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Electric Car Awards 2025: Best hybrid 7-seater
With fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars now coming in all shapes and sizes, we’ve named the best new and used buys in every class. Here we look at the best hybrid 7-seaters...
It’s eye-catching, packed full of helpful features and rated above the competition, but enough about our magazine; you could pay the same compliments to the Hyundai Santa Fe.
The latest-generation version is physically larger than any previous Santa Fe, but more importantly, it’s not just big and boxy on the outside; it’s also big and boxy inside.
Space in the middle row is vast, with loads of head and leg room for adults to stretch out and relax in seats that slide and recline. The third row is remarkably roomy, too – far more so than that of the rival Peugeot 5008. In fact, if you position the seats just right, every one of them will accommodate a six-footer.
With the third row folded down, the Santa Fe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) offers 621 litres of luggage capacity, which is more than you get in the equivalent Kia Sorento (if not the 5008). What’s more, the boot opening is unusually wide, so hauling bulky items in and out of the load bay is easy work.
As well as being huge, the Santa Fe’s interior has more of a premium feel than most mainstream seven-seaters, including the Sorento. It’s on a par with the 5008 for plushness, plus the Santa Fe nudges above that car when it comes to fit and finish, and it has a more user-friendly infotainment system.
Then there’s the fact that it’s better to drive than the 5008. With accurate steering, tight body control and strong grip, the Santa Fe is far more confidence- inspiring than you’d expect something so large to be.
While the 33-mile official range means it’s not the cheapest company car to run (the 5008’s longer range brings a lower tax rating), the Santa Fe is great for private buyers. Its five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty beats Peugeot’s three-year, unlimited-mileage cover, and Hyundai performed better in the most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing 10th out of 31 brands; Peugeot came 19th.
What’s more, the Santa Fe is well priced, slotting neatly between less rounded rivals such as the Sorento and 5008, and premium alternatives, including the Volvo XC90 T8. Yet the Santa Fe really can compete with the latter on interior appeal, and it pulls ahead on practicality.
Best used hybrid 7-seater
Hyundai Santa Fe 1.6 Premium PHEV
Price from £27,000
Practical, powerful and plush, the Volvo XC90 is a very well-rounded, family-friendly SUV. There’s plenty of room for seven, too.
Used Hyundai Santa Fe buying guide >>
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