The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Cheeky looks
- Good cargo area
- Inexpensive
- Intuitive tech
Dislikes
- Not enough power
- So-so fuel economy, too
- Mixed crash-test scores
- Loud interior
Buying tip
The 2025 Hyundai Venue’s big warranty and low price make it appealing enough against like-priced used compact cars.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Hyundai Venue? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Hyundai Venue is a small, high-riding hatchback that blends crossover utility with subcompact car frugality. Compare it to the Nissan Nicks and Honda HR-V.
Is the 2025 Hyundai Venue a good car?
Overall, the Venue is a good choice with a small footprint but a big interior and a terrific warranty. It’s a 5.5 out of 10 here. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Hyundai Venue?
Aside from some shifts in the Venue’s color palette, this model rolls into 2025 unchanged.
Hyundai has made its smallest car look fun enough outside with its unique proportions that blend SUV utility with a hatchback shape. While not as boldly styled as some competitors, the Venue has some fun touches and can be had with nifty two-tone paint—but only on the costliest top trim level.
It’s less entertaining inside, though convenient controls and a high-mounted, simple-to-operate 8.0-inch touchscreen are definite highlights.
The Venue’s little 1.6-liter inline-4 puts out a modest 121 hp, which isn’t very much for a modern car, even if it only weighs around 2,700 pounds. The standard CVT doesn’t help things, as it forces the engine to rev at higher speeds in order to keep up with traffic. The result is a loud, thrashy noise and not much acceleration. On the bright side, the Venue is nimble, and its ride is soft enough in most driving situations in town. It’s just not ready for the highway.
Fuel economy is estimated at a reasonable, but not overwhelmingly good, 31 mpg combined.
Small outside but surprisingly spacious inside, the 2025 Hyundai Venue has a nice, if somewhat bland cabin. There’s good cargo space, and the materials inside have an upscale appearance. There’s little in the way of dressy trim, but we have low expectations for a vehicle this inexpensive.
The Venue has a mixed crash-test record, with a four-star NHTSA rating balanced by “Good” scores in testing by the IIHS. You’ll find standard automatic emergency braking and active lane control, but the Venue lacks such niceties as multiple camera views, parking sensors, or adaptive cruise control.
How much does the 2025 Hyundai Venue cost?
Starting at around $21,300, including a $1,395 destination fee, the 2025 Venue is one of the least-expensive new cars. It’s not lavish, but it’s not basic, either. The base SE version has an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, cloth seats, and 16-inch alloy wheels, plus all Venus are backed by the automaker’s 5-year/60,000-mile warranty that includes the first three years of basic maintenance.
Where is the 2025 Hyundai Venue made?
In South Korea.
2025 Hyundai Venue Styling
The 2025 Hyundai Venue has a fun-looking exterior.
Is the Hyundai Venue a good-looking car?
It’s not going to win first place at your local car show, but the 2025 Hyundai Venue has a stylish enough bod to earn it a point on our scale. It’s a 6 here.
The Venue has a tall, high top-like body with purposeful proportions. Its blunt front end and hints of unpainted trim give it a decidedly SUV vibe, even if it’s more of a tall hatchback than a remotely rugged choice. The top-end version is available with a nifty two-tone paint job, too, but it’s too expensive for us to easily recommend it.
The Venue is less interesting inside, especially since some of the more playful upholsteries and tones Hyundai once offered have been shelved in favor of more palatable black cloth.
2025 Hyundai Venue Performance
The 2025 Hyundai Venue is a city runabout that is not ready for long highway drives.
The 2025 Hyundai Venue is light on power, which gives it acceleration best described as casual. Add in lousy highway stability and we’re at a 3 for performance.
Is the Hyundai Venue 4WD?
No, this is a front-wheel drive-only vehicle.
How fast is the Hyundai Venue?
With just 121 hp from a small 1.6-liter inline-4, the Venue is one of the least-powerful new cars on the market. That engine is bolted up to a power-sapping CVT, which means it spends a lot of time revving at high engine speeds but making more in the way of racket than momentum. This is acceptable around town, but the Venue really struggles at highway speeds. It’ll maintain 75 mph, but only just that. Highway passing is out of the question.
Its steering is sharp enough to contribute to a nimble feel in town. The suspension is fairly soft, but low-tech with its simple beam rear axle, which results in a choppy, busy ride on rough pavement. At speed, the Venue can be pushed around by heavier crosswinds, and it’s quite loud inside.
In short: keep the Venue to in-town use or on highways with lower speed limits and it’ll be fine, but consider a plane ticket before going cross-country in this one.
2025 Hyundai Venue Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Hyundai Venue is quite spacious inside for such a pint-size vehicle.
The 2025 Hyundai Venue measures just 159 inches long, which means it’ll squeeze into any imaginable parking spot. Despite that small size, it’s quite spacious inside, with a decent cargo area that earns it a 6 on the TCC scale.
We’re mixed on the Venue’s front seats, which have basic manual adjustment. Some drivers think they’re good, while others would like to see more padding.
The rear seats have a decent 34.3 inches of legroom, but the bench itself is light on padding. Big rear doors help with climbing in and out, though the roofline is low by crossover standards.
The cargo area grows from 19 to about 32 cubic feet of space, which is good for a vehicle this small.
Hyundai did a nice job making the Venue’s cabin look dressier than its price point, though most materials are hard plastics. Still, we like the interesting surface details, even if the fun denim Hyundai once offered has been sliced from the lineup.
2025 Hyundai Venue Safety
The 2025 Hyundai Venue’s crash-test record could be better.
How safe is the Hyundai Venue?
It has a mixed record. The NHTSA says it’s a four-star overall model, while the IIHS has given it “Good” scores in what tests have been performed. The Feds’ blemish docks it a point, which we add back since it includes standard automatic emergency braking and active lane control.
Blind-spot monitors are included on the mid-level SEL trim, but that’s about it as far as additional driver-assistance tech.
2025 Hyundai Venue Features
The 2025 Hyundai Venue is a good overall value with a great warranty.
The 2025 Hyundai Venue comes well-outfitted for about $21,300, including a $1,395 destination. The base SE trim level has an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, power features, 16-inch alloy wheels, and cloth seats. It’s not lavish, but it’s inexpensive.
Add its 5-year/60,000-mile warranty and its three years of free maintenance to its decent infotainment system and good standard fare and we wind up at an 8 for features.
Note that the pricing we’ve listed here is based on the 2024 model year, but it shouldn’t change much for 2025.
Which Hyundai Venue should I buy?
The Venue SEL adds such features as a proximity key, blind-spot monitors, automatic climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a power sunroof for $2,000 more. It’s the one we’d grab.
How much is a fully loaded Hyundai Venue?
The top-end Venue Limited has standard navigation, heated front seats, LED headlights, and the option to add a two-tone roof, but for around $25,000, we’d be more inclined to step up to a compact car.
2025 Hyundai Venue Fuel Economy
The 2025 Hyundai Venue gets 31 mpg combined.
Is the Hyundai Venue good on gas?
While not as thrifty as its pert dimensions and low-output engine might otherwise suggest, the Venue won’t use a lot of fuel. It’s estimated at 29 mpg city, 33 highway, 31 combined, which is enough to earn it a 4. There’s no hybrid version here.
