Hyundai Elantra vs Hyundai Elantra GT: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Elantra and the Hyundai Elantra GT are level on the federal record — 73/100 against 76/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Elantra
- 15 model years scored
- 6,464 owner complaints on record
- about 40 complaints per year on the road
- 46 recall campaigns, 29 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (88/100) · worst 2013 (34/100)
Hyundai Elantra GT
- 8 model years scored
- 3,356 owner complaints on record
- about 41 complaints per year on the road
- 2 recall campaigns, 2 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (91/100) · worst 2013 (46/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Elantra against Elantra GT
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Hyundai Elantra
- Engine — 1,787 complaints
- Electrical System — 911 complaints
- Steering — 752 complaints
Hyundai Elantra GT
- Engine — 1,058 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 423 complaints
- Service Brakes — 420 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Hyundai Elantra — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017.
Hyundai Elantra GT — avoid: 2013, 2017.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Hyundai Elantra prices at about $24,100 and a Hyundai Elantra GT at about $15,700 — the Hyundai Elantra GT is roughly $8,400 less, and they return 31.0 against 28.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Elantra or the Hyundai Elantra GT more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Hyundai Elantra GT scores 76/100 against the Hyundai Elantra's 73/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai Elantra GT years should I avoid?
Hyundai Elantra: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017. Hyundai Elantra GT: 2013, 2017. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Elantra and the Hyundai Elantra GT?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Elantra is Engine (1,787 complaints); on the Hyundai Elantra GT it is Engine (1,058).
Is the Hyundai Elantra or the Hyundai Elantra GT cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Elantra prices at about $24,100 and a Hyundai Elantra GT at about $15,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.