Item: Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2018-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/sorento/4x4/used-review/n811">Kia Sorento</a> is a close sibling of the Santa Fe. Underneath its butch bodywork is a strong 2.2 diesel, just like the Hyundai, and it seats seven in relative comfort. It’s spacious and practical, and if it’s not brilliant to drive, it is at least competent.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/used-review/n954">Skoda Kodiaq</a> is the firm’s first seven-seat&nbsp;car, and it’s spectacularly good in some areas. It’s good to drive, cheaper to run than most of the competition and&nbsp;comes with a solidly built and classy-feeling interior.

If you're interested in buying a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/hyundai/santa-fe?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;yearFrom=2019">used Hyundai Santa Fe,</a> or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">here.</a>&nbsp;

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter&nbsp;<a href="http://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">here</a> 
 
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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

<h3>Emergency call system updates</h3>

A problem has been found with the emergency call system that contacts the emergency services in the event of an airbag deployment. The car's identification information hasn't been properly registered with the software, but&nbsp;an update applied by a Hyundai dealer will sort this issue. It involves Santa Fe examples made between 1 September and 14 December 2020,&nbsp;so check if your car is affected by speaking with your local dealer.&nbsp;

The latest Santa Fe is still too new to have been included in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, but Hyundai as a brand ranked&nbsp;a very respectable sixth out of 31 manufacturers.

From&nbsp;new, there is a five-year transferable warranty, so all examples will still have some cover left.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey-family-suvs/n20064">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.

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Hyundai has transformed itself from a maker of oddball hatchbacks that sold in small numbers in the UK, to a major rival to the likes of Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

The Korean firm’s Ioniq Hybrid is particularly impressive, having beaten the trend-setting Toyota Prius when we tested the cars back to back.

Meanwhile, at the extremes of the Hyundai range you find the tiny i10 city car – a four-time What Car? award winner – and the stylish yet family-friendly Santa Fe SUV.

As a bonus, all of these cars come with the reassurance of a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, whereas most of Hyundai’s rivals offer only three years and 60,000 miles of cover.

HYUNDAI

SANTA FE

Large, practical and excellent value, a used Santa Fe is an affordable alternative to the usual premium front-runners

Hyundai Santa Fe

<h3 dir="ltr">MPG</h3>

The four-wheel-drive manual diesel model has a combined WLTP fuel economy figure of 41.5mpg, with the automatic dropping this to 39.8mpg. However, the larger wheels of Premium SE trim drop&nbsp;this to 38.7mpg.

For HEV models,&nbsp;44.1mpg is the official&nbsp;average, whereas PHEV Santa Fe cars quote a rather unrealistic&nbsp;173.7mpg. That said, although you're unlikely to return the PHEV's official average, it is still economical and cheap to run.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">Road tax (VED)</h3>

All fourth-gen Santa Fes are registered after April 2017, so road tax will be £155 per year for diesel examples and £145 for hybrid cars. For models costing more than £40,000 from new, owners will have to pay a £335-per-year supplement in years two to six (a total of £1675) on top of the standard rate for the vehicle. To find out more about the current <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">road tax costs, click here</a>.

<h3 dir="ltr">Servicing&nbsp;and insurance</h3>

Insurance costs are reasonable on the Santa Fe, and servicing plans that can help to pre-plan and spread costs are available as the car gets older. 
 
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Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2018-present

Large, practical and excellent value, a used Santa Fe is an affordable alternative to the usual premium front-runners


You’ll&nbsp;need around £27,000 to get behind the wheel of the latest Santa Fe. This will buy you a late 2018 or early 2019 example with a nominal mileage and a full history, possibly in Premium trim. Spend&nbsp;£28,500 or more and you should be able to find a&nbsp;2019&nbsp;or high-mileage 2020 example in&nbsp;top-spec Premium SE guise.

Updated 2021 Santa Fe models are present on the used market, though largely in HEV guise and for upwards of £35,000. At the time of writing, used PHEVs are rare and go for around £41,000 or more.&nbsp;

Check the value of a used Hyundai Santa Fe with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/valuations/">What Car? Valuations</a>

<h3 dir="ltr">Engine</h3>

If you have the money, by all means take a good look at what HEV and PHEV examples are out there.&nbsp;However, because 2.2-litre diesel cars are much more common (and available&nbsp;for much lower prices), it's what most Santa Fe buyers will find themselves with.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">Specification</h3>

As far as trim goes,&nbsp;SE has all you need, but you're more likely to find&nbsp;a mid-range&nbsp;Premium on used forecourts. There isn't really a major price difference and it has a&nbsp;larger touchscreen and integrated sat-nav, so it's the one we'd go for.

Our favourite Hyundai Santa Fe: 2.2 CRDi Premium

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all passengers</li> <li>Large boot with lots of clever storage solutions</li> <li>Good fuel economy and running costs</li> <li>All-round comfort</li> <li>High-quality interior finish</li></ul>

We define a large SUV as anything longer than 4.5 metres. These cars aren’t usually particularly cheap to buy or lease, so in return we expect a roomy cabin, a lengthy list of standard equipment and excellent cruising refinement. A few models in this class are two-wheel drive, but the vast majority have four-wheel drive for at least a modicum of off-road ability.

The Mazda CX-5 is firmly road-focused, but its 2.0-litre petrol engine is a strong, refined performer, making it looks good value for less than&nbsp;£25k. If you can stretch the budget a fair bit, the Audi Q5 provides a combination of comfort, driving prowess, quality and space that's hard to beat. Unlike some rivals, it can't be had with seven seats, though.

A more affordable, yet well-equipped alternative is the Peugeot 5008. It’s more than capable of coping with family life&nbsp;– and all versions have seven seats as standard.&nbsp;

Large SUV

This is a large car, so check all corners carefully for any scuffs and dents picked up in tight supermarket car parks. Check that all the seats slide and fold as they should and that all the electrical equipment works.

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The Hyundai Santa Fe is aimed at those wanting a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/category/large-suv">large SUV</a> with seven seats and a reasonable price tag.&nbsp;This latest, fourth-generation&nbsp;model has a&nbsp;capacious interior, handsome&nbsp;exterior look and upgraded tech compared with&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/santa-fe/4x4/used-review/n964">previous-generation model</a>.

There was only&nbsp;one engine option when it arrived back in 2018:&nbsp;a 197bhp 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel that received&nbsp;subtle upgrades over the previous-gen car in order to make it more efficient. With this engine, there is the option of front or four-wheel drive&nbsp;and a choice between a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

For the 2021 model year, Hyundai updated the Santa Fe with revised exterior styling and two new engine options:&nbsp;a regular 'self-charging' hybrid (HEV) and a plug-in hybrid (<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/class/electric-cars">PHEV</a>). Both utilise 1.6-litre petrol engines, with the HEV having a total power output of&nbsp;227bhp&nbsp;and the PHEV 261bhp.&nbsp;

Even entry-level SE trim gets you a fair amount of kit, including 17in alloy wheels, a 7.0in infotainment touchscreen, automatic lights and wipers, dual-zone climate control and cruise control. Mid-level Premium trim adds an 8.0in touchscreen with sat-nav, heated seats (front and back), a heated steering wheel and leather upholstery. Meanwhile, range-topping Premium SE adds such niceties as ventilated front seats and a panoramic roof.

On the road, the Santa Fe feels like a large and relatively heavy car, despite the healthy low-down torque of its diesel engine. There’s sometimes an annoying delay&nbsp;between putting your foot down and the car actually responding, especially away from a standstill after the stop/start system has cut the engine’s power, but on the whole it’s a tidy enough performer.

It handles corners fairly well, too, though of course it’s no sports car. The steering is rather heavy, but there’s a good amount of grip available and the car's behaviour is predictable in most situations. Around town, its ride can feel slightly agitated, however, and can be caught out by large potholes and ruts, although it does settle down at speed.

Inside, the Santa Fe has a good driving position, with plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel and seat. All versions come with full lumbar adjustment. The dashboard is logically laid out with clearly marked, well-spaced buttons and dials, making it really easy to use – even when you’re driving. Visibility is good, especially to the front and sides, while the rear view is hampered slightly by the thick pillars, although all versions come with a reversing camera and parking sensors as standard.

Where the Santa Fe really scores is in interior space. The front is roomy and airy, with plenty of storage bins and spaces for odds and ends. The second-row seats are wonderfully spacious, too,&nbsp;with room for three abreast, while the two rearmost seats are big enough for moderate-sized adults for shorter journeys, and older children won’t complain. It’s easy to fold away or pull up those third-row seats, too, and the boot space left when they're down is vast. Fold the second-row seats down as well and you could house a baby elephant in there without too much trouble. The second-row seats slide back and forth and recline,&nbsp;so the whole Santa Fe experience is one of flexibility and immense practicality. &nbsp;

If you're interested in buying a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/hyundai/santa-fe?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;yearFrom=2019">used Hyundai Santa Fe,</a> or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">here.</a>&nbsp; 
 
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Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2018-present review

Our recommendations

Which used Hyundai Santa Fe 4x4 should I buy?

Engine