Hyundai Motor and Kia Win Most Awards at US '2022 Best Customer Value Awards'

U.S. News & World Report Announces '2022 Best Customer Value Awards' Sweeping 6 Categories

Hyundai Santa Fe

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have dominated the title of ‘the car that provides the best value to customers’ in the United States.

Hyundai and Kia announced on the 23rd that they became the brands with the most awards by winning six out of eleven categories in the 2022 Best Cars for the Money Awards announced by the prestigious U.S. news weekly magazine, U.S. News & World Report.

The Best Cars for the Money Award is given to vehicles that excel comprehensively by evaluating not only quality and product appeal but also new and used car prices and maintenance costs.

U.S. News & World Report explained that the quality and product appeal of each vehicle were evaluated by considering factors such as driving performance, ride comfort, safety, interior, technology and convenience features, connectivity, fuel efficiency, and cargo space, analyzed by automotive specialized media.

The economic value of the vehicle was calculated by comparing the total cost of ownership over five years, including repair costs, fuel costs, insurance premiums, and the current market price of used cars.

Hyundai and Kia especially overwhelmed competitors by being selected as the best cars in all five SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) categories.

In the mid-size (2-Row) SUV and large (3-Row) SUV categories, Hyundai’s Santa Fe and Kia’s Telluride won respectively, while in the compact SUV and subcompact SUV categories, Hyundai’s Tucson and Kona were ranked first.

In the best hybrid and electric SUV category, the Tucson Hybrid topped competing models.

Also, the Elantra (domestic name Avante) Hybrid won the best hybrid and electric passenger car award, with Hyundai winning both categories related to electrification, proving its competitiveness in eco-friendly vehicles.

Hyundai Tucson

In addition, in the passenger car category, the small Nissan Versa, compact Honda Civic, mid-size Honda Accord, and near-large Toyota Avalon received awards, and in the minivan category, the Honda Odyssey was awarded.

U.S. News & World Report explained, “The awarded cars will provide customers with a valuable ownership experience in terms of convenience, economy, and functional and performance aspects.”

A Hyundai and Kia official said, “We are pleased and honored to be selected as the brand with the most awards,” adding, “This is the result of Hyundai and Kia’s excellent product competitiveness recognized for providing greater value to customers.”

Meanwhile, Hyundai and Kia have recently shown outstanding achievements at major automotive awards worldwide, including North America and Europe, known as advanced automotive markets.

Last year, Hyundai’s Elantra and Ioniq 5 were selected as ‘Car of the Year’ in North America and Germany respectively, and Genesis GV80 was chosen as Canada’s ‘Utility of the Year.’ Kia EV6 won ‘Car of the Year’ and ‘Electric SUV of the Year’ at the UK’s prestigious ‘2022 What Car Awards.’