Whether to buy a Hyundai car or SUV instead of a Toyota car or SUV can be a tough call. Toyota has a very loyal fan base. However, the Hyundai brand earned the #1 ranking in customer satisfaction for about a decade. But what is it that urges a consumer to buy one product instead of the other? Here are 3 ways Hyundai is better than Toyota.

If you’re shopping the mainstream segment, then there is a chance you’ve compared rivals such as the Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry. Or perhaps you’re in the market for an SUV and you find yourself comparing the Hyundai Palisade and the Toyota Highlander. Or maybe you are looking at compact SUV options like the Hyundai Tuscon and the Toyota RAV4 But how do you choose between one brand instead of the other?

Price

Depending on what is important to buyers, this is arguably one of the most obvious ways that Hyundai beats Toyota. Toyota cars and SUVs are a prominent mainstream lineup and yes, most of the base model prices are reasonable. However, SUVs like the Toyota 4Runner and the Land Cruiser are way up there. Hyundai doesn’t offer big off-road SUVs like that which may be one reason for the price discrepancy.

However, let’s take another popular car like the Toyota Corolla. According to U.S. News and World Report, the Toyota Corolla L sedan starts at $19,600. Comparably, U.S. News says the Hyundai Elantra SE starts at $18,950.

Then there are popular three-row SUV options like the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Toyota Highlander. The Hyundai Santa FE SE starts at $26,125 according to U.S. News and World Report. The Toyota Highlander L, on the other hand, shows a starting price of $34,600. This is a huge price difference and each SUV offers very similar features in the base model.

The Hyundai warranty is ridiculously good

For a Hyundai car or SUV, you will not only see cheaper prices for virtually every option in the lineup, but you will also get the Hyundai warranty. If we look at a side by side comparison of Toyota and Hyundai warranty coverage, we see that Hyundai takes a decisive win here. Toyota coverage is not bad, it’s about average among all the brands. Hyundai boasts “America’s Best Warranty.”––and it’s ridiculously good.

The warranty covers several categories. There is a basic bumper to bumper coverage. In addition, we see powertrain, hybrid battery, and corrosion coverage. Also, there is included roadside assistance to consider.

A Hyundai car or SUV is covered for 5 years/60,000 miles for the basic bumper to bumper coverage, while a Toyota car or SUV is covered for 3 years/36,000 miles. For the powertrain warranty, Hyundai offers 10 years/100,000 miles of coverage while Toyota provides 5 years/60,000 miles. Corrosion coverage for Hyundai and Toyota is 7 years and 5 years, respectively, with unlimited mileage for both brands. Last, the roadside assistance coverage is unlimited for both brands as well. However, Hyundai offers 5 years while Toyota provides just 2.

Is Hyundai better than Toyota?

While in these two categories Hyundai is better than Toyota, it’s a tough call to say which brand is better overall. Toyota’s rock-solid reputation for reliability meets the Hyundai warranty in a battle for the best. But they are both great car brands that offer a vast array of vehicle options and affordable price points. While we won’t say that Hyundai is better than Toyota, we will say that if you are test driving a Toyota RAV4 or Toyota Camry, it’s probably wise to also test out a Hyundai Tucson or a Hyundai Sonata as well.