Hyundai recently announced official pricing for the 2020 Sonata Hybrid. The car is priced competitively but not as competitive as you might think.
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2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Prices
Hyundai released prices for its new 2020 Sonata Hybrid. Three trim levels are on offer; a base Blue trim, a mid-level SEL trim, and a fully-loaded Limited model, which I got to test for a week.
The Blue trim starts at $27,750, SEL trim starts at $29,900, and the Limited starts at $35,300 and add $975 for the destination charge to those 3 prices. With these prices, we can see that the new Sonata Hybrid is cheaper than the 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid, which starts at $28,430. Still, the Sonata costs more than the 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, which starts at $25,620.
Hyundai's pricing for the new Sonata Hybrid is peculiar because they almost always undercut the competition by a decent margin. Historically, Hyundai has always tried to be cheaper than Toyota and Hyundai. I think these prices are justified for the Hyundai as it is an enjoyable car to drive around due to its serene nature.
2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid vs. 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid vs. 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid
The Honda Accord is still one of the top choices, and I rate the new Accord to be one of the best mid-size cars due to how well it blends ride quality and handling. I don't think the Sonata exudes the same polished handling as the Accord. As a whole, the Sonata is the more relaxing car to daily drive due to how quiet and comfortable it is.
Fuel economy is the most critical aspect of a hybrid mid-size sedan. Hyundai claims the base model Blue trim gets the best fuel economy of all trims at a class-leading 50 city 54 highway and 52 mpg combined. The base model Camry Hybrid is rated to get 51 mpg city 53 highway and 52 combined. Honda's Accord Hybrid has the worst fuel economy at 48 mpg city 47 highway and 48 combined.
If we look at Horsepower ratings, we see that Hyundai falls short on paper. The 2.0l inline four-cylinder GDI engine mated to the hybrid battery pack produces a total system output of 192 horsepower. The Camry Hybrid produces a total of 208 Horsepower, and the Accord Hybrid "dominates" with 212 horsepower. In real-world driving, the Sonata Hybrid is adequate. It jumps off the line due to the electric torque, and I got 43 mpg with aggressive city driving.
2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Solar Panel
The fancy solar panel roof we talked about in the last article exists only in the limited trim model of the Sonata Hybrid. The super-efficient Blue trim does not make do with this setup but is still the cheapest to buy and gets better fuel economy when driving. Hyundai touts on their press site that you can get almost 700 miles of range every year on average with the solar panel roof so about 2 miles per day. That is pretty cool, but you can read more about that in the previous article.
2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Looks
Aesthetics are always best left to the beholder; however, the new Sonata looks striking. People take the time to break their necks to look at the thing as if it were an exotic car. Many people have expressed disdain for the new Accord's styling, and for others, the Camry is a bit much. Despite your thoughts, if you seek attention, you receive it with the new Sonata.
2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Conclusions
The 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has proven to be a great car worthy of its price tag. Hyundai is usually fighting above its weight class despite undercutting the competition in most cases. With this in mind, we can forgive the Sonata for being a tad more expensive than the Honda Accord. You're still getting a great car, solid warranty, an abundance of standard features, and exceptional real-world fuel economy. Yes, the competition should be scared.
Kevin Meyn is an automotive journalist for Torque News concentrating on Hyundai content. Kevin is the founder of Exhaust Sports Auto Youtube channel, where he does professional car reviews on new and used vehicles. Through the use of various resources and extended Automotive expertise, Kevin documents the latest in automotive news revolving around Hyundai. Kevin graduated from NC State University studying Supply Chain Management but has had a passion for cars since he was a child. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Instagram @exhaustsports.
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