--- title: "It’s 2025 and Hyundais and Kias Still Have This Annoying USB Quirk" date: "2025-11-07" modified: "2025-11-07" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/some-hyundais-and-kias-still-use-old-school-usb-for-carplay-in-2025-and-its-annoying" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Hyundai News" - "Kia News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Kia" - "suv/crossover" - "Telluride" --- # It’s 2025 and Hyundais and Kias Still Have This Annoying USB Quirk ![The interior of a 2025 Kia Telluride S Prestige X-Pro.]() *The interior of a 2025 Kia Telluride S Prestige X-Pro. \Adam Ismail\* Lately, I've been reviewing a lot of [Hyundai]() Group products, and generally, I've been pretty impressed. The [Elantra N]() is a reasonably priced riot, the [Santa Cruz]() is surprisingly enjoyable to drive for a compact 'ute, and the Genesis G80—for which I've got another review around the corner—is a refreshing change of pace from most luxury sedans that inundate you with pointless tech. But some of them are also afflicted by a cost-saving measure that has started to grind my gears, and it has to do with their USB ports. Of the vehicles I mentioned above, this only applies to the Hyundai Elantra N; it also pertains to another I recently drove, the [Kia]() Niro PHEV. However, I got a [Kia Telluride]() this week, and it's a nice one: a fully loaded, SX Prestige X-Pro model, with a sticker of $56,240. It's not a cheap vehicle. And yet, the very first time you go to plug your phone in for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you're faced with a question: Do you use the big USB-A slot—you know, the one computers have had for decades—or the newer, smaller, bi-directional USB-C port, that you're probably more familiar with on your mobile devices? See, older Hyundai Group products have both ports, and on the surface, I'm fine with that. Actually, it's a positive. I love it when something I own, be it a laptop or a car, has legacy connections on it, because that makes it more flexible. The problem here is that in these vehicles with both ports, *only* the older one works for phone projection. The other, modern one is just reserved for charging. ![]() *The USB ports in the 2025 Kia Telluride. Adam Ismail* This is strange to me, because if you're going to the trouble of adding a new port, why on earth would you limit its capability in this fashion? It's a pain in the ass—personally speaking, anyway, since I have the unique job of driving a car for a week and then switching into a different one. Yeah, this is truly a first-world problem. Still, at a time when pretty much everything in 2025 includes a USB-C port, to the point that you never have to think about it, it's frustrating to have to dig up a USB-A-to-C cable. Maybe you still have one lying around; I only have a few because I used to review phones for a living before cars, but my stock has slowly dwindled over the years. Newer Hyundai products, like the refreshed Santa Cruz, simply have two USB-Cs for both data and charging, which is great. And I'm sure that when the [next-gen Telluride]() emerges, it won't have this quirk either. I haven't even mentioned the fact that the SUV I'm currently testing lacks Wireless CarPlay. Frankly, that's something I can live without—wireless phone projection is almost always a laggy battery hog for me—but I know plenty of people dig that feature, and it's become ubiquitous these days, even in cheap cars. ![]() ![]() The USB port thing, though, strikes me as a degree of cost-cutting that Hyundai really should have moved past years ago, particularly when even the [Nissan Juke]() is more up to date, and I couldn't ignore it anymore. I've got plenty of nicer things to say about this Telluride, though, so hang on for that. *Got a news tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com*[]() ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()