The 2011 Hyundai Elantra has won a unique best value honor when matched among five compact cars that seat five, get more than 35 mpg and are priced at less than $20,000.

The evaluation, conducted by the website Cars.com, revealed the Elantra earned the honors, according to the site’s editors, for its exterior and interior design as well as its smooth ride.

“With unrelenting gas prices and continued economic uncertainty, our shootout couldn’t be timelier in terms of what car shoppers are looking for,” said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor-in-chief. “In fact, four of the five models that competed have been among dealer’s best sellers in April and May.

“Based on our results, every car shopper looking in this segment needs to put the 2011 Hyundai Elantra at the top of their consideration set. Not only does this car get 40 mpg on the highway, the Elantra also has refined styling, solid handling, a comfortable interior and incredible affordability for all the features that buyers will get.”

To determine the winner of the shootout, experts from Cars.com and USA Today and a Chicago-area family put the contenders through a variety of tests over a series of three days.

Tests included a day-long drive to determine accurate real-world mileage, back-to-back driving by all judges on the same course to determine handling and comfort and a side-by-side comparison of the cars’ features and styling.

The results of the evaluation or Cars.com’s ‘Best Value: Price to Pump’ rankings:

1. Hyundai Elantra ($17,760); 2. Chevrolet Cruze ($19,445); 3. Honda Civic ($18,655); 4. Kia Forte ($18,345); Ford Focus ($19,750).