Hyundai Venue Safety Rating Requires Proper Context

Priced from about $18,500, the new Hyundai Venue is the kind of entry-level vehicle modern consumers want. It looks like an SUV and has both the high driving position and added utility such vehicles offer. But it also comes with a low price, good fuel economy, stylish looks, and outstanding value. Now, you can add an impressive safety rating to the Venue’s list of positive attributes.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the 2020 Hyundai Venue earns a Top Safety Pick rating for its overall performance in terms of occupant crash protection, collision avoidance technology, and headlight illumination. The award applies to the Venue SEL with the Premium Package and to the Denim trim level. Both have full LED headlights with automatic high-beam illumination. The IIHS says that the standard headlights included with SE and SEL trim rate Marginal, which prevents the Venue from earning a Top Safety Pick+ award.

While this safety rating is another favorable attribute of the Venue, it is critical to remember that crashworthiness ratings are applicable only when you’re comparing vehicles of similar size and weight. The Venue is a small vehicle and in basic specification it weighs just 61 pounds more than the heaviest example of a Mazda Miata. 

Given the number of larger SUVs and pickup trucks on American roads, the Venue’s Top Safety Pick rating must be considered within that context. In other words, you might want something heavier to drive if safety is truly a priority for you.

With that caveat, buying a Hyundai Venue is smart. With every option box checked, it costs $23,950 and comes with three free years of scheduled maintenance, three free years of Hyundai Blue Link connected services, five free years of roadside assistance, and a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty. Plus, it should return 32 mpg in combined driving.

All that’s missing here is an all-wheel-drive option, and perhaps more than the existing 121 horsepower supplied by the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine.

The information in this article is from the IIHS and Hyundai. It was accurate on August 21, 2020 but may have changed since that date.