Honda City vs Verna
The midsize sedan segment in India has witnessed a legendary rivalry between two automotive titans – the Honda City and Hyundai Verna. Both sedans have dominated sales charts for decades, with the Honda City recently completing 25 years and the Hyundai Verna commanding a legacy of over 17 years. As we navigate through 2025, this battle has intensified with both manufacturers offering compelling packages. Let’s dive deep into this comprehensive comparison to help you make an informed decision.
Table of Contents
The Heritage and Legacy
The Honda City was first launched in 1998, and its 5th generation avatar has been the longest-running mainstream model in the country’s automotive history. The City has become synonymous with reliability, driving pleasure, and premium ownership experience. On the other hand, the new-gen Hyundai Verna was launched in the Indian market on March 21, 2023, bringing fresh design, advanced technology, and powerful performance to the segment.
Design Philosophy: Class Meets Aggression
Honda City – Timeless Elegance
Honda City is known for its elegant and mature design, with a bold grille, sharp headlights and smooth body lines giving it a classy look. The design approach is sophisticated and appeals to buyers who appreciate understated luxury. The proportions are balanced, creating a premium presence without being overly aggressive.
The latest City features a refreshed front fascia with sharper LED headlamps and a more prominent chrome grille. The side profile maintains clean lines that age gracefully, while the rear design incorporates distinctive LED tail lamps. The overall aesthetic speaks to professionals and families seeking a refined, timeless appearance.
Hyundai Verna – Bold and Sporty
Hyundai Verna looks a bit aggressive and sporty with its cascading grille, LED tail lights and striking profile making it a favourite of the young generation. The parametric design language gives the Verna a futuristic and bold character that stands out in traffic.
The front fascia features Hyundai’s signature cascading grille with intricate detailing, flanked by sleek LED headlamps. The sharp character lines, sportier stance, and dynamic proportions create visual excitement. If you want class and sophistication, then City is a better choice. But if you like a bold and sporty look then Verna could be perfect for you.
Interior Space and Comfort
Honda City Cabin Experience
The interior of Honda City gives a premium and spacious feel. The cabin is known for its excellent space utilization, comfortable seating, and quality materials. The dashboard layout is driver-focused with intuitive controls and clear visibility.
The seats are well-cushioned and supportive, particularly praised for long-distance comfort. The City’s seats are plusher and the suspension is comfier, so Honda has got its fundamentals spot on. The rear seat offers generous legroom and headroom, making it ideal for family use.
Hyundai Verna Interior Design
The Hyundai Verna features a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, virtual extended cluster and ventilated seats. The cabin feels modern and tech-forward with premium materials and excellent build quality. The Hyundai Verna offers ample premium features such as a bigger infotainment system, digital instrument cluster, smart trunk, ventilated seats, type-C charging sockets and much more.
The Verna offers a longer wheelbase and a slightly larger boot that can come in handy for that extra luggage. Specifically, the Hyundai Verna offers a bigger boot space of 528 litre, providing excellent practicality for families and frequent travelers.
Performance and Powertrains
Engine Options Breakdown
City has a 1498 cc petrol engine while Verna has a 1497 cc petrol engine. However, the engine characteristics and configurations differ significantly between the two sedans.
Honda City Engine: Honda City comes with a 1.5L petrol engine generating 121 PS power. The naturally aspirated i-VTEC engine is renowned for its refinement and linear power delivery. Its 121hp petrol feels far more responsive, and performance is much stronger too, with the City accelerating to 100kph from a standstill over 2 seconds quicker than the Verna.
This performance advantage is amplified on account of the Honda engine’s more eager and responsive nature, with the high-revving Honda keeping pulling harder as the engine spins faste. The engine’s character suits those who enjoy spirited driving and appreciate a naturally responsive powertrain.
Hyundai Verna Engine: Hyundai offers a 1.5L petrol engine in Verna generating 115 PS power in the naturally aspirated variant . However, the game-changer is the turbocharged option. The Hyundai Verna’s maximum power is 157.57 bhp at 5500 rpm in the turbo variant, significantly more than the City’s output.
When compared to Verna’s turbocharged unit, the Honda City’s engine is outshined in every aspect, be it power, torque or mileage, with the turbo petrol engine achieving exceptional mileage of up to 20.6 km/l over an already power-packed and peppy engine.
Transmission Choices
Both sedans offer multiple transmission options. Both the Verna and the City offer engines with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed CVT. The Verna’s turbocharged variant pairs with a 7-speed DCT automatic transmission, providing quick gear changes and enhanced driving pleasure.
Fuel Efficiency Comparison
Fuel economy is crucial for Indian buyers, and both sedans deliver competitive numbers. The City has a mileage of 18.4 kmpl for the petrol top model while the Verna has a mileage of 20.6 kmpl for the petrol top model .
ARAI reported Honda City mileage is 17.8-18.4 kmpl while Verna mileage is 18.6-20.6 kmpl. The Verna’s superior fuel efficiency, particularly in the turbocharged DCT variant, gives it an advantage for buyers prioritizing running costs. The Hyundai Verna is more fuel-economical because its mileage is 20.6 kmpl, while the Honda City delivers 18.4 kmpl .
Driving Dynamics and Ride Quality
Honda City – The Driver’s Choice
The Honda City feels nicer to drive thanks to a more direct steering, and a nicer suspension calibration with ride quality that is far more compliant and absorbent than the Verna’s. The City excels in delivering a balanced, comfortable driving experience that appeals to both enthusiasts and comfort-seekers.
The suspension setup absorbs road imperfections effectively, making it ideal for Indian road conditions. The steering feedback is precise, providing confidence during cornering and highway driving. The City petrol-automatic is the bestseller in the range for a reason, with livelier engine performance and comfier suspension.
Hyundai Verna – Improved Dynamics
In its latest iteration, the Hyundai Verna’s dynamics have significantly improved compared to earlier generations, and driving manners are no longer a deal breaker, even for driving enthusiasts. While the Verna feels a bit stiffer and busier than the City, it offers a more engaging experience, particularly in the turbocharged variants.
The sportier suspension tuning gives the Verna better body control during aggressive driving, though it sacrifices some ride comfort compared to the City. The improved chassis dynamics make it a competent handler that rewards spirited driving.
Features and Technology Battle
Honda City Equipment
The Honda City offers a comprehensive feature list including an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control, cruise control, and Honda Connect telematics. However, the Honda City feels more mundane and business-like in its approach compared to the extroverted Verna, and its equipment list isn’t as expansive either.
Higher variants include features like a sunroof, LED headlamps, paddle shifters with the CVT, and multiple airbags. The feature set focuses on essentials and driving pleasure rather than gadgetry.
Hyundai Verna Advanced Tech
If you are tech-savvy, then Verna will attract you more . Compared to the Honda City, the Hyundai Verna absolutely shines by offering a bigger infotainment system, digital instrument cluster, smart trunk, ventilated seats, type-C charging sockets and much more over and above what the Honda City offers .
The Verna includes features like an 8-speaker Bose sound system, 64-color ambient lighting, wireless phone charging, air purifier, and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) in select variants. With a substantial edge over the City in terms of onboard features, the Hyundai Verna is a clear winner here .
Safety Standards
Both sedans take safety seriously and have earned strong credentials. Both City and Verna scored 5-star ratings in Global NCAP crash tests , demonstrating their structural integrity and occupant protection.
Both the Honda City as well as the new Hyundai Verna perform exceptionally well when it comes to safety, with top-notch safety features such as 4 to 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC and hill assist as standard, with top variants offering additional safety features such as TPMS, auto headlamps, and rain-sensing wipers .
The Verna adds ADAS features in higher trims, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and autonomous emergency braking, giving it a technological edge in active safety.
Price and Value Proposition
Honda City Pricing
Honda City price starts at Rs 11.95 Lakh ex-showroom. The price of Honda City starts from ₹11.50 lakh and goes up to ₹15.50 lakh (ex-showroom) , offering various trim levels to suit different budgets and requirements.
Hyundai Verna Pricing
Hyundai Verna price starts at Rs 10.69 Lakh ex-showroom, making it more affordable at the entry level. Hyundai Verna comes in the range of ₹11 lakh and goes up to ₹17.50 lakh, with the higher-end variants commanding a premium due to additional features.
Value Assessment
If you want better features in budget, then Verna offers more value. But if you give priority to brand value and resale value, then City can be a better option. The Verna’s ex-showroom prices make it a bit pricier than the City in comparable variants, but the Verna gets you better bang for your buck in terms of features.
Which Sedan Should You Choose?
Choose Honda City If:
You prioritize driving dynamics and ride comfort over gadgets. The proven reliability and strong resale value matter to you. You prefer refined, naturally aspirated engine performance. You want a car for highway driving where the build quality of the City seems stronger. You appreciate timeless, elegant design that doesn’t date quickly. The Honda brand reputation and service network appeal to you.
Choose Hyundai Verna If:
You want the most features and technology for your money. The powerful turbocharged engine and superior mileage attract you. You want a powerful and spacious sedan with a wide array of security features and a futuristic design that can turn heads. Advanced safety features like ADAS are important to you. You prefer bold, contemporary styling that makes a statement. Maximum boot space is a priority for your needs.
The Final Verdict
The Hyundai Verna and Honda City remain two of India’s most sought-after sedans, each offering unique strengths. The Verna impresses with its sportier design, feature-packed cabin, and powerful turbocharged engine, while the City stands out with its refined driving experience and competitive pricing.
The well-rounded Verna is a value-for-money sedan; whereas the Honda City is better to drive and be driven in. Even though the new Hyundai Verna comes very close with its well-roundedness, the Honda City still remains the better car to drive and be driven in.
You can go for the Hyundai Verna if you want a powerful 1.5L turbo engine and aim to go for the higher variants. However, if you are looking for a lower to mid-range sedan that perfectly balances performance and mileage, the Honda City should be your pick.
Both sedans represent excellent choices in the midsize sedan segment. Visit dealerships, take extended test drives of both vehicles, compare variant-specific features that matter to your lifestyle, and make the decision that best aligns with your priorities. Whether you choose the refined Honda City or the feature-rich Hyundai Verna, you’re getting a sedan that has proven its worth over decades of excellence in the Indian market.
