Hyundai Santa Fe review

Sometimes when a car maker claims a model has been radically transformed, it’s code for "you’ll hardly notice the difference". But in the case of the Hyundai Santa Fe, "radically transformed" barely does it justice.

Long gone is the inoffensive but generic look of the previous, 2018-2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, and in its place you’ll find a much more striking and angular design punctuated by various H motifs, including in the pattern of the headlights and taillights.

Dig deeper and you'll find familiar parts, though. You see, the latest Santa Fe's radical look hides the same underpinnings as the previous generation, as well as tweaked versions of the same regular hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) petrol engines.

Hyundai Santa Fe video review

Sure, the old Santa Fe was no turkey, but the above still begs the question: beyond the design, is this latest version little more than a shallow rehash? 

Read on to find out how the latest Hyundai Santa Fe stands up against rival seven-seat SUVs – including the closely related Kia Sorento, as well the Mazda CX-80 and Peugeot 5008.

What’s new?

- January 2025 - The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid wins What Car?'s 2025 Best 7-Seat car award
- April 2024 - New Hyundai Santa Fe goes on sale with hybrid and plug-in hybrid power, three trim levels and a more upmarket presence

How fast is it and which engine is best?

The Hyundai Santa Fe HEV and PHEV both use 1.6-litre engines and automatic gearboxes, and both versions are capable of 0-62mph in around 9.0secs – a respectable effort for a seven-seat SUV. The PHEV has slightly more power (250bhp vs 236bhp), but you’ll barely notice the difference. 

Private buyers are best off with the HEV. It’s not really worth springing for the PHEV unless you’re a company car driver. The PHEV is officially capable of travelling 33 miles on electric power alone, putting it in a low BIK tax band (13%). Mind you, a fair few rivals sit in bands that are even lower. For instance, the rival Skoda Kodiaq iV can officially travel up to 76 miles and, as a result, it’s in the 6% band. 

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

Whichever version you pick, the Santa Fe is easier to drive than you might think – given its size. The steering is accurate, allowing you to instinctively place the car on the road. Body lean is kept in reasonable check during cornering, albeit not quite to the same degree of the Mazda CX-80. 

It’s worth mentioning that the Santa Fe HEV feels slightly sharper than the PHEV around tight bends, which is unsurprising, given the PHEV is heavier. 

On a similar note, the ride is best experienced in the Santa Fe’s entry-level form – the HEV in Premium trim. The ride is comfortable around town and it becomes even smoother the faster you go. The PHEV doesn’t ride quite as well, plus pricier trims (with their bigger alloys) only make things bumpier. Mind you, every Santa Fe rides more comfortably than the CX-80. 

One thing the Santa Fe isn’t that great at is being a tow car, with a maximum towing limit of just 1110kg.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

While the ride is good you do hear the suspension working away on really rough roads, and when you accelerate hard the petrol engine becomes quite vocal. But when you're bumbling along at lower speeds, the Santa Fe’s engine fades into the background and the hybrid system shifts unobtrusively between petrol and electric power. Another plus is that there's very little wind and road noise at motorway speeds. This adds to the Santa Fe's relaxed cruising manners.

"The Santa Fe's high-speed ride is superb; add in its hushed cruising manners and I found it's great for long distances" – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The Santa Fe’s interior is a classy, grown-up space that might remind you more of a Land Rover Defender than it does a Hyundai – or rather Hyundais of old. There’s a plush mix of materials present, as well as multiple colour schemes on offer. Premium and Calligraphy trims have black interiors, while mid-range Ultimate gives you the choice of black, grey or brown. 

The interior feels like it’s been screwed together sturdily, and overall the Santa Fe feels just as posh inside as the Peugeot 5008. The CX-80 just pips them both for quality, though. 

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

The Hyundai Santa Fe's driving position is fantastic. There's plenty of steering wheel adjustment, and every version comes with electric front seats (including lumbar adjustment). Ultimate trim and above adds a memory function, too. 

Another plus is how high up you sit. It gives you a terrific view forwards and lets you see all the way down to the nose of the car. Large wing mirrors give you a great eyeline down the sides of the car and the view out of the back is decent, too. Where most rivals have thick and angled rear pillars, which limit your over-the-shoulder view, the Santa Fe's boxy rear, with big, square back windows, is a real plus.

Still, it’s good to have front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera, as standard across the range. If you opt for mid-range Ultimate trim you get an upgraded surround-view camera as well.

Ultimate also features a rear-view mirror that you can turn into a digital screen, showing a feed from a camera at the back of the car. It's handy in the event the rear window is obstructed, either by people or by something big in the boot. 

Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

The Santa Fe has a pair of 12.3in screens, consisting of a digital driver’s display and an infotainment touchscreen to the left of it.

The infotainment system is user-friendly. There are physical shortcut buttons and the menus are easy to make sense of. What’s more, the graphics are sharp and the software reasonably responsive to inputs. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are included as standard. 

Sitting below the infotainment screen is a slim, 6.6in touchscreen for the climate controls. Fortunately, this screen is flanked by physical dials for adjusting the temperature – by contrast, the 5008’s setup is fiddlier, with its climate controls crammed into its main touchscreen. 

The CX-80 also goes big on easy-to-use, physical controls, making it another one to recommend for user friendliness. 

"Being such a big, chunky car, I thought the Hyundai Santa Fe might be a tad tricky to see out of. Fortunately, that’s not the case." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

How much space does it have for people?

There’s loads of room in the front of the Hyundai Santa Fe – not only for the driver and a passenger but also for storage. And when we say 'loads', we really mean it. You’ll find big cupholders, huge trays between the seats, and a large compartment under the central armrest. Handily, the armrest has two-way opening so you can access it whether you're in the front seats or the second row.

There’s also a smaller glovebox above the main one, which is a good size, and on top-spec Calligraphy models there's a second storage compartment in the dashboard that uses UV lighting to sterilise objects inside.

Calligraphy trim also gets Hyundai’s Relaxation Seats, which we first saw in the Hyundai Ioniq 5. They recline right back and have leg rests to help you relax if you’re ever sitting waiting for something – or someone – in your Santa Fe.

But it’s in the back where the Santa Fe really excels. For starters, access to the rear seats is fantastic. The rear doors are large and open wide, and it’s a simple process to slide the middle row forwards and climb into the third row of seats.

In the middle row, space is vast. The Santa Fe is available as a seven-seater (three middle-row seats, two third-row seats). Alternatively, if you go for Calligraphy trim, you can opt for six seats (two seats in both the middle and third-row). Either way, there’s loads of head room and leg room to allow six-footers to really stretch out and relax, and you can slide and recline the middle row to improve comfort.

Even the third row is amazingly spacious relative to some seven-seaters available for similar money, including the Mazda CX-80 and Peugeot 5008. The Santa Fe's boxy styling means there's plenty of head room, and knee room isn't bad either – especially if second-row guests are willing to slide (or tilt) their seats forward a bit.

How much room does it have for luggage?

With the third row of seats folded flat, the Santa Fe's boot space is enormous, with 628 litres available in the HEV and 621 litres in the PHEV. Both of those figures exceed the amount offered by the Kia Sorento. If you want even more space, you can fold both the second and third row down, which pretty much turns the Santa Fe into a van.

On top of that, the boot opening is incredibly wide. The load lip is low, too. In short, hauling things in and out of the boot is a simple task.

"I’ve slept in the back of a Hyundai Santa Fe, and you’d have to be more than six feet tall to not fit comfortably." – Oliver Young, Reviewer

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

As we mentioned, company car drivers will be better off financially with the Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV, since the HEV sits in the highest BIK tax band. Again, some rivals (like the Skoda Kodiaq iV) have longer electric ranges, so they’re even cheaper to tax.

The HEV is the better choice if you're purchasing privately, because it's a lot cheaper and slightly better to drive. What’s more, while the ability to charge the PHEV at home and run on electricity as much as possible might sound like a perk, the reality is that any fuel savings – compared to the HEV – are likely to be less than the extra cost of upgrading. Indeed, during a 380-mile test on a mix of roads, the Santa Fe 2WD HEV averaged an impressive 39.6mpg – a slightly better result than its official figure.

On the subject of charging the PHEV, it's a process that takes around three and a half hours from a typical 7kW home wall box.

We reckon the Santa Fe's entry-level Premium trim makes the most sense. It’s well equipped, including heated front seats, keyless entry, two-zone climate control, wireless phone-charger, adaptive cruise control and a powered tailgate with hands-free opening. 

Mid-range Ultimate trim pushes the price up by a few thousand pounds but adds plenty more kit, including a head-up display, ventilation for the front seats, heating for the outer middle-row seats, a second wireless phone charger, a premium Bose sound system and dual sunroofs.

The price jump to top-spec Calligraphy trim is smaller by comparison, but it only really gains black 20in wheels, some black detailing on the exterior, the ability to have six (rather than seven) seats and a UV sterilising box.

The two top trims push the Santa Fe towards the price territory of premium-badged alternatives, including the Land Rover Defender and Volvo XC90, so are less recommendable.

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

While the latest Santa Fe has yet to appear in our What Car? Reliability Survey, Hyundai performed well in the 2025 survey, finishing 14th out of 30 manufacturers in the overall brand league table. That's not as high as Citroen, Kia or Peugeot, but higher than both Seat and Skoda, and far better than Land Rover.

Giving you extra peace of mind is Hyundai's five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty. That’s a longer warranty than most – the typical duration is three years – although Kia offers seven years of cover on the Sorento, while Toyota goes all the way to 10 years if you use official dealerships for your annual servicing.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The Santa Fe's Euro NCAP safety rating depends on which trim you go for. Entry-level Premium models miss out some safety aids so score four stars (out of five). However, if you pay extra for the optional SmartSense+ Pack (standard on Ultimate and Calligraphy trims) this boosts the rating up to five stars.

“The Santa Fe gets quite pricey if you want four-wheel drive and range-topping Calligraphy trim. That's why I think the hybrid (HEV) version in entry-level Premium trim makes the most sense.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Buy it if...

- You want masses of space, including the third-row seats
- A massive boot
- A comfortable car that's quiet at speed

Don't buy if...

- You want the quickest 7-seat car
- The best-handling 7-seat car
- A long electric range

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here