blue Book customers gave it 4.1 stars, though the experts on that website went even higher with 4.5 stars. The drivers on Edmunds are in agreement with Kelley Blue Book drivers, also giving it a 4.1-star average,  and were impressed with its handling and comfort. Meanwhile, the number of complaints submitted for the 2019 Elantra was exceptionally low, with only 18 submitted complaints on CarComplaints, and only one recall has been issued on the car, which was for piston oil rings that weren't properly treated for heat.

The current generation Elantra is easily one of the most reliable models Hyundai currently makes. The 2023 Hyundai Elantra model was the next to earn the CR Recommended badge from Consumer Reports, scoring even better than 2019 for reliability and earning a terrific 84 out of 100 rating. All but two reliability categories earned perfect 5 out of 5 scores. The two that didn't — electrical accessories and noises and leaks — still got 4s. This is the one time where the quality and reliability score from drivers surveyed by J.D. Power actually comes in below this number with an 81. Not only did they find it reliable, but the experience of using its safety features was specifically a highlight.

The drivers submitting their reviews on Cars.com and Edmunds are equally high in their praise for the 2023 Elantra, as each site gave it an average score of 4.5 out of 5 stars and praised its aesthetics, handling, and interior spaciousness. Those rating it on Kelley Blue Book are slightly lower at an even 4 stars, but the experts on the site give it the highest rating across the board with 4.6 stars. The most impressive number is three, which is how many complaints it has received on CarComplaints. Two of those three concerned bulges on the sidewall of the tires, so that may be something to look out for.

We now move onto the model years for the Hyundai Elantra that are more trouble than they're worth, even if you find them for an extremely low price on the used car market. We start with the 2010 Elantra, which suffered from poor reliability. The best way to determine that is by how many problems and complaints have been levied against the vehicle, and although 2010 is the last year for the fourth generation, we see a significant spike in those numbers.

When it comes to the drivers on CarComplaints, the 2010 Elantra has received 111 complaints, which is about two and half times the amount from the previous year, making it the most for the generation by a wide margin. The biggest issue these drivers found was with the transmission, accounting for about half of the submitted complaints. Transmission slipping was the primary reason, which is estimated to cost over $1,600 to fix. Drivers have also submitted over 430 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is an increase of 160 complaints compared to 2009. While the fourth generation had some good years, like the previously recommended 2008 model, the 2010 Hyundai Elantra was a troublesome way to end it.

The fifth generation Hyundai Elantra is easily the rockiest generation of the car in the modern era. In fact, the 2011 model has a nearly identical number of complaints from drivers as the previous year on CarComplaints, though the substance of those complaints is quite different. The engine caused drivers the most issues, with many instances of ticking or rattling being of primary concern. CarComplaints suggests full engine replacement to remedy this problem, and that could cost you thousands of dollars, which isn't what you want to spend on something new in your garage.

There are also more complaints issued to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this year for a total of 450. With these drivers, the engine remains the major sticking point, though the loss of steering control was not too far behind. Overall, it has been the subject of eight different recalls, and the NHTSA website currently gives this model year an urgent warning for a fire risk while parked because of the vehicle's ABS unit. There were already enough issues with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, but if you can avoid the possibility of your car catching on fire at no fault of your own, you probably should.

The fifth-generation 2013 Elantra is one of the worst Hyundai models ever, and CarComplaints declares it to be the worst model year Elantra of them all, with a whopping 562 complaints. This year has so many more complaints than the second-highest year that it is almost comical, topping it by nearly 400 complaints. The engine is what caused these drivers the most trouble, ranging from engine ticking to complete failure. The tires also either wore prematurely or blew out entirely, which made up a significant number of complaints.

There's an astronomical rise in the number of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as well. Nearly 1,270 separate complaints have been made about the 2013 Elantra, almost twice as many as the previous year's model. The proportions of the complaints made to the NHTSA match up quite well with those made to CarComplaints, with the engine remaining the biggest headache. Despite all of these issues, only four recalls have been issued for the car, including for the ABS unit fire risk that plagued the 2011 model. None of these recalls concern the engine, placing the burden on you and a mechanic, but there's no reason to concern yourself with a 2013 Hyundai Elantra.

The final year of the fifth generation was one of the best years for the Hyundai Elantra, but instead of building off of that high point with the start of the sixth generation, the 2017 model year instead saw an uptick of complaints and problems, making it the lowest point for this generation. Right off the bat, we see a plummeting reliability score from Consumer Reports, earning only a 36 out of 100 rating. That's 17 points less than the second-lowest year for the generation. These drivers gave 1 out of 5 reliability scores, ranging from an engine that needed replacing to paint chipping and loose molding around the bumper.

For the sixth generation, it has by far the highest number of complaints from drivers on CarComplaints, with 107 in total — nearly 70 more than the second-highest year. Engine failure and loss of power are the most common issues drivers found, but complaints are plentiful according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, where the 2017 Elantra accumulated 666 complaints, nearly 450 more than the sixth generation's second-highest year. Four recalls have been issued for issues pertaining to airbag failure, power steering assist failure, and power brake assist failure. Every other year of the sixth generation could receive a decent endorsement for purchase, but the 2017 Elantra is an easy pass on the used car market.

In order to make this list, the opinions of drivers were the determining factor. Because of this, the early years of the Hyundai Elantra were discounted as the amount of data on them is far less than the modern model years. 

The first driver opinions were taken from websites such as Kelley Blue Book, Cars.com, and Edmunds, where drivers can post their ratings and reviews of their cars. Alongside those are sources like Consumer Reports and J.D. Power, both of which survey owners for their opinions on their vehicles in several different categories. For this list, the most important of those categories is reliability, as that is crucial for a used vehicle. Reliability was also determined by the amount of complaints drivers had for particular model years, which have been logged by the likes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and CarComplaints. Putting all of these sources together, these eight model years were chosen.