2026 Hyundai Kona

The 2026 volume trims (SE, SEL Sport) carry the 2.0L MPI Atkinson four at 147 hp @ 6,200 rpm; the 1.6L turbo's 190 hp is reserved for SEL Premium and Limited. Real score replaces a placeholder that had invented 414 hp.

The volume 2.0L makes 132 lb-ft at a high 4,500 rpm — at the very bottom of the SUV normalization band. The optional 1.6T's 195 lb-ft arrives far lower in the rev range.

Consumer Reports instrumented the 2026 Kona's base 2.0L at 9.8 seconds to 60 — slower than the SUV band floor. The turbo trims cut two full seconds off that.

The 2.0L pulls away cleanly with no off-the-line hesitation and is adequate around town, but it gets loud and strained when asked for more; reviewers explicitly steer buyers to the turbo for a satisfying engine.

Hyundai's chain-driven IVT is one of the better CVTs — programmed step-shifts disguise it well in normal driving — but revs still flare and drone under load. The 8-speed torque-converter automatic on the turbo trims is conventional and well-behaved.

Hyundai publishes no US tow rating for the Kona and the owner's manual states towing is not recommended, so the vehicle scores zero on capability rather than being omitted. Overseas Konas carry braked ratings, but those do not apply to the US-market car.

HTRAC all-wheel drive is optional on every 2026 trim, which is broad availability, but it is a basic on-demand front-biased system with no low range, no locking differential and no meaningful torque vectoring.

Pavement-oriented subcompact crossover: 6.7–8.3 inches of clearance depending on drivetrain and wheel size, no skid plates, no locker or crawl control, and no off-road trim now that the N Line is gone — Hyundai does not offer an XRT Kona.

Three genuinely distinct US powertrains — 2.0L NA, 1.6L turbo, and a battery-electric Kona — is good breadth for a subcompact, but 2026 narrows it: the Electric is cut to a single 133-hp, 200-mile standard-range SE, the 201-hp long-range battery is gone, and there is still no US hybrid.

The volume 2.0L FWD Kona (SE/SEL Sport) is EPA-rated 31 MPG combined, unchanged for 2026 — Hyundai lists the gas Kona as a carry-over model. Mid-pack for a subcompact SUV: better than Trax (30) and level with Venue (31), but short of Corolla Cross Hybrid or a Niro.

City economy is the Kona's weaker EPA number — the naturally aspirated 2.0L runs a CVT with no hybrid assist and no engine-off coasting, so stop-and-go returns trail hybridized rivals by roughly 10 MPG.

Highway is where the Kona's small displacement and low mass pay off — 35 MPG is strong for the subcompact SUV class. Adding AWD costs a large 6 MPG on the highway cycle, so the FWD car is meaningfully the efficient choice.

The small 12.4-gallon tank on SE/SEL Sport caps range near 384 miles despite decent economy; SEL Premium/Limited carry 13.2 gallons but give back MPG with the 1.6T, so real-world range barely moves. Range is computed from EPA combined MPG and published tank capacity, not an EPA-published figure.

At the EPA 2026 guide's $4.15/gal regular and 15,000 miles, the 31-MPG FWD Kona burns about 484 gallons a year, roughly $2,000. Edmunds' regional estimate of $1,950/yr ($9,750 over five years) corroborates. The Kona Electric cuts that to roughly a third on home charging.

Every gas Kona — 2.0L and 1.6T alike — runs on regular 87-octane with no premium recommendation, and the Kona Electric charges on an ordinary Level 2 home circuit with a 400V DC fast-charge option (10–80% in about 43 minutes). No premium requirement, no diesel or E85 complications, and the electric variant's home charging is the cheapest energy path in the class.

NHTSA rates the 2026 Kona 4 stars overall — 4 stars frontal crash, 5 stars side crash, 4 stars rollover. A full star behind the 5-star subcompact leaders (Crosstrek, Taos), and the single biggest drag on this category.

The 2026 Kona is an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ — Good in small overlap front, the updated moderate overlap front, and the updated side test, plus Good vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention. Held just short of the 90s only by Acceptable (not Good) headlights.

For 2026 Hyundai cut the lineup to four trims (SE, SEL Sport, SEL Premium, Limited) and made the full SmartSense core standard on all of them: Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian/cyclist and intersection-turn detection, Lane Keeping/Lane Following Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist and — newly standard this year — Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go. Only the convenience layer (HDA, Blind-Spot View Monitor, 360 camera) is trim-gated.

Earns the top Good rating in IIHS pedestrian front crash prevention (day and night) with the standard system, and clears the updated vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 evaluation at Acceptable or better — a prerequisite for its TSP+ award. Strong, but not the Good/Good sweep the very best now post.

Blind-Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (with braking intervention, not alert-only) are standard on every 2026 trim. The camera-based Blind-Spot View Monitor that projects a live side feed into the cluster, plus Surround View Monitor, remain Limited-only.

Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist and camera-based Lane Following Assist centering are standard fleet-wide, and the system tracks well on clearly marked highways. Typical of Hyundai's tuning, it leans on the wheel more abruptly than the smoothest rivals and degrades where markings fade or in construction zones.

Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go — full speed range, brings the car to a halt and resumes — is standard on all four 2026 trims, a genuine advantage over subcompact rivals that still gate ACC behind mid trims. The integrated Highway Driving Assist that fuses ACC with lane centering is reserved for the Limited, so the volume SE/SEL Sport buyer gets the cruise half without the polished highway-assist half.

No hands-free highway system is offered on the Kona at any trim or price. Hyundai's US lineup has no BlueCruise/Super Cruise equivalent here — HDA is a hands-on lane-centering assist that requires steering-wheel torque.

IIHS rates the 2026 Kona's headlights Acceptable — the second-highest grade, and the one weak link in an otherwise Good-across-the-board IIHS card. It is at least consistent: TSP+ requires Acceptable-or-better lights on every trim, so there is no bad-headlight base version. High Beam Assist is standard.

Upright seating and a fairly tall glasshouse give a good forward and quarter view for the class, but the second-generation Kona's rising beltline, chunky rear pillars and shallow rear window pinch over-the-shoulder and reverse sightlines. Camera compensation is trim-dependent: the Surround View Monitor and Blind-Spot View Monitor that would offset it are Limited-only.

Two outboard positions have complete LATCH hardware and three top tethers are clearly marked and easy to reach, but the lower anchors sit down in the seat bight and take real effort to clip. Subcompact packaging is the bigger limit: rear-facing seats are a tight fit against the front seats and three across is not happening.

The 2026 Kona is a two-row, five-passenger subcompact SUV across every trim (SE, SEL Sport, SEL Premium, Limited) and in both gas and Electric form; there is no six- or seven-seat configuration.

Second-generation (SX2) Kona front headroom is 39.9 in without the sunroof, a genuinely tall-feeling front cabin for the subcompact class; the Limited's power tilt-and-slide sunroof costs roughly two inches.

41.7 in of front legroom is mid-pack for an SUV overall and adequate for the subcompact segment, though it trails larger compact crossovers that push past 43 in.

38.3 in of second-row headroom is strong for a subcompact SUV, although the theater-style raised rear cushion means taller passengers sit closer to the headliner than the number suggests.

Rear legroom is the Kona's standout packaging figure — 38.2 in is close to compact-SUV territory and well ahead of subcompact rivals like the Kicks and Venue, a direct benefit of the second generation's 2.3-in wheelbase stretch.

The Kona is a strictly two-row, five-seat subcompact SUV — no third row is offered on any trim or powertrain, so this item scores in the bottom band by definition.

25.5 cu ft behind the rear seats is competitive within the subcompact SUV class and up sharply from the first-generation Kona, but it sits at the very bottom of the SUV-wide normalization band that runs to 80 cu ft.

Folding the reclining 60/40 split rear bench opens 63.7 cu ft — useful for a vehicle this small, but modest measured against mid- and full-size SUVs at the top of the band.

Moving the shifter to a column stalk on upper trims frees a genuinely large open console tray with a pass-through beneath it, and the rear bench both reclines and drops a center armrest with cupholders; reviewers knock the unlined plastic bins that let contents slide noisily, and there is no underfloor cargo trickery on gas models.

Front seats are well-padded, broadly adjustable and comfortable over long stints, and the rear bench's stadium-style cushion with recline is better than most subcompacts; the deductions are shallow side bolstering up front and modest thigh support in back.

The second-generation chassis rides noticeably better than the old Kona — firm but rarely harsh over broken pavement — while still going busy and slightly bouncy over larger swells, which is par rather than class-leading for a short-wheelbase subcompact.

Highway refinement is the weakest part of the Kona's comfort case: road noise is intrusive at cruising speed and the 2.0L four gets buzzy under load, leaving the cabin only average for the class and below the broader SUV field. (The Electric is markedly quieter, but the gas volume trim sets this score.)

Heated front seats arrive on SEL Sport and up, with ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, leatherette seating, power sunroof and hands-free smart liftgate reserved for the Limited; the base SE goes without heated seats entirely and there is no rear climate zone or rear vents worth the name in a vehicle this size.

The 2026 Kona opens at $25,450 for the SE with a $1,395 destination charge, an entry price near the bottom of the subcompact-SUV band and well under the $30k mark most rivals now cross.

Hyundai collapsed the old SEL, SEL Convenience and N Line grades into SEL Sport and SEL Premium for 2026; the SEL Sport ($26,825 + destination) is the volume seller and lands near $29,000 once the common AWD or Premium upgrade is factored in.

Kona service costs are among the lowest in the segment — CarEdge projects $2,646 in maintenance and repairs over five years (~$529/yr) and RepairPal puts average annual repair at $449 vs a $652 all-vehicle average — but 2026 buyers now pay for the oil changes and rotations that Hyundai's discontinued complimentary-maintenance program used to cover, so the realistic figure sits slightly higher.

The gas Kona holds value slightly better than its subcompact-SUV class average, retaining roughly 60% of MSRP at five years; the Kona Electric is a different story and drops to around 44% retention, so EV shoppers should not read this figure across.

Hyundai's 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage is unchanged for 2026 and remains the longest basic warranty in the mainstream market alongside Kia and Genesis.

The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty carries over for 2026 and tops the normalization band, though it is first-owner only — a second owner inherits 5 years/60,000 miles from the original in-service date.

This is the one place 2026 is a step backward: Hyundai killed its 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance program for MY2026 vehicles, so the Kona now offers roadside assistance and connected services only — generous on length (5 years, unlimited miles) but no longer covering a single oil change, which is why it lands mid-band rather than in the 80s a 2025 Kona would have earned.

$29,000 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (60% retained, or about $17,400) leaves about $11,600 in depreciation. Add the projected $2,950 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $14,550 in total.

J.D. Power rates the 2026 Kona 84/100 for quality & reliability ("Great" band), and the second-gen SX2 has settled into roughly average-to-above-average Consumer Reports predicted reliability after a weaker 2024 first year of the generation. Good but not top-tier — mixed signals between sources keep it out of the 80s.

Hyundai is a consistently upper-mid-pack dependability brand: 8th in Consumer Reports' 2026 brand rankings, above the industry average in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study, and 4th of 32 brands on RepairPal's aggregate reliability index. Strong, but short of the perennial top-5 (Lexus/Toyota/Honda) tier.

The 2026 Kona has already drawn multiple NHTSA recalls in its first year on sale, two of them safety-critical: front steering knuckles that can crack and cause loss of steering control, and a rear center seat belt buckle that may not restrain an occupant in a crash — the latter covering essentially the entire 2026 US production run, with Hyundai advising owners not to use that seat until repaired. That is well beyond typical first-year recall activity for the segment.

The volume SE/SEL Kona runs the 147-hp 2.0L Smartstream MPI four with the IVT — port-injected and belt-driven CVT, a low-stress combination with no systemic failure pattern and none of the GDI carbon-buildup history. The 190-hp 1.6T upper trims now pair with a conventional 8-speed torque-converter automatic rather than the gen-1 dry dual-clutch, removing the clutch-wear and low-speed-shudder complaints that dogged the 2018–2023 Kona. Newer combinations without a long high-mileage record keep it out of the top band.

Cabin design and the twin-panoramic-display layout read upscale, but reviewers consistently flag hard, scratchy plastics across the dashboard and door interiors on the volume trims, with soft-touch surfaces and leatherette reserved for Limited. Competitive for a mainstream subcompact SUV rather than class-leading.

Initial quality is a genuine strength: the 2026 Kona finished second among small SUVs in J.D. Power's 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study, and Hyundai Motor Group took five model-level IQS awards, second only to BMW. Assembly consistency and defect rates are well ahead of the segment norm even where material choice is not.

Hyundai runs a dense nationwide franchised dealer network — coverage is a non-issue anywhere in the US — but service satisfaction is ordinary rather than standout, with the brand absent from the top of J.D. Power's 2026 Customer Service Index mass-market table led by MINI, Subaru and Buick.

Running costs are a clear strength: RepairPal puts the Kona's average annual repair bill well below the all-vehicle average with a low severe-repair probability, and Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty plus 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance absorb much of the early-ownership expense. High US sales volume keeps parts common and cheap.

The second-generation (SX2) Kona carries a 12.3-inch center touchscreen as standard equipment on all four 2026 US trims, including the base SE — one of the largest standard screens in the subcompact SUV class, where rivals still ship 8-inch base units.

Hyundai's current-generation software is quick and logically laid out, and the Kona keeps physical volume and tuning knobs plus a separate climate control panel rather than burying those functions in the screen — the combination is consistently called out as one of the better mainstream interfaces.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are standard on all four trims including the base SE, and unlike Hyundai's older head units the large 12.3-inch screen does not force a downgrade to wired projection.

Built-in connected navigation is reserved for the upper trims, so the volume SEL Sport relies on phone projection for maps; the Bluelink voice assistant handles climate, audio and basic commands competently but is not the natural-language equal of the Google built-in systems in the Equinox or Kicks-class rivals.

A six-speaker system is standard and merely adequate, and the Bose eight-speaker premium upgrade is locked to the range-topping Limited rather than being available mid-range — a narrower path to good audio than the Tucson offers a class above.

The volume SE and SEL Sport trims pair analog gauges with only a 4.2-inch driver information display; the 12.3-inch full-digital cluster that completes the panoramic dual-screen look starts at SEL Premium, so most Konas sold do not get it.

The Kona receives over-the-air updates for infotainment software and maps, and Hyundai has extended OTA to some vehicle controllers on this software generation, but these are maintenance and map refreshes rather than the regular feature-adding whole-vehicle updates EV-native rivals ship.

Bluelink+ is included at no extra subscription cost and covers remote lock/unlock, remote start with climate, vehicle finder, stolen-vehicle location and collision notification — a strong, genuinely free package; phone-as-key (Digital Key 2 Touch) is limited to the Limited trim, and the Wi-Fi hotspot rides with the Limited's advanced package.

Four USB-C ports — two front, two rear — are standard from the base SE, which is generous for a subcompact, and wireless charging arrives at SEL Sport rather than being a top-trim item; there is no household AC outlet.

Proximity key with push-button start is standard all the way down to the SE, and remote start comes with SEL Sport; the hands-free smart liftgate and phone-as-key are held back for the Limited, which is the main gap against the class leaders.

A rear camera is standard, but front/rear parking distance warning, the Surround View Monitor, the Blind-Spot View Monitor and Remote Smart Parking Assist are all bundled exclusively into the Limited — so the volume trim gets a rear camera and little else.

No head-up display is offered on any 2026 US Kona trim. The SX2 Kona has the hardware in some export markets on the Ultimate grade, but the US range tops out at Limited, which does not list a HUD.

The SX2-generation Kona's back seat is one of the roomiest in the subcompact class (38.2 in rear legroom, more than the Mazda CX-30, Corolla Cross and Bronco Sport), and the squared-off 25.5 cu ft cargo bay swallows a stroller without the sloping-roofline penalty rivals carry. LATCH provision is only average, though: two complete lower-anchor positions plus a tether-only center, with anchors buried in the seat bight, and the cabin is too narrow for three-across seats.

Hyundai puts the whole SmartSense suite on the $26,845 SE — the trim families actually buy — and for 2026 added Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go and FCA with junction turning to that standard list, alongside Rear Occupant Alert and Safe Exit Warning. IIHS names the 2026 Kona a TOP SAFETY PICK+; the ceiling here is NHTSA's 4-star overall (4 frontal, 4 rollover) and merely Acceptable-rated headlights.

Edmunds calls the seats comfortable in both rows and 25.5 cu ft is enough luggage room for four with the seats up, but rear amenities are thin and trim-gated: second-row vents and the two rear USB-C ports arrive on SEL Sport, so the base SE sends rear passengers on a long trip with no vents. Road noise is the recurring complaint on multi-hour highway stints.

Commuting is where the Kona is strongest: the 2.0L/IVT pair pulls away cleanly with no off-the-line hesitation, the column shifter and retained physical volume and climate controls keep daily interactions simple, and stop-and-go adaptive cruise is now standard on every trim rather than a Limited perk. The 9.8-second 0–60 means merging and passing take planning.

31 MPG combined on regular 87-octane and unusually cheap consumables (RepairPal puts annual repair at $449 against a $652 all-vehicle average) make for low per-mile cost, and a Kona Electric SE exists at 116 MPGe for those who can charge. It falls short of the top of the class because there is no hybrid Kona at all — rivals like the Niro and Crosstrek Hybrid undercut it on fuel — and AWD or the 1.6T drops the figure to 26–28 MPG.

At 171.3 in long on a 104.7 in wheelbase the Kona is easy to slot into city spaces, and the upright glasshouse gives decent sightlines. Two things keep it out of the top band: a 34.8 ft turning circle that is merely average for a subcompact, and camera help that stops at a plain rearview unit until the Limited adds Surround View and parking sensors.

The Kona has no US tow rating whatsoever — Hyundai's owner documentation states it is not recommended for towing — so trailering a small utility trailer is off the table entirely. What work utility exists is limited to hauling: 25.5 cu ft behind the rear seats, 63.7 cu ft folded, moved by 147 hp through a CVT.

The naturally aspirated 2.0L Smartstream MPI and IVT are a simple, low-stress combination backed by a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and cloth seats on the volume trims tolerate abuse. But this is a car-based unibody crossover with no fleet or trade following, and 2026 build quality took a hit from a front steering-knuckle recall.

Work provisions are close to nonexistent on the gas Kona: no bed, no hitch option, no 110V outlet, roof rails only from SEL Sport up, and nothing more than basic tie-downs plus an underfloor tray in the cargo bay. The one genuine work feature belongs to the Kona Electric, whose standard V2L can run tools off the charge port — but that needs a separate adapter and the EV is down to a single SE trim for 2026.

Roughly 384–409 miles between fill-ups and seats Edmunds rates comfortable in both rows make the Kona a competent tourer, and standard stop-and-go cruise with lane following takes the edge off interstate hours. It stops short of a good mile-eater on noise — CR measures it louder than most vehicles — on a chassis that gets floaty over undulating pavement, and on 147 hp that makes uphill passing a project. The EV alternative is worse here at 200 miles.

HTRAC all-wheel drive is available on every gas trim and lifts ground clearance to 8.1–8.3 in, which is genuinely enough for forest-road and ski-trip duty. Beyond that the Kona is unequipped for adventure: no off-road variant or terrain modes worth the name, no tow rating at all for a small trailer or toy hauler, roof rails absent from the base trim, and no cabin power outlet on the gas cars — well behind a Crosstrek or Bronco Sport.

Cargo is a real strength for the class — 25.5 cu ft behind the rear seats expanding to 63.7 cu ft, in a squared-off bay rather than the tapered hold most subcompact rivals offer — with a 60/40 split reclining second row that lets long items ride alongside a passenger, plus an underfloor tray. The ceiling is the missing hitch option, which rules out a cargo carrier or bike rack, and roof rails that skip the base SE.

The second-generation Kona is deliberately tuned for comfort over sharpness, and reviewers of the 2026 car call out soft, springy damping and pronounced body roll; it is secure and did well in emergency-handling testing, but there is no agility payoff. Scored below segment sharpshooters like the Taos and CX-30 and roughly level with the HR-V.

Accurate and light enough to make the Kona easy in town, but isolated — Consumer Reports describes a rubbery on-center feel that dulls the connection to the road. Precise enough, numb: mid-band.

Stops are dependable — the Kona performed well in Edmunds' instrumented emergency-braking testing — but no source singles out pedal feel as a strength, and there is no published 60-0 figure to corroborate a higher score. Adequate stopping power with unremarkable feel.

The volume SE/SEL Sport configuration is the 147-hp 2.0-liter with a CVT: adequate around town and paired to a well-calibrated transmission that fakes upshifts, but sluggish under hard acceleration. The optional 190-hp 1.6T (SEL Premium/Limited, 8-speed automatic) is quicker but suffers low-speed drivability hiccups, so neither powertrain earns an upper-band score.

The base 2.0-liter is the weak point: it turns loud and buzzy under load, and Consumer Reports flags engine noise as one of the reasons the cabin is loud overall. Coarse and intrusive enough at throttle to land in the bottom band for the volume powertrain.

Hyundai publishes a 34.8-ft curb-to-curb turning diameter for the 2026 Kona — near the tight end of the SUV normalization band and a genuine strength for a car aimed at urban duty. Prior placeholder value of 38.9 ft was wrong.

A clear strength: an unusually high, commanding seating position for a subcompact, clean sightlines with no awkward blind spots, generous seat travel, and physical climate buttons rather than haptic panels. Held out of the top band by a short seat cushion for taller drivers and a wheel rim that can clip the gauge cluster.

With the N Line trims dropped for 2026, nothing in the US lineup is aimed at an enthusiast, and reviewers are direct that the soft chassis and buzzy base engine sap any enjoyment. Competent commuter appliance rather than a car anyone takes the long way home in.

Every 2026 Kona — including the $25,350 SE — gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and for 2026 Hyundai made Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with junction turning detection standard across the whole range; the 10-yr/100k-mile powertrain warranty is still the segment benchmark. Rivals at this price typically charge for adaptive cruise or ship an 8-inch screen, though the second 12.3-inch digital cluster now starts at SEL Premium rather than base.

At $25,350 to start the Kona costs more than a Trax or Venue but delivers markedly more content, a bigger cabin, an optional 190-hp 1.6T (7.8-sec 0-60, quick for the class) and the segment's best warranty — Kelley Blue Book has named it Subcompact SUV Best Buy three years running, which is essentially a value verdict. It loses points because a loaded Limited AWD lands in the mid-$30,000s, where compact SUVs with more space compete.

The gas lineup is well spread — SE, SEL Sport, SEL Premium, N Line and Limited, two engines (147-hp 2.0 NA and 190-hp 1.6T) and AWD offered as a $1,500 option on every trim rather than being locked to upper grades. The Kona Electric pulls the average down: for 2026 it collapses from four trims and two batteries to a single SE with the standard pack, so EV shoppers get essentially no choice.

Volume is still healthy in absolute terms but the trend is clearly down: 64,666 US sales in 2025 versus 82,172 in 2024 (-21.3%), and the first half of 2026 ran another 9% lower at 36,169 units. That is a solid mid-pack seller, not a segment leader — Hyundai's overall record 2026 first half was driven by other nameplates.

Hyundai's image keeps improving — record US first-half 2026 volume and three segment wins in the J.D. Power 2026 Initial Quality Study, with the Kona itself ranking highest for initial quality in its segment — but resale still trails Toyota, Honda and Subaru, and the brand carries no premium halo that lifts a subcompact crossover's residuals.

Real but unspectacular buyer support as of August 2026: a $219/month, 36-month lease on the SE FWD with $3,999 due at signing, up to $1,000 cash back, and subvented financing from 3.49% APR. Nothing here reads as desperation pricing, and Hyundai dealers remain negotiable, but the offers are ordinary rather than segment-beating.

The second-generation Kona launched for 2024 and Hyundai's own 2026 product page lists the gas car as a carry-over model — the only changes are trim reshuffling (SEL split into SEL Sport and SEL Premium, monochromatic N Line dropped) and the newly standard driver aids. That makes 2026 a solid mid-cycle year: current tech, no redesign pressure, but a facelift is plausible within a couple of years.

About as decorated as a mainstream subcompact SUV gets: a third consecutive Kelley Blue Book Subcompact SUV Best Buy award, a 9.0/10 and #3 ranking among subcompact SUVs at U.S. News, an IIHS Top Safety Pick+, and highest-in-segment initial quality in the J.D. Power 2026 IQS. It stops short of the top band only because it rarely wins outright head-to-head comparison tests against the Crosstrek and Seltos on driving dynamics.