Compare the2026 Toyota Corolla Cross HybridVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Dodge Hornet doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Corolla Cross Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Hornet doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Corolla Cross Hybrid and Hornet have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Hornet’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Corolla Cross Hybrid and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Corolla Cross Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Dodge doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Hornet.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s reliability 31 points higher than the Hornet.

On the EPA test cycle the Corolla Cross Hybrid gets better mileage than the Hornet running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Hornet requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid higher (6 out of 10) than the Dodge Hornet (5 to 6). This means the Corolla Cross Hybrid produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Hornet every 15,000 miles.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Hornet doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid stops shorter than the Hornet:

The Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE handles at .81 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Hornet R/T’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The Corolla Cross Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Hornet GT’s (35.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Corolla Cross Hybrid has a 1.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (8 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Corolla Cross Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 750 pounds less than the Dodge Hornet.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has 1.2 inches more front legroom and .8 inches more rear headroom than the Hornet.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (55 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Corolla Cross Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Hornet only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Hornet doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Hornet isn't recommended.

The Toyota Corolla Cross outsold the Dodge Hornet by almost five to one during 2024.