Nissan Pulsar vs. Hyundai ELANTRA

iSeeCars' unbiased and data-driven comparison of the Nissan Pulsar and Hyundai ELANTRA contrasts the two cars across a broad spectrum of vehicle specifications to determine which car is better. In addition to comparing pricing and specs, iSeeCars uses all the ratings, rankings, and insights from its comprehensive analyses of each vehicle model, including calculations of reliability, safety, depreciation, value retention, and the vehicle's projected lifetime recalls (based on analyzing over 25 billion data points). This in-depth evaluation is used to identify which vehicle represents a better overall choice for shoppers who are considering both the Nissan Pulsar and the Hyundai ELANTRA.

When we compare the Nissan Pulsar's and the Hyundai ELANTRA's specifications and ratings, The Hyundai ELANTRA has the advantage in the area of base engine power. Based on this comparison of the Nissan Pulsar's and the Hyundai ELANTRA's specifications and ratings, the Hyundai ELANTRA is a better car than the Nissan Pulsar.

Engine Power and Fuel Efficiency Comparison: For engine performance, the Nissan Pulsar’s base engine makes 90 horsepower, and the Hyundai ELANTRA base engine makes 147 horsepower.

Safety Ratings: The Hyundai ELANTRA has an average safety rating of 4.81 out of 5 Stars based on NHTSA's crash test ratings.

See More See Less
Model & Pricing
Nissan Pulsar
Hyundai ELANTRA

1990 Nissan Pulsar
Change Vehicle
Vehicle Image
Nissan Pulsar for Sale

2025 Hyundai ELANTRA
Change Vehicle
Vehicle Image
Hyundai ELANTRA for Sale

New Car Pricing

Asking Price:

-

Starting MSRP:

12259

Category Avg Starting MSRP:

N/A

Category Starting MSRP Range:

N/A

New Car Pricing

Asking Price:

22559 - 28651

Starting MSRP:

22025

Category Avg Starting MSRP:
(Compact Cars)

28470

Category Starting MSRP Range:
(Compact Cars)

21590 - 47100

Used Car Pricing

Avg Used Car Price:

Price Range:

-

Category Avg Price:

N/A

Category Avg Price Range:

N/A

# Used Cars for Sale Nationally:

Avg Mileage of Used Cars for Sale:

# Good or Great Deals:

Used Car Pricing

Avg Used Car Price:

22661

Price Range:

19455 - 26949

Category Avg Price:
(Compact Cars)

30314

Category Avg Price Range:
(Compact Cars)

22070 - 52316

# Used Cars for Sale Nationally:

Avg Mileage of Used Cars for Sale:

# Good or Great Deals:

Nissan Pulsar Scores & Rankings

Overall Score:

Not available

Reliability:

Not available

Retained Value:

Not available

Safety:

Not available

Hyundai ELANTRA Scores & Rankings

Overall Score:

8.2 / 10

Reliability:

7.5 / 10

Retained Value:

8.4 / 10

Safety:

8.8 / 10



iSeeCars Reliability Insights for Nissan Pulsar

Remaining Life Expectancy (years):

Typical Category Remaining Life Expectancy:

N/A

Category Remaining Life Expectancy Range:

N/A

Chance of Reaching 200k Miles for a New Car:

iSeeCars Reliability Insights for Hyundai ELANTRA

Avg Life Expectancy (years):

10.1

Typical Category Life Expectancy:
(Compact Cars)

12.4

Category Life Expectancy Range:
(Compact Cars)

8.8 - 16.2

Chance of Reaching 200k Miles for a New Car:

0.09



Expected 30-year Lifetime Recalls

Expected Lifetime Recalls:

Typical Category Recalls:

N/A

Category Range for Recalls:

N/A

Expected 30-year Lifetime Recalls

Expected Lifetime Recalls:

2.4832701543182303

Typical Category Recalls:
(Compact Cars)

2.6

Category Range for Recalls:
(Compact Cars)

1.8 - 28.7

Nissan Pulsar Rankings

Not yet available

Hyundai ELANTRA Rankings

Best Small Cars for Tall People

1 / 31

Small Cars with the Most Legroom

1 / 31

Best Gas Mileage Small Cars

2 / 31

Best Family Small Cars

3 / 31

Most Affordable Small Cars

3 / 21

Best Small Cars Under $25k

3 / 10

Safest Small Cars

4 / 31

Best Small Cars for Teens

4 / 7

Best Small Cars

5 / 31

Most Comfortable Small Cars

5 / 31

Most Reliable Small Cars Under $25k

7 / 10

Best Small Cars for the Money

9 / 21

Small Cars with the Most Horsepower

12 / 31

Most Reliable Small Cars

18 / 31

Small Cars with Best Resale Value

21 / 31

Available Body Styles

Coupe

Available Body Styles

Sedan

Available Drivetrain Options

Gasoline

Available Drivetrain Options

Gasoline

Nissan Pulsar Trim Levels

NX XE

Hyundai ELANTRA Trim Levels

Limited, N Line, SE, SEL Convenience, SEL Sport

Warranty Information

Warranty, Bumper-to-Bumper:

3 years / 36000 miles

Warranty, Powertrain:

3 years / 36000 miles

Warranty, Roadside Assistance:

Warranty Information

Warranty, Bumper-to-Bumper:

5 years / 60000 miles

Warranty, Powertrain:

10 years / 100000 miles

Warranty, Roadside Assistance:

5 years

Safety Ratings

NHTSA Safety Rating (last 5 year average):

Not yet available

2026 NHTSA Overall Rating:

Not yet available

2026 NHTSA Front Crash Overall Rating:

Not yet available

2026 NHTSA Side Crash Overall Rating:

Not yet available

2026 NHTSA Rollover Rating:

Not yet available

IIHS Safety Rating:

Not yet available

Safety Ratings

NHTSA Safety Rating (last 5 year average):

4.81 out of 5 Stars

2026 NHTSA Overall Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

2026 NHTSA Front Crash Overall Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

2026 NHTSA Side Crash Overall Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

2026 NHTSA Rollover Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

IIHS Safety Rating:

Not yet available

Base Drivetrain Specs

Horsepower:

90 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque:

96 foot-lbs @ 3200 rpm

Power-to-Weight Ratio (higher is better):

0.038 hp per pound

Base Drivetrain Specs

Horsepower:

147 hp @ 6200 rpm

Torque:

132 foot-lbs @ 4500 rpm

Power-to-Weight Ratio (higher is better):

0.054 hp per pound

Engine Specifications

Engine Size:

1.6 liters

Engine Configuration:

Inline

Number of Cylinders:

4

Transmission:

Manual

Standard/Optional Drivetrain Type:

FWD

EPA Fuel Economy
(City/Highway/Combined MPG):


23 / 31 / 26

Range (city/hwy):

299 / 403 miles

Recommended Fuel Type:

Gasoline

Engine Specifications

Engine Size:

2 liters

Engine Configuration:

Inline

Number of Cylinders:

4

Transmission:

Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT Automatic)

Standard/Optional Drivetrain Type:

FWD

EPA Fuel Economy
(City/Highway/Combined MPG):


Not yet available

Range (city/hwy):

Not yet available

Recommended Fuel Type:

Not yet available

Standard/Optional Features

Adaptive Cruise Control:

N/A

Air Suspension:

N/A

Alloy wheels:

N/A

Android Auto:

N/A

Apple CarPlay:

N/A

Automatic Parking:

N/A

Bench Seats:

N/A

Bluetooth:

N/A

Captain's seat:

N/A

Cooled/Ventilated Seats:

N/A

Front Bench Seats:

N/A

Heated Seats

N/A

Heated Steering Wheel:

N/A

Internet Radio:

N/A

Keyless Entry:

N/A

Keyless Ignition:

N/A

Leather Upholstery:

N/A

Massage Seats:

N/A

Navigation System:

N/A

Paddle Shifters:

N/A

Panoramic Sunroof/Moonroof

N/A

Parking Sensors:

N/A

Power Lift Gate:

N/A

Power outlet:

N/A

Quad Seats:

N/A

Roadside assistance:

N/A

Roof Rack:

N/A

Satellite radio:

N/A

Sunroof/Moonroof:

N/A

Trailer Hitch:

N/A

Voice Recognition:

N/A

Wifi:

N/A

Wireless Smartphone Charging:

N/A

Standard/Optional Features

Adaptive Cruise Control:

Available

Air Suspension:

N/A

Alloy wheels:

Standard

Android Auto:

Standard

Apple CarPlay:

Standard

Automatic Parking:

N/A

Bench Seats:

Standard

Bluetooth:

Standard

Captain's seat:

N/A

Cooled/Ventilated Seats:

N/A

Front Bench Seats:

N/A

Heated Seats

Available

Heated Steering Wheel:

N/A

Internet Radio:

N/A

Keyless Entry:

Standard

Keyless Ignition:

Available

Leather Upholstery:

Available

Massage Seats:

N/A

Navigation System:

Available

Paddle Shifters:

Available

Panoramic Sunroof/Moonroof

N/A

Parking Sensors:

N/A

Power Lift Gate:

Available

Power outlet:

Standard

Quad Seats:

N/A

Roadside assistance:

Available

Roof Rack:

N/A

Satellite radio:

Available

Sunroof/Moonroof:

Available

Trailer Hitch:

N/A

Voice Recognition:

Standard

Wifi:

Available

Wireless Smartphone Charging:

Available

Safety Features

360-Degree Camera:

N/A

Backup camera:

N/A

Blind Spot Monitoring:

N/A

Driver Attention Monitoring:

N/A

Forward Collision Warning:

N/A

Lane Departure Warning:

N/A

Lane Keeping Assist:

N/A

Pedestrian Detection:

N/A

Rear Cross-Traffic Alert:

N/A

Rear Seat Reminder:

N/A

Safety Features

360-Degree Camera:

N/A

Backup camera:

Standard

Blind Spot Monitoring:

Standard

Driver Attention Monitoring:

Standard

Forward Collision Warning:

Standard

Lane Departure Warning:

Standard

Lane Keeping Assist:

Standard

Pedestrian Detection:

Standard

Rear Cross-Traffic Alert:

Standard

Rear Seat Reminder:

Standard

Interior Dimensions

Front Head Room:

38 inches

Front Leg Room:

42 inches

Front Shoulder Room:

Not yet available

Rear Head Room:

33.9 inches

Rear Leg Room:

24.5 inches

Rear Shoulder Room:

Not yet available

Cargo Space:

Not yet available

Overall Interior Volume:

Not yet available

Interior Dimensions

Front Head Room:

40.6 inches

Front Leg Room:

42.3 inches

Front Shoulder Room:

56.5 inches

Rear Head Room:

37.3 inches

Rear Leg Room:

38 inches

Rear Shoulder Room:

55.6 inches

Cargo Space:

14.2 cubic feet

Overall Interior Volume:

113.6 cubic feet

Exterior Dimensions

Curb Weight:

2388 lbs

Width:

66.1 inches

Height:

51 inches

Length:

166.5 inches

Wheelbase:

95.7 inches

Ground Clearance:

4.6 inches

Exterior Dimensions

Curb Weight:

2725 lbs

Width:

71.9 inches

Height:

55.7 inches

Length:

185.4 inches

Wheelbase:

107.1 inches

Ground Clearance:

5.3 inches

Standard Wheel/Tire Information

Wheel Size:

Not yet available

Wheel Type:

Not yet available

Tire Size:

Not yet available

Standard Wheel/Tire Information

Wheel Size:

15.0 x 6.0 inches

Wheel Type:

aluminum alloy

Tire Size:

195/65R15

Exterior Colors

Black

Not available

Blue

Not available

Gray

Not available

Red

Not available

White

Not available

Exterior Colors

Black

Abyss Black Pearl

Blue

Intense Blue Pearl

Gray

Amazon Gray Pearl / Ecotronic Gray Pearl / Fluid Metal Metallic

Red

Ultimate Red Pearl

White

Serenity White Pearl

Interior Colors

Black

Not available

Gray

Not available

Interior Colors

Black

Black

Gray

Gray

Popular ELANTRA Model Year Comparisons

Related Car Comparisons

Popular ELANTRA Trim Comparisons

Popular Car Comparisons