Where each one leads
Hyundai Elantra
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Volkswagen Polo
- Fewer Volkswagen Polo cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.9% against 6.0%).
- New Volkswagen Polo cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 125 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 139 for the Hyundai Elantra in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Volkswagen Polo uses 6.3 l/100 km on the road, the Hyundai Elantra 6.5.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Hyundai Elantra | Volkswagen Polo | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1990–2026 | — |
| New cars registered in Europe | 21,186 (2010–2022) | 3,287,019 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 685,293 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 122 | 292,864 |
| In traffic in Finland | 222 | 31,462 |
| Generations on record | — | 5 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Hyundai Elantra | Volkswagen Polo | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 67% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | −4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.2% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | +36% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 6.0% | 3.9% |
| US owner complaints | 8,732 | — |
| Most complaints about | Engine | — |
| Model year with most complaints | 2013 (1,314) | — |
| US recall campaigns | 59 | — |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 2,216 | — |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 49 | — |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Hyundai Elantra | Volkswagen Polo | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2026) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Hyundai Elantra | Volkswagen Polo | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 6.8 l/100 km (2026) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.5 l/100 km | 6.3 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 139 g/km | 125 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 90 kW (121 hp) | 74 kW (99 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,279 kg | 1,190 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €17,779 | €19,500 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 214,000 km | 140,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).