2021 Hyundai Veloster Review

Name: 2021 Hyundai Veloster Review
Brand: Hyundai

Price Range: $18,700 - $29,998

Hyundai Veloster 2.0 Premium 2dr Hatchback Exterior

+332

The 2021 Veloster is an affordable fun car with unique style, performance and, relative to its size, a large and efficient interior. It's composed and comfortable enough to handle the daily grind, but still surprise you when the road opens up. An available manual transmission and a tight but compliant suspension make it a driver's delight, even if a restrictive clutch hampers some of the fun.

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Price & Payment

5 cars

$23,716 avg. price

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Hyundai Veloster model years

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Hyundai Veloster types

Hatchback
N

2021 Hyundai Veloster Review

by the Edmunds Experts

1/21/2021

What's new

Optional eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission
New lightweight sport front seats
Features from the N's previous Performance package are now standard
Part of the second Veloster generation introduced for 2019

What is the Veloster?

The Hyundai Veloster is a small, sporty hatchback with an unusual three-door body style. (The rear door on the passenger side aids rear-seat entry and exit.) The base model is affordably priced and favors strong value over outright speed. From a performance perspective, things don't really heat up until you reach the Turbo R-Spec, which adds a turbocharged engine with 201 horsepower on tap. The Veloster N is the raciest model, offering up to 275 horsepower, for a hair over $30,000.

In a nutshell, the Hyundai Veloster offers similar amenities to rivals, but at a lower price point. This is especially evident when considering the Turbo R-Spec, which undercuts the Honda Civic Si and Volkswagen Golf GTI by thousands of dollars. The Veloster N is only a touch slower than the Civic Type R in an outright drag race; however, the Veloster N is just as much fun to drive and costs far less. Since its last full redesign was just two years ago, we don't expect substantive changes to the 2021 Hyundai Veloster.

Edmunds says

The 2021 Hyundai Veloster comes in a variety of trims, from the economical base model to the high-performance Veloster N. All are less expensive than their direct rivals.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Hyundai Veloster 2.0 3dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.34 per gallon for regular unleaded in Arizona.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Arizona

$146/mo

$165/mo

Avg. Compact Car

Calculate my fuel costs

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Above Average

#30 out of 46 among Compact Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Hyundai Veloster from 2008-2022.}

$477/yr

vs. $416/yr
for Average Compact Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

0.97x/yr

vs. 1.01x/yr
for Average Compact Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

14.1%

vs. 10.4%
for Average Compact Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Hyundai Veloster Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.9

30 reviews

5(93%)

4(7%)

3(0%)

2(0%)

1(0%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

A Thunder Butt thrill of a car !

Richard B., 10/05/2019

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Ultimate 3dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)

Bought a 2020 Veloster 1.6T (turbo) Ultimate in Thunder Gray Metallic, Black roof and cream /red trim interior and I could not be more pleased with it. Am a car nut from the 1930,,s (89 years old) and restored antique cars as a hobby thru the years, so am supposed to know a thing or two about automobiles, and this little package of fun beats the pack ! First , it is a sheer blast to …

Exactly what I wanted

Ron Fox, 10/15/2018

2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo 3dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)

This car gets left out of a lot of interesting comparisons for some reason. Maybe it's because Hyundai hasn't had the reputation like some of the other manufacturers, or because the third door puts it in between a sedan and a coupe. It doesn't matter, this is a really great car that I'm guessing most people won't find. I chose it over the Mazda 3 because for the same price, it had far … more options, was more efficient and had way more pop on the throttle. I also felt that the interior quality was much higher particularly at the the joints and seams of the trim. The warranty was also out of this world. Actual driving usage puts this car much higher than EPA estimate MPG ratings. I routinely get 39mpg in mixed traffic on normal driving mode. Smart (eco) sees even higher efficiency numbers at the expense of acceleration. Sport mode is just a blast. I do not fully understand how to drive this car with the paddle shifters, however. This car is my commuter and provides great comfort for me (a larger guy) and enough room to comfortably fit (and access) a child seat in the back for morning school drop off. All of the doors shut with a very solid, sealing, "thunk" akin to german car manufacture and quality. The Inifinity stereo system is perfect in this car with a high degree of clarity across multiple genres of music and audio indications. Blind spot monitoring is far less spastic than other cars I've driven, maybe 10 -15' zone of interest rather than 40'. I think the thing that you're not going to see in a lot of these reviews is the fact that this car has absolute soul. When you sit in the driver seat, you feel in total control - completely connected to the car. You're in a cockpit designed to give the driver everything you need. Some of it is modern convenience. The rest of it is feel. I love the red accents, from the bottom air scoop in the front of the car to the seat trim, to the steering wheel. The leather is high quality, firm to the touch. The plastic (which gets highly criticized in reviews) on the door panels is hard and firm - it does not bend when you push it even in the broad areas. The DCT with the turbo provide instantaneous power when passing on a highway. I find myself still waiting for the downshift and still being surprised when it just happens without the delay. Android auto on the 8" touchscreen is great - you can actually split screen the thing to look at two things at once. The rear visibility is probably the worst thing about the car - on the highway it's not an issue, but backing out of my driveway, I feel like I can't see much. The backup camera does a great job of providing a broad field of view however, I'm just not used to it yet. Otherwise, I wish it had a built in garage door opener.

I get compliments everywhere....

Matthew Hutchinson , 10/08/2019

2020 Hyundai Veloster N 3dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

I traded in a 2017 veloster turbo, and could not be happier. The veloster N rips, I loved my turbo but the N is on another level completely. Buy one, you will love it

My new grocery getter

Lou Kirchner, 12/24/2018

2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Ultimate 3dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

I have always been a car nut from before I even knew how to drive. I have probably owned more cars than any sane person would. I presently have a large premium German sedan and a 1965 Shelby Cobra ( makes a lot of sense for a man my age?). I recently purchased a 2019 Velositer Turbo Ultimate. I still can"t get over the value, fit and finish, drive characteristics and comfort in a …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Hyundai Veloster, so we've included reviews for other years of the Veloster since its last redesign.

See all 30 reviews of the Hyundai Veloster

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2021 Veloster Highlights

Type:

Hatchback

Trim:

2.0

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$18,900
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	28 MPG
Cost to Drive	$146/month
Seating	4 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	19.9 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the Veloster models:

Blue Link: Alerts the authorities in case of an accident, locks/unlocks the doors, and allows you to check the vehicle status from your smartphone.
Rear Parking Sensors: Audibly warns you of obstacles behind the vehicle.
Rearview Camera: Shows you what's behind the Veloster when you put it in reverse.

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

2021 Hyundai Veloster Review

Price & Payment