Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2018 Hyundai Elantra

small car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights built after December 2017

2018 Hyundai Elantra 4-door sedan
2017 Hyundai Elantra shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system
Superior

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Optional lane departure warning
  • Optional lane departure prevention

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2017-20 models built after March 2016

Tested vehicle: 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE 4-door

The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2017 model year and the Elantra GT was redesigned for the 2018 model year. Beginning with 2017 Elantra models built after March 2016 and applicable to all Elantra GT models, the structure was reinforced at the junction between the door sill and hinge pillar and the driver frontal airbag was modified to improve occupant protection in small overlap crashes. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.)

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

Forces during the crash contributed to a moderate risk of injury to the dummy's left lower leg.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1619
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 5
Footrest (cm) 3
Left toepan (cm) 1
Brake pedal (cm) 2
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 2
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 2
Upper dash (cm) 3
Lower instrument panel (cm) 3

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1619
Head
HIC-15 538
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.5
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.26
Chest maximum compression (mm) 25
Femur (kN)
Left 1.9
Right 0.3
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.55
Right 0.61
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 5.3
Right 2.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 89
Right 94

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2018-19 models built after December 2017 and before October 2018

Tested vehicle: 2018 Hyundai Elantra SE 4-door

The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2017 model year. Beginning with 2018 models built after December 2017, the passenger-side front door hinge pillar and door sill were reinforced to improve occupant protection in passenger-side small overlap frontal crashes. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.)

Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based a test conducted by Hyundai.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but slid off toward the right side, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. The side curtain airbag deployed and has sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. The side torso airbag also deployed.
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side

Test ID VTP1801
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 18
Footrest (cm) 9
Right toepan (cm) 6
Center toepan (cm) 2
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 1
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 5
Upper dash (cm) 9
Right lower dash (cm) 8

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTP1801
Head
HIC-15 237
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 5
Maximum Nij 0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm) 25
Femur (kN)
Left 0.7
Right 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.70
Right 0.64
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 4.0
Right 3.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 106
Right 146

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTP1801
Head
HIC-15 180
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 40
Maximum Nij 0.38
Chest maximum compression (mm) 36
Femur (kN)
Left 0.2
Right 0.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 1
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.25
Right 0.31
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.6
Right 1.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 53
Right 64

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE 4-door

The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2017 model year and the Elantra GT was redesigned for the 2018 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on two tests of the Elantra conducted by Hyundai.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF1608 VTF1607
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 1 1
Left (cm) 5 4
Center (cm) 2 1
Right (cm) 1 1
Brake pedal (cm) 3 2
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0 0
Right (cm) 1 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -3 -2
Rearward (cm) -5 -5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1608 VTF1607
Head
HIC-15 214 209
Peak gs at hard contact no contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2 1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10 20
Maximum Nij 0.25 0.29
Chest maximum compression (mm) 32 29
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5 0.3
Femur force - right (kN) 1.0 0.7
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 2 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.39 0.30
Maximum tibia index - right 0.42 0.50
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.4 1.9
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.1 1.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 67 45
Right 53 51

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE 4-door

The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2017 model year and the Elantra GT was redesigned for the 2018 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTS1607
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -16.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS1607
Head HIC-15 331
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 37
Lateral force (kN) 1.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 42
Average deflection (mm) 34
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.80
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.86
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.6
Combined force (kN) 4.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.9
L-M moment (Nm) 137
A-P moment (Nm) 86

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTS1607
Head HIC-15 203
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 30
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 45
Average deflection (mm) 38
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.50
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.80
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.0
Acetabulum force (kN) 0.7
Combined force (kN) 0.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.3
L-M moment (Nm) 235
A-P moment (Nm) 63

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE 4-door

Rating applies to both the Elantra 4-door sedan (tested) and the structurally similar 2018 and later Elantra GT 4-door hatchback.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight2,826 lbs
Peak force15,369 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio5.44

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 32
Distance below top of head (mm) 6
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.4
Head contact time (ms) 63
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 8
Max neck tension (N) 519

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

  • Limited trim equipped with Ultimate package
Low-beam headlight typeHID projector
High-beam headlight typeHalogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?Yes
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit Some glare

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves, fair on the sharp left curve and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams created some glare.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Limited trim equipped with Ultimate package
Low-beam headlight type HID projector
High-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive? Yes
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2017-18 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 94.3 m None
Straightaway left edge 53.4 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 89.1 m 28.0%
250m radius left curve, left edge 52.6 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 78.0 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 50.5 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 183.6 m
Straightaway left edge 157.4 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 92.4 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 65.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 78.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 55.3 m

Trim level(s)

  • SE trim
  • Eco trim
  • Limited trim
Low-beam headlight typeHalogen projector
High-beam headlight typeHalogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • SE trim
  • Eco trim
  • Limited trim
Low-beam headlight type Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2017-18 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 71.6 m None
Straightaway left edge 40.1 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 47.2 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 40.3 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 41.9 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 37.2 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 168.6 m
Straightaway left edge 137.2 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 58.1 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 57.8 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 48.2 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 47.0 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Optional Automatic Emergency Braking

Package name

  • Optional Ultimate Package

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2017-18 models

Superior
Superior
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 22 mph.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimSE
Seat type cloth

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimSE
Seat type cloth
1 2 3
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 23
Clearance angle (degrees) 69
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 32
Clearance angle (degrees) 76
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 23
Clearance angle (degrees) 75
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 31
Clearance angle (degrees) 81
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation