TESTED: THE HYUNDAI VENUE IS SMALL, SLOW, AND EASY TO LIKE

The 2026 Hyundai Venue is the least expensive SUV sold in America, and that’s just what it feels like. Slow, simple, and snug, the Venue is the very definition of basic transportation. You might expect MotorTrend to pan it; after all, we drive nicer vehicles every day.

And yet there’s something about the plucky little Hyundai that warms our cold, cold hearts. The Venue takes us back to the days before we’d been sullied by 700-hp hybridized SUVs that zip to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds while coddling us in 40-way seats upholstered in synthetic suede made from digital simulated goat hides. In fact, the Venue reminded many of us of our first cars. It’s not fancy and not fast, but it provides the most important feature of all: the freedom to go where we wanted, when we wanted, provided we had money for gas.

How to Get an SUV Under $23K

The Venue boils motoring down to that essential freedom of movement. It has to, because even the top-of-the-line $24,665 SEL trim we tested exhibits a paucity of modern conveniences. Yes, it has power windows and locks, an automatic transmission, and even aluminum wheels, all in the $22,150 SE base model. The top-of-the-line SEL adds a sunroof, seat heaters, a wireless phone charger, automatic temperature control, keyless ignition, blind-spot warning, and even synthetic leather on the steering wheel and shifter.

But there’s no adaptive cruise control (it has the regular kind), no lane centering, and no auto-hold that keeps the car stopped when you release the brake, all features we have on our similarly priced budget long-termer, the Kia K4 LXS. What about all-wheel drive or rain-sensing wipers or a power tailgate? Hahaha! Don’t be silly. Still, Venue buyers do get forward collision avoidance with automatic braking and automatic high-beams as part of the standard safety package. And while IIHS doesn’t rate the Venue as a top pick, its crash test scores are respectable, with “Good” ratings in most categories.

A Pleasant Space, but Not Much of It

What really impressed us about the Venue is it doesn’t feel like it exists strictly to convince would-be buyers to spend more money on a Kona. The Venue’s interior is very plasticky, but the dashboard styling is cute, there’s a decent amount of storage space, and the switches and dials move with a higher-quality precision than we expected (probably because they are also used on pricier Hyundais). Front head- and legroom are decent, but if you slide the front seats too far aft, the back seat becomes barely habitable for adults.

Cargo space is 18.7 cubic feet, more in line with a compact hatchback than an SUV. For comparison, the Chevrolet Trax, currently America’s second-least-expensive SUV, gives you 25.6 cubes, while the Nissan Kicks goes up to 30 cubic feet. Still, we were able to fit a bulky cooler and a couple of grocery bags back there, and we think it’d accommodate big suitcases without too much trouble. Giant baby stroller? For that, you’ll have to fold down part of the split rear seat.

Modest Power, Better Than Expected Economy

The Venue is powered by a 1.6-liter engine developing 121 horsepower and driving the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). (There is no all-wheel-drive option.) In our instrumented testing, the Venue accelerated to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds, which isn’t painfully slow but certainly not quick. In real-world driving, the 2,702-pound Venue has enough power to merge confidently and keep up with traffic without the need to pin the accelerator to the (optional) floormat. EPA fuel economy ratings are 29/33 mpg city/highway, but on one 25-mile Los Angeles commute, with a third of the time spent in slow stop-and-go traffic and the rest zipping along at 70-plus, the trip computer recorded just over 40 mpg. With gas prices climbing as they are, we’ll take that.

Cheap vehicles tend to be noisy vehicles, and while it’s obvious Hyundai didn’t spend a lot of money on sound insulation, cabin noise is comparable to the Honda HR-V and Civic. (Honda apparently likes to pretend road noise is not a problem that needs to be solved.) It’s quiet enough to enjoy the standard-fit six-speaker stereo at speed. The infotainment screen is small—comically so—but it valiantly tries to make the best use of what pixels it has. That said, when we used Android Auto, we had to use the map full screen to make it legible.

A Perfectly Acceptable Driving Experience

Ride comfort could be better; the Venue’s ride is stiff, handicapped by its short wheelbase and relatively big 17-inch wheels. We imagine the SE model feels a little more compliant on its 15-inch wheels. Three elements save the Venue’s driving experience. First is the steering, which is light and direct and tracks well at highway speeds, so you don't have to make constant corrections. Second is the CVT, which provides smooth, shift-free acceleration. Third is maneuverability, which is quite remarkable. The Venue has a turning circle of 33.2 feet, a good foot or two tighter than most subcompact SUVs, so it’s easy to pull a U on narrow streets and zip in and out of parking spots.

Fun to drive? That’d be going too far, even for cheap-car devotees. The Venue has a light, tossable feel, although its eco-minded tires put a hard limit on how fast you can go through the curves. Our test gear showed just-OK skidpad grip of 0.80 g, and the Venue ambled around our figure-eight handling course in 28.2 seconds, the sort of time we expect from big pickup trucks and off-road-focused SUVs. While those bigger rigs are slowed by squishy-soft off-road tires and suspensions, it was the Venue’s lack of power that kept it from chalking up a better time. As for the handling characteristics, the Venue is set up for predictable understeer (if it can’t grip the turn, it’ll try to go straight ahead, at least until stability control cuts in) with lots of tire squeal to warn you of an impending loss of traction. Said tires also scrabble for purchase in hard braking, but the antilock system works overtime to compensate. We recorded a 60–0–mph stopping distance of 123 feet, which is respectable.

For This Price, What Else Are You Gonna Do?

Despite its thoroughly modest test scores, motoring around in the Venue reminded us of the old cliché about “cheap and cheerful” cars. With no geegaws to coddle us, we were left to recall that initial taste of freedom we got from our first cars. The Venue provides simple, stripped-down motoring, minus the bad stuff we choose not to remember like cantankerous clutches and wind-down windows.

Granted, $25,000 is a lot of money for a small, stripped-down SUV; for a car with this feature set, we’d expect a price tag closer to $20K. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of competition at this end of the market. The Chevrolet Trax starts at $23,495, and while you get fewer creature comforts at that price than the Venue, it does offer more space. Like the Venue, the Trax is front-wheel-drive only. Nissan’s new Kicks is arguably the nicest among super-cheap SUVs, and it does offer all-wheel drive, although that adds $1,500 to the Kicks’ $24,275 base price.

Or you could buy used. A budget of $20,000 would get you more space and stuff in the form of a previously enjoyed SUV, but it will lack one very valuable feature that comes standard in the Venue: the peace of mind that comes with a generous five-year/60,000-mile warranty. Unfortunately, Hyundai dropped its free maintenance program for 2026. That’s a shame; not only did it save budget buyers money, but it had the potential to shield them from dealer shenanigans.

Would we recommend the 2026 Hyundai Venue? Yes, we would. The Venue is still a good choice for your kid’s first car or for a family on a very tight budget. While lacking up-to-date features, the Venue is a maneuverable, easy-to-drive SUV that doesn’t feel as dire as its price tag suggests. It’s easy to criticize the Venue but not difficult to like it.

2026 Hyundai Venue SEL Specifications

BASE PRICE

$24,425

PRICE AS TESTED

$24,665

VEHICLE LAYOUT

Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door internal combustion SUV

POWERTRAIN

1.6L port-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4

POWER

121 hp @ 6,300 rpm

TORQUE

113 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm

TRANSMISSION

Continuously variable

CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)

2,702 lb (60/40%)

WHEELBASE

99.2 in

LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT

159.1 x 69.7 x 61.6 in

TIRES

Nexen N'Priz AH8

205/55R17 91H M+S

EPA FUEL ECONOMY,

CITY/HWY/COMBINED

29/33/31 mpg

EPA RANGE

369 mi

ON SALE

Now

MotorTrend Test Results

0-60 MPH

8.9 sec

QUARTER MILE

16.9 sec @ 82.3 mph

BRAKING, 60-0 MPH

123 ft

LATERAL ACCELERATION

0.80 g

FIGURE-EIGHT LAP

28.2 sec @ 0.59 g (avg)

2026-05-21T12:15:02Z