When you are choosing between reliable and practically priced sedans, these two are sure to come up in your search at some point or other. The Honda Civic and the Hyundai Elantra are popular buys for the American commute, but how do they differ?

Certain points may sway buyers from one or the other. According to these stats, the Honda Civic sold nearly double the number of units as the Hyundai Elantra although the Civic is the more costly choice. These four reasons may tell us why so many more choose the Honda Civic over the Hyundai Elantra.

It’s nicer on the inside

Not only does the Honda Civic boast a better quality interior, but a roomier cabin as well. According to U.S. News and World Report, the Civic has the Hyundai Elantra beat by nearly an entire cubic foot for trunk cargo capacity. It also accomplishes more leg room in the rear seat plus a bit more head room up front.

The Honda Civic has a modern dash setup that’s easy on the eyes. The interior materials are of an obviously higher-quality material than the more bargain-chasing Elantra sedan. The interior is definitely one area where you get what you pay for.

You can still opt for manual

While the Hyundai Elantra dropped its manual option for the 2020 sedan and now only offers it on the hatchback GT, Honda still offers the manual transmission option on its Civic sedan.

Maintaining the roots of the brand, Japanese carmaker Honda offers manual as an option in its coupe, sedan, and hatchback versions –– even in the touring trim. The connection between car and driver still runs deep in the Honda Civic.

More standard safety

While they each earned a high rating from NHTSA for safety, the Honda Civic just edged past the Hyundai Elantra’s four stars with five out of five stars. The Honda stands out in a few places the Elantra’s safety lacks.

The Honda Civic safety features include adaptive cruise control, a collision mitigation system, and lane keeping technology. The Hyundai Elantra’s safety doesn’t quite keep up with what the Civic has to offer, though it does offer blind-spot monitoring and emergency collision notification.

Performance

Performance is the area of highest concern for many. If you are commuting in an automobile day in and day out, you want your investment to give you a little back. Cars are better when they are more fun to drive, and the

The spritely performance of the Honda Civic, especially with the turbo-charged engine that comes standard in the EX trim and above, makes daily driving a little more fun. The Civic is worth the few extra grand it costs than the Hyundai Elantra.

Edmunds.com love the Civic so much they bought a touring trim model and have reported a “long-term review.” With a price range of $19,750-$27,600 for the Civic and $19,150-$24,000 for the Elantra, the increased investment is a nominal cost, all things considered.

Honda Civic vs Hyundai Elantra

Though they both have plenty to bring to the table, the Honda Civic brings a little extra. It outshines the Hyundai Elantra in the quality of its interior, manual transmission availability, safety features, and performance.

While the Elantra is a great bargain, the Civic is more car for the money even though it’s just a few thousand more. A few key differences stand out and give the Civic an edge over the Elantra.