The 2020 Hyundai Accent is… a new car. This subcompact sedan is about as basic as new cars get, and that’s where its appeal lies. We give the smallest Hyundai 5.2 out of 10 overall for its commitment to the basics. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

For 2020, the Accent gets a revised powertrain that results in a 4-mpg improvement on most trims, thanks to a tweaked inline-4 engine and a new continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Other than that, the 2020 Accent is exactly the same as last year’s model.

With good standard features, acceptable performance, and a surprising amount of interior space, the Accent is a comfortable and capable way to get a factory warranty.

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Available in SE, SEL, or Limited trims, the Accent adopts the Hyundai family face with style, thanks to LED headlights and 17-inch wheels on the Limited trim. Base models look down-market with halogen lamps and plastic wheel covers, but the Accent wears the styling of a bigger car well for a subcompact. The interior is comparatively reserved, and conspicuously free of buttons and dials. You want basic? You got it.

A new 1.6-liter inline-4 replaces the old 1.6-liter inline-4, but the updated version gets a big bump in efficiency thanks to some engineering tweaks to manage heat and fuel injection better. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard, while the new CVT replaces the outgoing 6-speed automatic option. The Accent is no canyon-carver, but does absorb most road imperfections with ease, though the short wheelbase can make speed bumps seem bigger than they are.

Four adults can fit comfortably in the Accent, which boasts decent legroom and above-average headroom for the segment. The seats are hardly bolstered, however, and with small rear doors, entry and exit is ungraceful. Fold-down rear seats increase the Accent’s already ample trunk space exponentially.

While updated figures aren’t available and the federal government has yet to test it, the Accent was a 2019 Top Safety Pick award recipient from the IIHS, and offers automatic emergency braking and other safety features on the top-tier Limited trim, making it the only Accent version we can recommend.

At the top end of the range, the Limited comes standard with heated seats, LED headlights, 17-inch wheels, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.