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Redesigned 2021 Hyundai Elantra Starts at $20,645; Here’s What You Get

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The redesigned 2021 Hyundai Elantra’s wild new shape has more triangles embedded in its design than a party-size bag of Doritos, and it will cost about as much as 4,300 bags of Doritos when it goes on sale at a starting price of $20,645 (all prices include destination). That’s alotta polygons.

The Elantra’s starting price undercuts the most popular compact sedans in the class: the 2021 Honda Civic that starts at $22,955 and the 2021 Toyota Corolla that starts at $20,920.  

Related: How the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Stands Out Vs. Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla

What You Get for $20K

The Elantra’s base SE trim level comes with an impressive array of standard equipment for this class and more importantly, at this $20K starting price. Notables on the safety front include blind spot monitoring, lane keep and lane follow assists, rear cross-traffic alert and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking (now more commonly standard in the class). 

On the tech front, there’s the equally noteworthy inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto at no extra cost on the also-standard large 8-inch touchscreen. This is especially significant on the entry-level model because it was only a few model years ago when luxury automakers had a stranglehold on this technology, and also because you can’t get wireless CarPlay or Android Auto on the Elantra’s higher-end trim level with the sleek upgraded 10.25-inch screen; weird, we know. What might make the wireless screen mirroring less attractive, however, is that there’s no wireless charging pad at its base price, and wireless phone mirroring is a battery hog, so you might need to plug in anyway. 

the outgoing Elantra SE didn’t have CarPlay or Android Auto at all, nor did it have four-wheel disc brakes as it does in 2021. Other improvements from the 2020 base SE include 15-inch alloy wheels instead of 15-inch steel wheels with covers, LED daytime running lights, an 8-inch multimedia touchscreen versus a 5-incher and dual USB inputs versus the single USB in 2020. 

Shop the 2021 Hyundai Elantra near you

Used
2021 Hyundai ELANTRA SE
37,164 mi.
$13,864
Used
2021 Hyundai ELANTRA SEL
84,235 mi.
$14,999

Elantra SEL, Limited and N Line Pricing

hyundai elantra n line 2021 01 oem jpg 2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line | Manufacturer image

The solid features-for-the-money theme doesn’t stop with the SE. At a starting price of $21,895, the SEL comes with 16-inch wheels, proximity keyless entry, dual-zone climate control and Blue Link Connected Car Services. The SEL offers two option packages to boost the feature count even higher: The SEL Convenience Package for $950 includes a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, adaptive cruise control and the elusive wireless charging pad missing from the SE. The SEL Premium Package for $2,100 includes 17-inch wheels, a Bose sound system, moonroof, power driver’s seat and Hyundai’s digital key that uses your phone as a key. 

Add both of those packages together and you get the starting point for the Limited trim level, which starts at $26,445 but also includes LED headlights, backup sensors, leather-trimmed seats and the 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen that deletes the wireless CarPlay and Android Auto functions; even a few paragraphs down, this is still an odd choice.

The hot-to-trot Elantra N Line has a turbo four-cylinder with 201 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, plus a host of appearance and performance add-ons to keep up with the Honda Civic Si. At $25,095, it’s less than the $26,155 starting price of the 2020 Civic Si, but unlike the Civic Si, the Elantra N Line can be optioned with an automatic transmission, which increases the N Line’s starting price to $26,195.

Elantra Hybrid Pricing 

It takes $24,545 to get into the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid with what Hyundai says is its EPA-estimated combined 54 mpg. That’s not hugely groundbreaking since Hyundai’s own stable houses the 58-mpg 2020 Ioniq Hybrid for $24,195. A 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is $24,495 (52 mpg) and a 2021 Honda Insight hybrid (52 mpg) is $23,885. Where the Elantra breaks out from the Corolla, however, is how it offers an uplevel hybrid trim with more options versus the Corolla Hybrid that only has one moderately equipped version. The Elantra Limited Hybrid has all the goods of the regular Limited but with ventilated front seats and a memory driver’s seat for $29,095.

Hyundai says the 2021 Hyundai Elantra will go on sale in fall 2020 … which is now, so expect it to be available soon.

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Managing Editor
Joe Bruzek

Managing Editor Joe Bruzek’s 22 years of automotive experience doesn’t count the lifelong obsession that started as a kid admiring his dad’s 1964 Chevrolet Corvette — and continues to this day. Joe’s been an automotive journalist with Cars.com for 16 years, writing shopper-focused car reviews, news and research content. As Managing Editor, one of his favorite areas of focus is helping shoppers understand electric cars and how to determine whether going electric is right for them. In his free time, Joe maintains a love-hate relationship with his 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that he wishes would fix itself. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-bruzek-2699b41b/

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