The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Thrifty hybrid
- Strong
- Slippery styling
- Good controls inside
Dislikes
- Limited configurations
- Somewhat tight rear-seat legroom
- Some cheaper bits in base versions
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata has a high-tech look backed up by good driver-assistance features. It’s an appealing sedan.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Hyundai Sonata? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Sonata is a midsize sedan. Compare it to the Kia K5, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord.
Is the 2025 Hyundai Sonata a good car?
It can be a terrific choice, particularly with the available hybrid powertrain. Factor in its comfy cabin and impressive warranty, and it’s an easy 6.8 out of 10 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Hyundai Sonata?
The Sonata SE trim makes a reappearance as the entry point to the lineup for 2025.
Otherwise, the range sticks with last year’s handsome mid-cycle revamp that gave this mid-size sedan a new nose consisting of a broad horizontal line over a grille that’s visually—if not actually—pushed downward. The same shapely side profile continues, and the look culminates with a bold tail end including C-shape taillights connected by a narrow strip across the trunk lid. The look ties the Sonata to the brand’s electric models outside, and that theme continues inside with a wide span of digital displays and a broad dash. It’s not as slick inside as out, but it is well-organized.
The base 191-hp inline-4 pairs well enough with an 8-speed automatic transmission to provide reasonable grunt to either the front or all four wheels. You’ll be happy enough here, unless you do the math and realize just what a value the 47-mpg Sonata Hybrid can be. It’s our choice here, though admittedly the snappy 290-hp turbo-4 in the Sonata N Line models is plenty quick.
No Sonata thrills, but they all have a refined balance between ride quality and handling prowess. All-wheel drive is available in select configurations.
Inside, the Sonata has decent room on reasonably supportive seats. Its rear bench is flat but not particularly spacious when it comes to legroom. Interior materials are nice enough, too. The big 16.0 cubic-foot trunk is one of the largest in the segment.
The Sonata comes well-equipped with crash-avoidance features and it includes adaptive cruise control. Its Top Safety Pick and NHTSA five-star ratings are applaudable, but both agencies noted a few concerns that may wind up docking it a star or an award in the future.
How much does the 2025 Hyundai Sonata cost?
The new Sonata SE costs $27,800 but the $28,900 SEL comes with heated front seats, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and a power-adjustable driver’s seat. It can be optioned with all-wheel drive for $2,000. The Sonata Hybrid starts at $32,150.
Where is the 2025 Hyundai Sonata made?
In South Korea.
2025 Hyundai Sonata Styling
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata is dashing.
Is the Hyundai Sonata a good-looking car?
It’s lovely. The update last year brought it more in line with Hyundai’s electric cars as the brand carves out a more consistent identify for itself than it has had in the recent past. The broad grille below slit-like running lamps gives the Sonata a powerful look up front. From the side, the body line arcs deliberately toward the rear for an almost coupe-like profile. At the rear, the arrowlike taillights are connected via a thin LED strip that is tied in nicely to the front.
N Line versions have a purposeful body kit that looks great, too, and they have exposed tailpipes at the rear.
The cabin is nice, but not as daring. Hyundai perches the touchscreen up high, next to a binnacle for the instrument cluster. Good use of color coordination makes models not swathed in black look particularly nice, but otherwise this is a pretty conventional place with well-organized controls and plentiful small storage bins.
2025 Hyundai Sonata Performance
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata is pleasant, if not exactly inspiring.
Hyundai’s midsize sedan has a comfortable ride and acceptable handling. It’s a solid standard-bearer for the mid-size segment. We rate it at 5.
Is the Hyundai Sonata 4WD?
Some non-hybrid versions can be outfitted with all-wheel drive.
How fast is the Hyundai Sonata?
Speed isn’t the priority here, for the most part. The 191-hp 2.5-liter inline-4 that comes standard is more than competent, largely fading into the background in most driving situations. That’s all we ask of a typical mid-size sedan, and in that regard the Sonata delivers wonderfully.
But we’d still opt for the hybrid, which pairs a smaller inline-4 with an electric motor and a battery pack that delivers similar performance to the base engine, but with far less fuel consumption.
Base and hybrid Sonatas have a soft, composed ride that does a good job ironing out the road below. They’re quiet, competent, and comfortable, with little in the way of sportiness. Even the Sport mode setting only tightens things up a bit; we like the way it adds some steering heft to aid in highway tracking, but that’s about the only reason we’d press it.
The N Line versions have a much more powerful 2.5-liter turbo-4 that pushes 290 hp to the wheels through a rapid-shifting 8-speed dual-clutch automatic with paddles. The suspension setup is just enough stiffer to make things entertaining without diluting this sedan’s all-around competentness. Optional summer tires add grip and ride a bit better, though you’ll want to swap them out for dedicated winters before the snow falls.
2025 Hyundai Sonata Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata is comfortable inside.
Hyundai’s mid-size sedan has a reasonably spacious interior with nice materials. It’s an 8 here thanks to good front- and rear-seat room plus a reasonably large trunk by sedan standards. It should be enough to talk you out of an SUV, but it probably won’t.
The Sonata stretches a fairly hefty 193.3 inches long and it rides on a lengthy 111.8-inch wheelbase, making it one of the larger mid-size sedans. Its interior has an open, airy feel, with cloth or leather seats with good cushion but not too much in the way of bolstering.
Rear-seat riders have an acceptable but not quite generous 34.8 inches of legroom and a fairly flat bench.
At the lower end of the Sonata spectrum, materials are par for the class. Higher-end versions like the Limited have more interesting and attractive trim that borders on luxury.
The 16.0 cubic-foot trunk is one of the biggest in the midsize class.
2025 Hyundai Sonata Safety
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata has good safety tech, but a mixed crash-test record.
How safe is the Hyundai Sonata?
The Sonata is a good overall choice, though what appears to be a great score does require some explanation. It’s an 8 thanks to a five-star NHTSA rating, a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, and good standard crash-avoidance tech across the line.
However, the NHTSA notes a four-star frontal rating and the IIHS gave it a genuinely concerning “Poor” in its updated moderate overlap frontal test.
The Sonata comes with adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitors. Hyundai’s best driver-assistance tech is available, and so are additional cameras.
2025 Hyundai Sonata Features
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata is a terrific buy, especially for anyone comparing it to an SUV. `
The Hyundai Sonata is a highly rational vehicle with terrific standard equipment and a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty plus three years of basic maintenance. It gets one more point for its solid infotainment system, giving it a 9 on our scale.
The 2025 Sonata SE costs $27,800, including the mandatory $1,150 destination fee. It rolls on dinky 16-inch wheels but comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
The $28,890 SEL addshas, heated front seats, cloth upholstery, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, and a power driver’s seat. A panoramic sunroof, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a wireless charging pad, and 18-inch alloy wheels are all included on the $31,950 SEL Convenience.
Which Hyundai Sonata should I buy?
Wed’ buy the SEL Hybrid, which is outfitted like the base SEL but adds a power-adjustable passenger’s seat and a charging pad for about $32,150. That’s not chump change, but this model is so much more fuel-efficient that it may wind up paying for itself during your ownership, and that’s before you might factor in its residual value.
How much is a fully loaded Hyundai Sonata?
The N Line has more power, a sportier suspension tune, a sunroof, synthetic suede and real leather trim, and a few other bits for $36,400. It’s fun, but hard to justify for the way most of us use our mid-size sedans.
At $38,600, the top-end Sonata Hybrid Limited has leather trim, a big sunroof, the ability to park itself, blind-spot cameras, a surround-view camera system, cooled front seats, and nicer interior trim. It’s not a bad buy if you’re considering a luxury brand, too.
2025 Hyundai Sonata Fuel Economy
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is worth the extra cost.
Is the Hyundai Sonata good on gas?
Yes, though it’s extra good in hybrid form. We derive our 3 out of 10 here based on the most popular configuration, which is the base version. It’s estimated at 25 mpg city, 36 highway, 29 combined, which narrowly misses out on a 4. All-wheel-drive versions are estimated at 28 mpg combined.
The Sonata Hybrid is in another class, though. It’s estimated as high as 44/51/47 mpg, making it an easy sell to anyone good at math.
The N-Line’s turbo-4 checks in at 27 mpg, which isn’t bad for something with 290 hp.
