New Hyundai Verna

The Hyundai Verna’s exterior profile looks futuristic. Since we mentioned that its dimensions are quite different from its rivals, it attempts to look more like a sports car and less like a tall, boxy sedan.

Front Profile

The front profile has the signature parametric grille and a full-width LED DRL strip across its fascia. This lighting style looks like an intelligent and contemporary choice, as it makes the car different from more conventional competition in this segment. Meanwhile, the bonnet is relatively low in position and its horizontal emphasis elevates the car's broad stance, with a width of 1,765mm.

Side Profile

Being 4,535 mm long and providing a wheelbase of 2,670 mm, the Verna is no doubt an elongated sedan. The sloping roofline gives it a coupe-inspired look, but this has a shortcoming, too; the rear headroom is compromised. Wheel options vary, with 15-inch alloys available on the Hyundai Verna base model, and with bigger ones on higher trims, while the Turbo variants get diamond-cut alloys.

Rear Profile

At the rear, there are connected LED tail lamps, which form a continuous light bar similarly seen at the front. The back bumper has a diffuser-style look. One thing we clearly noticed here is how Hyundai kept the rear design minimal with clean lines and subtle lighting elements, thereby avoiding excessive ornamentation.

The Hyundai Verna’s interior feels modern and tech-rich, with clear efforts made on comfort and technology integration.

Cabin Layout and Quality

The dashboard is horizontally layered and comes with soft-touch finishes. The centre stack is tech-oriented, built around a 10.25-inch HD Audio Video Navigation touchscreen. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come as standard on the eligible trims, making smartphone connections easy.

Shams Raza Naqvi mentions,
"The 10.25-inch instrument screen as well as the digital cluster, is a part of a single unit and it is curved towards the driver which really helps."
Regarding material quality, the upper trims provide leather or leatherette upholstery, ambient lighting, and ventilated front seats. Steering adjustment is tilted and telescopic on most variants, and we noticed that it actually improves driving comfort.

Seating Comfort
Front Row

The Verna's improved wheelbase and width have led to larger cabin proportions compared to its fifth-generation model. We particularly noticed the improvement in shoulder room and space, besides the segment-first heated and ventilated seats. Also, their seatbelts are height-adjustable. Meanwhile, the black seats with red accents on the Turbo variants give the car a more premium feel.
As Girish Karkera explains,
“The sense of space that you get is significantly more than what it was with the earlier models.”

Second Row

At the back, the passengers enjoy ample legroom and headroom due to the dimensional increments. There are rear AC vents, USB type-C charging ports, manual rear curtains, and adjustable headrests to improve occupant comfort during long drives.

Shams Raza Naqvi states,
“Somebody of my height can sit here comfortably for long hours.”

Features That Improve Daily Use

• Automatic climate control with rear air conditioning vents
• Touchscreen infotainment system, 10.25-inch wide (12.3-inch in select trims)
• Digital instrument cluster TFT MID
• Smart key with Push Button Start
• Premium Bose eight-speaker audio system

The new Hyundai Verna is available in nine variations. Its base variant, the Verna EX, starts at Rs. 10.69 lakh, and its most expensive variant, Verna SX Opt Turbo DCT DT, touches Rs. 17.00 lakh.

Ex-Showroom Prices (India)

Note: The new 2026 nomenclature is HX2, HX4, HX6, HX6+, HX8, and HX10
Due to its wide price bracket, the Verna competes against the Honda City, Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia. What makes it unique compared to them is the presence of a powerful 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and an exhaustive list of features across its many variants. We realised that the SX+ trim is practical as a mid-range option, while the turbo versions are for buyers wanting to stick to the mid-size sedan segment, but preferring slightly more performance.

Mileage offered by the Hyundai Verna is quite competitive in its segment, although its fuel efficiency takes a small hit with the turbo version. We discovered that the focus is more on performance and responsiveness here, but even then, the day-to-day fuel economy remains reasonable.

Observed Fuel Efficiency (ARAI Certified Figures)

Below are the ARAI-certified mileage figures across its engine and transmission setups.

In mixed driving, the naturally aspirated variants will consume less fuel, but we noticed that the iVT version can get a bit hungry when pushed hard. The turbo variants, meanwhile, offer powerful performance, but in city driving conditions, their mileage numbers diminish further.

The Hyundai Verna’s safety suite is full of the latest technology, meaning it's a reliable car in the mid-size sedan segment. Unlike primitive configurations seen in somewhat older vehicles, the Verna chooses to put most modern technological features together with its structural integrity to improve the latter's composition.

Passive Safety and Crash Protection

The pre-facelift model had six airbags, while the 2026 Verna now offers seven airbags as standard throughout its lineup, along with ISOFIX child seat anchors, seatbelt pretensioners and three-point seatbelts for all seating positions. This provides proper restraint coverage for both front and rear occupants.
According to Shams Raza Naqvi,
“These features are really making my drive a lot safer than it would have been otherwise.”

Active Safety and ADAS

The higher trim levels have Hyundai SmartSense and Level 2 ADAS, their presence assisted by other features like the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), and the Vehicle Stability Management (VSM). There is also traction control and hill-start assist to get the car out of messy situations, while rear parking sensors and a 360-degree parking camera manage the vehicle’s manoeuvrability in urban settings.

We found that The Verna's cabin offers a digital-first experience, and it mainly sticks to providing everyday usability for the driver without being too distracting.

Infotainment and Interface

The dashboard has a 10.25-inch touchscreen, integrated with a digital instrument cluster, in one curved unit that leans towards the driver. While the pre-facelift required a cable, the 2026 update has brought in Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for the 10.25-inch screens, while Hyundai's BlueLink connected suite adds more remote functions like live diagnostics and vehicle tracking. There is also a switchable touch panel here that controls both the infotainment and the climate functions.
As Shams Raza Naqvi says, 
“Press a switch and this becomes controls for the infotainment, press it again and it becomes controls for the temperature settings, that's quite nice.”

Cabin Convenience and Practical Features

The higher trims benefit from automatic climate control and rear AC vents, along with ventilated front seats, a power-adjustable driver seat, and an electric sunroof. There is a push-button start option, a Smart Trunk Access feature and tilted steering, which benefits the driver. This layout is practical and not overwhelming, we must say.

The Hyundai Verna has a boot capacity of around 528 litres, which is pretty good for a C-segment sedan. We found that this large capacity makes Verna not only appropriate for city errands, but also for long trips on the highway, where baggage space begins to matter.
The boot itself is well-shaped with good depth and width, allowing bigger suitcases to sit flat rather than adjust to awkward angles. The space is wide enough, which means it's better to structure luggage here rather than pile it on top of each other. Overall, the car’s boot space is a simple, practical area that does not need much reworking for future generations (if any).

The Hyundai Verna is built on a Front Wheel Drive concept. It provides day-to-day comfort as well as stability on the highways, thanks to its smooth electric power steering and a relatively soft suspension.

City Driving

In city conditions, the Verna feels easy to manage. The steering remains light at low speeds, making parking and tight manoeuvres straightforward. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine’s smooth and linear power delivery ensures predictable responses in traffic, while the automatic options, CVT/iVT and DCT, further reduce driver fatigue in stop-go conditions. Ride quality during urban driving remains comfortable as the suspension absorbs most surface irregularities well.
As Shams Raza Naqvi explains,
“This one comes across as a light and easy to drive car, really suitable especially for city conditions.”

Highway Driving

On highways, the Verna offers good straight-line stability, and even at cruising speeds, it remains planted, with the suspension setup keeping you worry-free over undulating stretches. The 1.5-litre Turbo petrol in particular has good mid-range performance and therefore, overtaking becomes less time-consuming. Steering weight is an added advantage, because once the car begins to climb triple-speed digits, the steering makes sure that the driver’s control remains intact.

The Hyundai Verna has several petrol variants: EX, S, SX, SX+, SX(O), and the Turbo DCT trims. Here is how the car’s entire portfolio lines up.
 

Honestly, the SX variant provides the best value package in this range, with you getting a larger digital interface and all the essential tech without moving into the higher turbo price bracket.

The Essentials That You Don’t Get

Even in the top-spec variants, however, the Hyundai 

• Verna cuts some corners.
• No diesel engine option
• No hybrid/electric powertrain
• No all-wheel drive (AWD) option
• No configurable performance drive modes other than standard settings
• ADAS is not available on all variants (reserved for higher trims)
• Ventilated seats are not available on all trims

These omissions keep it confined to the identity of a tech-oriented petrol sedan rather than an SUV-style wannabe.

Varied engine options are not the only reason to blindly settle for one Hyundai Verna variant, because you also have to look at other factors like the tech suite and the comfort levels given in each one of them.

Best Budget Choice: SX / SX Plus MPi

If you want the Verna experience without stretching for the turbo pricing, then the SX or SX Plus with the 1.5-litre MPi petrol makes the most sense. These trims retain the best aspects of the car, particularly the modern design, its key interior technologies and all the important safety features like six airbags and ESC.

Best for Daily Comfort & Smooth Driving: SX iVT / SX Plus iVT

For the city users who want their strolls to be smooth and relaxed, the iVT versions of the SX and SX Plus are the logical step up. Their intelligent variable transmission removes the effort of heavy clutchwork in traffic.

Best for Performance Enthusiasts: SX Turbo DCT

If performance is the sole deciding factor, the 1.5-litre Turbo GDi engine alters the character of the Verna in a big way. The SX Turbo DCT has high power (155 bhp) adjoined to a seven-speed (dual clutch) transmission, which delivers faster response times and a higher level of driving dynamics.

Best Fully Loaded Option: SX Opt Turbo DCT DT

For those who prefer all the bells and whistles that the Hyundai Verna can possibly offer, the SX Opt Turbo DCT DT, sitting at the top of the lineup, offers dual 10.25-inch screens, Level 2 ADAS, and a luxurious Bose eight-speaker audio system.