10 Best Cars with the Most Headroom

2018 Hyundai Elantra GT profile ・ Photo by Hyundai

It may come as a surprise to some, but the cars with the most headroom aren't necessarily the biggest ones on the market. In fact, looking at mainstream entries from the 2018 model year, the car with the most front-row headroom is actually a subcompact hatchback. The car with the most headroom for the second row? That’s a compact hatch.

Although we’re only talking about a difference of a few inches, that small bit of real estate can be especially important for driving comfort. There's also a domino effect if a vehicle is short on front headroom, for example, the driver may have to recline her or his seat to make room. This could then impact rear-seat passengers. To minimize the problem, our research shows customers will find max headroom in the vehicles that follow.

2018 Nissan Versa Note

Surprising to some, the subcompact 2018 Nissan Versa Note kicks off our list of the best cars with most headroom. Despite its nimble exterior dimension, the Versa Note provides 40.8 inches for the front row. For comparison’s sake, that’s almost as much as the 41 inches in the 2018 Nissan Titan XD—a massive full-size pickup that’s classified as a heavy-duty truck by the EPA. The Versa Note’s second-row headroom rating of 38 inches, is also near the top of its segment. As for fuel-economy ratings, the Versa can achieve EPA grades of 31 mpg city/39 mpg highway/34 mpg combined. The car’s tech offerings aren’t quite as impressive, although it is available with a rearview camera, an around-view monitor, and a nav-based infotainment system.

Photo by Nissan

2018 Kia Forte5

Among the mainstream cars with the most headroom in the second row, the 2018 Kia Forte5 sets the pace. This hatchback version of the compact Forte sedan has 38.7 inches of headroom for rear-seat passengers. The car is relatively roomy up front as well, with 39.7 inches of headroom for the driver and front passenger. Customers also should know that the hatchback has more vertical space for both rows than the Forte sedan. With a sedan body style, the front- and second-row head-room ratings are 39.1 and 37.3 inches. Further Forte5 benefits include available technologies like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a blind-spot system, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change assistance and a rearview camera.

Photo by Kia

2018 Chevrolet Bolt

The 2018 Chevrolet Bolt isn’t quite as aerodynamic as some of the market’s high-efficiency cars, but its upright design certainly helps if you’re shopping for a car with the most headroom. After all, despite being about the size of a typical subcompact hatch, the Bolt can serve up 39.7 inches of front-seat headroom and 37.9 inches of rear-seat headroom. That’s more space than in the Bowtie brand’s midsize sedan, the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. Also, getting back to the topic of efficiency, the Bolt has a longer all-electric driving range than some Tesla models, backed by a much lower MSRP. Key numbers for the Bolt include a 238-mile range on a single charge and a net starting price of under $30,000 (after a federal tax credit).

Photo by General Motors

2018 Dodge Challenger

If we were to rank muscle cars with the most headroom, first place would go to the 2018 Dodge Challenger. Which makes sense when you consider the overall size of the Challenger. Although it puts the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang clearly in its crosshairs, Dodge’s modern-day muscle car is more than nine inches longer than either of its rivals. To be exact, the Challenger supplies 39.3 inches of head space for the driver and front-seat passenger, plus 37.1 for those riding in the back seats. The Mustang checks in with 38.5 and 33.5 inches respectively, while the Camaro has 37.6 and 34.8. (In full disclosure, the Dodge’s rivals can deliver unlimited headroom with their convertible models.)

Photo by Dodge

2018 Hyundai Sonata

When it comes to midsize cars with the most headroom, the 2018 Hyundai Sonata is at the head of the class. Refreshed for the 2018 model year, the Sonata combines 40.4 inches of front headroom and 38 inches of rear headroom. That’s the top rating for front row space in the segment, along with a rear-seat rating matched by just one other mainstream midsize sedan. Of course, that’s unchanged from 2017. Also carrying over are standard technologies such as Android Auto/Apple CarPlay smartphone integration and a rearview camera. What is different is the car’s exterior design, which features a dramatic new front grille and available LED headlights, daytime running lights, and taillights. Inside, a blind-spot system, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-change assistance are newly standard.

Photo by Hyundai

2018 Nissan Altima

Beyond the Nissan Versa Note and Hyundai Sonata—already covered in our gallery of the cars with the most headroom—just two other mainstream entries offer 40 inches of front headroom. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one is another Nissan. It’s the 2018 Nissan Altima midsize sedan that also has 37.1 inches of headroom for back-seat occupants. Which frankly isn’t all that much. Not only is it less than in the smaller Versa Note, it’s also near the bottom of the pack in the Altima’s own segment. Still, in addition to a high ceiling for the driver, the Altima can provide some nifty advantages. For instance, both forward emergency braking and Nissan’s predictive forward-collision warning technologies are standard for the Altima.

Photo by Nissan

2018 Subaru Legacy

The 2018 Subaru Legacy is the last mainstream car with 40 inches of front headroom. Here, however, there’s even less second-row headroom than the Nissan Altima. The Legacy midsize sedan is down to 37 inches for back-row passengers. This also is less than you get in many smaller cars. Nonetheless, if you’re researching the cars with the most headroom, and your priority is on the driver and front-seat passenger, the Legacy has to be counted as a leading alternative. Next, for leading levels of standard technology, every Legacy includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to go with its standard all-wheel drive powertrain. And nearly all of them can be ordered with pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, a blind-spot system, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Photo by Subaru

2018 Subaru Impreza

Subaru's second option to our gallery of the cars with the most headroom is the 2018 Subaru Impreza hatchback. This Subaru makes the roster with the most front-row headroom in the compact segment (in a tie with the Impreza sedan) and the hatchback complements that space with a second-place rating in the segment for second-row headroom. The tale of the tape for the Impreza hatch is 39.8 inches up front and 38 at the back. Needless to say, the Impreza also brings many of the same content benefits as its bigger sibling, the 2018 Subaru Legacy. This means features such as Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, automatic forward braking, automatic rear braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive headlights, Harman Kardon audio and standard all-wheel drive.

Photo by Subaru

2018 Hyundai Elantra GT

The 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT has much in common under the skin with the Kia Forte5, which you may recall, was an earlier entry on our list of cars with the most headroom. That’s because the two compact hatchbacks are corporate siblings since Hyundai and Kia are owned by the same parent company. Yet they’re also different enough in design that the Elantra GT does have slightly less headroom than the Forte5. More to the point, the Elantra GT supplies 39.1 inches of front headroom and nearly the same amount—38.5 inches—for folks in the back row. The sole mainstream car with more second-row altitude is that Forte5. And for those keeping track, the Elantra GT does match the Forte5 with uplevel connectivity and safety technology.

Photo by Hyundai

2018 Chevrolet Impala

Rounding out our list, the 2018 Chevrolet Impala stands out as the top choice for full-size cars with the most headroom. The Impala features 39.9 inches of headroom for the first row, and that’s definitely on the high end of the mainstream spectrum. The Impala’s rear-seat headroom rating, however, is limited to 37.4 inches. So the full-size Impala has less headroom in the second row than many subcompacts, from the 2018 Toyota Yaris to the Bowtie brand’s own 2018 Chevrolet Sonic. On the positive side of the equation, the Impala does boast popular technologies like mobile Wi-Fi, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot system, forward-collision warning and rear cross-traffic alert—among others.

Photo by General Motors