Top Safety PickTop Safety Pick criteria

2020 Hyundai Veloster

small car / 2-door hatchback

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights

2020 Hyundai Veloster 2-door hatchback
2019 Hyundai Veloster 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
Standard system
Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Optional system
Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Standard lane departure warning & 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 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Hyundai Veloster 2.0 Premium 3-door

The Hyundai Veloster was redesigned for the 2019 model year after a one-year absence from the market. The sporty hatchback features an unusual door configuration, with the passenger side having two conventionally hinged doors and the driver side only a single door.

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.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1805
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 7
Footrest (cm) 4
Left toepan (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 4
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 1
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 1
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 3
Upper dash (cm) 4
Lower instrument panel (cm) 4

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1805
Head
HIC-15 173
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.21
Chest maximum compression (mm) 23
Femur (kN)
Left 0.6
Right 0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.42
Right 0.62
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 3.1
Right 0.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 74
Right 35

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Hyundai Veloster 2.0 Premium 3-door

The Hyundai Veloster was redesigned for the 2019 model year after a one-year absence from the market. The sporty hatchback features an unusual door configuration, with the passenger side having two conventionally hinged doors and the driver side only a single door.

Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on 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
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 VTP1909
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 7
Footrest (cm) 7
Right toepan (cm) 6
Center toepan (cm) 2
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 3
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 3
Upper dash (cm) 4
Right lower dash (cm) 5

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTP1909
Head
HIC-15 138
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 6
Maximum Nij 0.14
Chest maximum compression (mm) 22
Femur (kN)
Left 0.6
Right 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.46
Right 0.42
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 2.5
Right 3.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 49
Right 57

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTP1909
Head
HIC-15 99
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.4
Extension bending moment (Nm) 19
Maximum Nij 0.35
Chest maximum compression (mm) 30
Femur (kN)
Left 0.2
Right 0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 1
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.37
Right 0.18
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.4
Right 0.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 36
Right 51

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Hyundai Veloster 2.0 Premium 3-door

The Hyundai Veloster was redesigned for the 2019 model year after a one-year absence from the market. The sporty hatchback features an unusual door configuration, with the passenger side having two conventionally hinged doors and the driver side only a single door.

Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test 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 VTF1816
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 1
Left (cm) 8
Center (cm) 2
Right (cm) 1
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -1
Rearward (cm) -4
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1816
Head
HIC-15 181
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 22
Maximum Nij 0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm) 26
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.4
Femur force - right (kN) 1.5
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.75
Maximum tibia index - right 0.63
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 94
Right 103

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Ultimate 3-door

The Hyundai Veloster was redesigned for the 2019 model year after a one-year absence from the market. The sporty hatchback features an unusual door configuration, with the passenger side having two conventionally hinged doors and the driver side only a single door.

Two tests of the Veloster were conducted, the first by the Institute and the second by Hyundai. During the first test, the driver door opened. This opening didn't significantly affect vehicle crush or dummy movement but shouldn't happen because, in some crashes, it could allow partial or complete occupant ejection, especially if the occupant is unbelted.

The door opening led Hyundai to modify the cars to prevent this occurrence beginning with 2019 models built after January 2019, and Hyundai has implemented a recall to apply the same fix to cars built earlier. (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.)

In the second test conducted by Hyundai on a car with the modifications, the driver door did not open. Ratings of the Veloster are based on the results of both tests.

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

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the Institute's crash test. The driver door opened, but the dummy's movement during the crash wasn't significantly affected.

View of the vehicle after the crash with door removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment (Institute test car shown).

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag in the Institute's test.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES1805 VTS1909
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -15.5 -17.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES1805 VTS1909
Head HIC-15 295 369
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1 1.4
Compression (kN) 0.5 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 30 28
Lateral force (kN) 1.7 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 33 36
Average deflection (mm) 30 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 6.94 5.86
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.54 0.79
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.2 1.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.4 1.6
Combined force (kN) 3.7 3.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.7 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 94 123
A-P moment (Nm) 35 -25

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES1805 VTS1909
Head HIC-15 153 289
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2 0.8
Compression (kN) 0.7 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 39 44
Lateral force (kN) 1.5 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 29 31
Average deflection (mm) 21 19
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.56 2.88
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.36 0.43
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.1 0.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 0.7 0.4
Combined force (kN) 0.7 0.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.3 1.1
L-M moment (Nm) 204 201
A-P moment (Nm) -74 56

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Hyundai Veloster 2.0 3-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight2,709 lbs
Peak force14,248 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio5.26

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) 34
Distance below top of head (mm) -3
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 10.4
Head contact time (ms) 67
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 57
Max neck tension (N) 527

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)

  • Turbo R-Spec trim
  • Turbo trim
  • Turbo Ultimate trim
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeHalogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?No
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 both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good in all 4 tests.

The low beams created some glare.

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

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the sharp right curve.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Turbo R-Spec trim
  • Turbo trim
  • Turbo Ultimate trim
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2019-22 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 107.4 m 11.1%
Straightaway left edge 67.5 m 11.1%
250m radius right curve, right edge 81.9 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 84.7 m 23.0%
150m radius right curve, right edge 59.9 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 61.7 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 159.5 m
Straightaway left edge 78.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 85.6 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 86.7 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 62.6 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 63.4 m

Trim level(s)

  • 2.0 trim
  • 2.0 Premium 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 fair on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. 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 inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • 2.0 trim
  • 2.0 Premium trim
Low-beam headlight type Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2019-21 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 78.6 m None
Straightaway left edge 34.7 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 42.9 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 36.2 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 36.5 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 33.6 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 148.0 m
Straightaway left edge 95.7 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 57.8 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 55.2 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 46.1 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 44.6 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

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

System details

  • Optional Forward Collision-avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection

Package name

  • Optional (standard on the Turbo Ultimate trim)

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2019-21 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, this vehicle avoided a collision.

System details

  • Standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2019-22 models

Superior
Superior
  • This system does not meet the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

  • optional Forward Collision-Assist with Pedestrian Detection

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2019-21 models of the following trim lines: Turbo Ultimate trim

Advanced
Advanced
with optional equipment

Crossing child

  • In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 8 mph.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 16 mph.

Crossing adult

  • In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 10 mph.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 29 mph. A warning was issued 1.8 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2019-22 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimTurbo Ultimate
Seat type leather

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

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimTurbo Ultimate
Seat type leather
1 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
hard-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
3
Tether anchor
hard-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) 19
Clearance angle (degrees) 69
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 24
Clearance angle (degrees) 80
Tether anchor
Location Floor
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
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) 31
Clearance angle (degrees) 78
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 30
Clearance angle (degrees) 59
Tether anchor
Location Floor
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation