What’s New for the 2025 Dodge Hornet?
Everything is an SUV these days, including Dodge’s mass-market volume model introduced for the 2023 model year, the Hornet. And if it looks really similar to the more expensive Alfa Romeo Tonale, well, that’s because it’s largely the same vehicle, but with slightly different front and rear styling and a different interior. For 2025, the Hornet gets very minor updates. Find out if you should get a 2025 Hornet or save a few bucks with a 2024 model.
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Shop the 2025 Dodge Hornet near you
What’s New for 2025?
For the 2025 model year, Dodge has left the Hornet largely unchanged, only adding paddle shifters to the optional Track Pack on the Hornet GT and GT Plus trims. Buying a 2025 Hornet also now makes you eligible to attend Dodge’s high-performance Radford Racing School for a one-day session. Beyond that, the 2025 Hornet is the 2024 Hornet, right down to the package and color options.
Trim Levels and Pricing
Two trims are available for the 2025 Hornet, GT and R/T, and three major option packages are available on either version. The Blacktop Package brings blacked-out 18-inch wheels and gloss-black badging, mirror caps and window trim. The Track Pack upgrades to 20-inch wheels and adds an adaptive suspension, faux-suede sport seats, aluminum interior trim and pedals, and red brake calipers. The Tech Pack brings the electronics, adding traffic-sign recognition, intelligent speed assist, a driver attention alert, front parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, parallel and perpendicular park assist, and Active Driving Assist, which combines lane-centering steering and adaptive cruise control.
You can also get a Plus version of the GT and R/T. For both trims, the Plus option includes full-leather seating surfaces, an eight-way power passenger seat, ventilated front seats, a moonroof, a premium Harman Kardon sound system and a hands-free power liftgate. The GT Plus also adds an eight-way power driver’s seat, three driver’s seat memory settings, wireless phone charging, heated front seats and steering wheel, remote start and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.
Prices by trim level below include a $1,595 destination fee (unchanged for 2025); changes from 2024 pricing are in parentheses.
- GT: $33,180 (up $185 from 2024)
- GT Plus: $38,475 (up $185)
- R/T: $43,240 (up $245)
- R/T Plus: $48,585 (up $245)
Seven exterior colors are available for the 2025 Hornet, two of which are no-cost: Q Ball (white) and 8 Ball (black). Available premium colors, which add $495, include Blu Bayou, Gray Cray and Hot Tamale (red); Acapulco Gold and Blue Steele are $595.
Powertrain Specs and MPG
Two powertrains are offered for the Hornet. The base GT comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission; it drives all four wheels and makes 268 horsepower and 295 pounds-feet of torque. Stepping up to the R/T brings Dodge’s first electrified powertrain, a plug-in hybrid. It mates a turbocharged 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine with a six-speed automatic transmission and a rear-mounted 90-kilowatt electric motor for all-wheel drive. The setup makes a total of 288 horsepower and also adds a 15.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack.
The powertrains are skewed toward performance, with Dodge claiming 0-60 mph times of 6.5 seconds for the GT and 5.6 seconds for the R/T. A special PowerShot button on the R/T also brings in a little bit of extra electric-assisted acceleration, adding 30 hp for 15 seconds.
EPA fuel-economy ratings for the two powertrains are mid-pack, with the GT earning a rating of 21/29/24 mpg city/highway/combined. The R/T’s battery enables all-electric driving for up to 33 miles of EPA-rated range before garnering 29 mpg combined when the gas engine kicks in.
Tech Features
Standard equipment with the base GT trim includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen running the latest Uconnect 5 multimedia system, a 12.3-inch reconfigurable digital instrument cluster, automatic dual-zone climate control, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a competitively stylish and well-finished interior with the obligatory soft-touch surfaces. You also get some things not always standard with competitors, including rear parking sensors and blind spot monitoring.
Safety and Driver Assistance Features
The basic standard safety systems on all Hornets include automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert and steering assist, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. Optional Level 2 driving systems that are part of the Tech Pack include intelligent speed assist with traffic-sign recognition, driver attention alert, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, and lane-centering steering.
The Hornet has not yet been crash-tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Our Car Seat Check of the 2023 Hornet garnered A and B ratings; this should be consistent with the unchanged 2025 model.
Should You Buy a 2024 or 2025 Dodge Hornet? (Or Maybe a 2023?)
The Hornet has largely been unchanged since its introduction as a 2023 model, and here’s the interesting thing: As of this writing (mid-December 2024), there are actually more brand-new 2023 models on dealer lots than 2025 models, according to Cars.com listings. But Dodge has also put some massive incentives on the ’24 models, making them screaming deals considering the content and performance they deliver.
What the Hornet does not deliver, however, is excellent rear-seat space, cargo room or fuel economy — but if your desires for a small SUV skew more toward driving fun than a need to haul a family around, the Hornet is a ton of fun and a relative performance bargain. Of the two trim levels, we actually prefer the GT over the R/T. Even with the PowerShot boost button, we find the plug-in hybrid powertrain to be a bit clunky, and the GT’s turbo four is punchier and more usable in spirited driving.
Our recommendation would be to find a 2024 GT Plus; check for any available incentives, and enjoy a well-equipped, stylish, fun-to-drive little SUV. And don’t be afraid to haggle for an even better price — given how long Hornets stay on dealer lots, Dodge dealers will likely be piling even more money on the hood to get rid of 2024 models as we start seeing 2025s arrive.
More From Cars.com:
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- 2023 Dodge Hornet: Performance-Oriented Small SUV Lands Under $30,000
- Find a New Dodge Hornet For Sale Near You
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