Why We Chose the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe for the Best Family Cars List

• 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe 3-row SUV once again tops our list of Best Family Cars.
• The Santa Fe earns top crash-test ratings.
• Practicality, value, and a hybrid model make this handsome SUV easy to recommend.

To make KBB’s annual Best Family Cars list, a 2-row or 3-row SUV has to have several winning attributes, including a good value, above-average fuel economy, top safety ratings, and come at a relatively affordable price. The handsome 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe 3-row SUV accomplishes all these and more.

Redesigned for the 2024 model year, the Hyundai Santa Fe cuts a blocky profile stamped with H-shaped elements throughout. It borrows as much from Land Rover as Lego. Inside, Hyundai brought back a third row in the larger, wider cabin, and it can handle much more than carpool duty in a pinch. With USB ports, cupholders, armrests, and adjustable seats, younger family members will have no problem fitting in the way back for weekend getaways or holidays to the grandparents.

Available Santa Fe Hybrid

The Santa Fe uses a turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 277 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. It’s plenty of engine to motivate this 3-row SUV, and outpowers both the Subaru Ascent and Toyota Highlander. At 24 mpg combined or 23 mpg combined with all-wheel drive (AWD), it’s more powerful but less efficient than the Santa Fe Hybrid.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder paired with a small but robust motor that together generate 231 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. It’s rated at 36 mpg combined (or 35 mpg with all-wheel drive), which represents a significant cost savings. Since the Santa Fe Hybrid SEL costs only $1,000 more than the gas-only SEL trim, you’ll recoup that upcharge in fuel savings in less than two years, according to EPA estimates.

Check out this comparison of the Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid to determine which powertrain is best for you.

Good Value

Either SEL model costs below $40,000, but the base SE gas-only model costs less than $36,000. With the average new car price now around $50,000, that’s a good value for standard features that include up to seven seats, a neat center console that opens up from the top or the rear for second-row passengers, a power tailgate, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and many other amenities. We recommend the SEL for its 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, heated front seats, synthetic leather upholstery, and power driver’s seat.

Excellent Warranty

Owners can rest assured with Hyundai’s industry-leading warranty. The Santa Fe has a 5-year/60,000-mile (whichever happens first) basic warranty, a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and a 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan.

Top Safety Ratings

Caregivers can rest assured up front thanks to the Santa Fe’s top safety rating. It earned a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the institute’s second-highest accolade. In an unusual break from the more rigorous IIHS testing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) faulted its front crash protection, however, resulting in four out of five stars for safety.

Discrepancy notwithstanding, the Hyundai Santa Fe comes loaded with driver-assist features designed to avoid a crash, including forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assistance.

The Hyundai Santa Fe makes for a value-oriented yet stylish and tech-forward family vehicle. It looks and is equipped like a more expensive vehicle, and with a thrifty hybrid option and an excellent warranty, the Santa Fe makes the family dollar stretch longer than our list.