I test these types of cars for a living, and I’ve tested all three. They are all very good cars. I’d go with a hybrid trim, so Honda is off that list. Since you are shopping new, I’d consider the Elantra for three reasons. The warranty is TWICE as long as the Civic’s and Corolla’s, and the Hyundai comes with three years of included maintenance. The Toyota has two. 2022 Hondas have no included maintenance, but the 2023 model year will have two. Finally, the Elantra has wireless Android Auto and Apple Car Play. If you want a sporty car, the Civic is the way to go. I drove the Elantra N this week, and it did not impress me. If you do get a Civic, be sure to check out the hatchback. It has a lot more usable room than the Corolla or Elantra sedans do. Let us know how your shopping goes! Congrats!
All three make for a good choice in that category imo. Mazda 3 and N Sentra as well. I’d place the Civic and Corolla in the first two slots, but wouldn’t quibble with any of the others. Suggest to consult Consumer Reports New Car Buyer’s Guide for add’l info on expected reliability, total cost to own, safety features & recommended options etc. I prefer a standard transmission and as few gadgets and gizmos as possible in car’s in this category to increase reliability odds, but that’s just me.
Given Nissan’s history of automatic transmission problems I’m not sure I’d recommend the Sentra. Similarly, I know a number of people who own Subarus and love them but being a Subaru fan seems to be a no-no.
Good point. Apparently Sentra is currently only available in USA w/automatic transmission. Canadian dealerships sell the manual transmission version though.
While the Civic Si and Kia Forte are available with manuals, I only found 2 Civic Si within 200 miles of me. Not much selection. None of the others. I’ll bet the OP is interested in an AT.
If move to Canada, could get both manual trans Sentra and cheaper prescriptions … lol …
Corolla. Maybe - MAYBE - Civic. DEFINITELY NOT elantra.
Any particular reason why not?
Because it’s an unreliable junk.
Edmunds thinks a 2018 Elantra will cost about the same as a 2018 Corolla to repair. Actually they estimate about $100 less, but over 5 years that’s about the same to me.
When edmunds puts it money where its mouth is, I’ll pay attention.
It may think whatever advertiser paid it to think but it’s YOU who’ll ultimately pay the price.
They do. They publish information and hope that it helps people make more informed decisions. If it didn’t work they would go out of business or stop showing the same misinformation.