After hundreds of test drives, thousands of miles, and millions of “wows,” there’s just one North American Car of the Year winner: The 2021 Hyundai Elantra. Hyundai’s all-new compact car takes top honors for its thoughtful design, advanced safety, lengthy list of excellent tech, and fuel economy.
The consensus is that the new Hyundai Elantra is well-deserving of its NACOTY trophy. Don’t take our word for it; hear it straight from the proverbial horse’s mouth. Here’s what the experts in the auto biz have to say about the 2021 Elantra, available for sale and lease right now at our Miami Hyundai car dealership:
What Jurors & Critics Think
Car and Driver
Named as one of Car and Driver's 2021 Editors’ Choice Compact Cars of the year, the 2021 Hyundai Elantra pulls out all the stops, with its bold exterior, perky turbo N Line offering, and unbeatable value.
“The Elantra's handling dynamics have been tuned by people who actually like to drive. Body control in corners is excellent, and there's surprisingly good feel from the well-balanced steering.” - Scott Oldham
Motor Trend
Ranked No. 3 in Motor Trend's list of compact sedans, brings to the table a huge 10.3-inch touchscreen, great handling and balance, and a quality CVT with responsive throttle.“Enter the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Limited, and you'll be wowed by the 10.3-inch touchscreen, the 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and the amount of tech goodies. From the ability to use your phone as a key to the natural behavior of the voice controls, Hyundai packed the Elantra with plenty of useful features.” - Miguel Cortina
CNET
The CNET Roadshow editors labeled the 2021 Elantra as one of the more affordable compact cars in the segment, as well as one of the better Elantra models to grace showrooms.“Hyundai is launching a few new 2021 Elantra models right now, including the super-efficient Hybrid and zippy N Line. They're all pretty great, and that's largely thanks to the fact that the standard Elantra is a solid foundation on which to build. It drives well, looks cool and has a bunch of new tech -- all the things you'd want in a modern compact sedan.” - Steven Ewing
The Car Connection
Nominated for a handful of Car Connection awards – this includes the Best Car on a Budget, Best Car for Families and the coveted Best Car to Buy awards – the all-new Elantra earns praise for its sleek shape, hybrid option, and quality tech.“We’re still entranced by the Elantra’s dazzling new shape. In gray, silver, or other middling tones, it has the chamfered and carved look of a styling buck before the curves are sculpted in. Hyundai’s trimmed it down and lengthened it, which heightens the dramatic effect of its difficult-to-manufacture sheet metal.” - Martin Padgett
Edmunds
Featuring a generous list of both standard and available technology, a spacious interior, and good MPG returns, the new Hyundai Elantra sedan earns excellent reviews from Edmunds.com critics and editors.“The new Elantra stands out with its high fuel economy, impressive technology and safety features, and roomy cabin. It's also comfortable and strong on value... It's a great pick for a small sedan.” - Ryan ZumMallen
Consumer Reports
Not a Consumer Reports member? Here’s the biggest takeaway from their review of the all-new Hyundai Elantra:“The redesigned 2021 Hyundai Elantra feels like a more grown-up car than the model it replaces. It has a new, higher-tech infotainment system and delivers one of the more refined driving experiences in the compact sedan class.” - Mike Monticello
Cars.com
Earning an excellent 4.9-star rating, the Hyundai Elantra 2021 model makes the Cars.com grade thanks to great ride quality, a refined 2.0L engine, and overall value.“A confounding but age-old reality in our recent comparison between the Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla sedans was the trade-off between ride quality and handling chops. Hyundai elevates both better than any car in that trio, as well as most other compact sedans.” - Kelsey Mays
Autotrader
Returning up to 43 mpg on the highway, the Elantra gets a big “thumbs-up” from Autotrader.com's critics.“The Elantra has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the 1990s. With its great fuel-efficiency, attractive looks, good interior room, and generous safety suite, the all-new 2021 Hyundai Elantra now holds its own against the Civics, Corollas, and Sentras of this world.” - Andy Bornhop
Carbuzz.com
The latest Elantra garnered an impressive 9.0 BuzzScore thanks to its incredibly high fuel-economy numbers, a best-in-class array of technology, and all-around value.“Hyundai's not-so-secret weapon for the Elantra is its technology. It's all centered around the standard eight-inch or upgraded 10.25-inch infotainment screen, both of which are smooth and quick to respond to inputs.” - Ian Wright
NACOTY Judges
A total of 50 independent jurors make up the North American Car of the Year panel, and here’s what they had to say about the 2021 Elantra, their newest NACOTY victor:
“The latest iteration in a long series of truly excellent small sedans, the Elantra is understated yet impressive.” — Ken Gross (Contributing Editor, Collier Auto Media)
“It is refreshing to see an automaker so committed to the sedan segment that at launch they offer such a wide variety of models as is in the Hyundai Elantra family. Hyundai did not do the drip-drip of the model variants over a longer term as is typical for the class.” — John Davis (Managing Director/Host, MotorWeek)
“The Elantra presents an exceptional blend of left-brain and right-brain attributes. It sets high standards in objective virtues such as roominess, fuel economy, safety features, and value. Yet it’s also really good to drive — effortless and confidence-inspiring for those who just want a painless way to get from A to B, but also responsive and engaging for enthusiastic drivers.” — Jeremy Sinek (Freelance, Globe and Mail, Automotive News Canada)
“While some car brands have all but abandoned the sedan, Hyundai has doubled down with an all-new, content-rich 2021 Elantra featuring head-turning design, outstanding fuel economy, an exciting new N-Line performance series and the small Hyundai’s first-ever hybrid variant.” — Ron Sessions (Content Contributor, JD Power, Autotrader, AutoByTel, CarExpert.com, KBB.com)
“With its comprehensive Elantra line running from performance N-line to hybrid, Hyundai steps up to give King Honda a run in the compact sedan segment. Loaded with tech, the handsome Elantra and Sentra are proof you can have it all in a $25k car.” — Henry Payne (Reporter and Radio Host, The Detroit News)
Braman Hyundai
At our Miami Hyundai dealership, the Elantra takes home just about any award we can imagine for its segment, including awards for Best New Car We Have Dozens of for Sale, Best New Car for Sale in Miami Under $20k, and Best New Compact Car with Braman’s Stamp of Approval. (We’re not biased; you’re biased.)
“If we had to choose one affordable compact car to buy this year, the hands-down winner would be the 2021 Elantra. It’s loaded with segment-firsts and segment-onlys, including Hyundai Digital Key, a hands-free smart trunk, an enormous 10.25-inch touchscreen, and more safety systems than you can shake a stick at.” - Me
If you need to buy a new car with your tax refund this year, Elantra it shall be. Bring yourself over to our Miami Hyundai dealership at 2001 Northeast 2nd Ave to test drive the 2021 Elantra today. You can also call our Hyundai sales team at (786) 623-4261 to request a quote, start your Hyundai financing application, or schedule a contactless test drive appointment.
