2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

If people bought SUVs just for their looks, we think the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid would be an immediate best-seller. Bold styling, however, is just one of many arrows in this SUV’s quiver. There’s great tech, plenty of space, lots of standard equipment, reassuringly long warranties, and it’s a hybrid.

Although Hyundai also makes the Palisade, which is a bona fide midsize SUV with more passenger and cargo space, the between-sizes Santa Fe (now with three rows as standard) is the only one of the two to offer a hybrid drivetrain. We’ve found it spacious enough for most purposes, while being glad that buyers have the choice.

The non-hybrid 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe is reviewed separately.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating SUV hybrids.

This generation of Santa Fe Hybrid was all-new last year, so there are no significant changes for 2025. Atlantis Blue is added as a new exterior paint choice.

We recommend going for the Limited trim and adding all-wheel drive. This is the most popular configuration and is still sufficiently plush.

Other fuel-efficient almost-midsize 3-row SUVs include the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Kia Sorento Hybrid, both starting higher than their Hyundai rival. The non-hybrid Santa Fe is expected to start around $35,500 at a lower SE trim level.

Before buying a new Santa Fe Hybrid SUV, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. We expect this generation’s resale values to be stronger than the somewhat below-average residuals of the previous model. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

Propelled by 231 horsepower, the Santa Fe Hybrid should be capable of going from standstill to 60 mph in about eight seconds. We wouldn’t call that fast, but it’s probably enough for a roomy family SUV — especially in light of the fuel savings. For comparison, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid has 243 horsepower. We appreciate this generation of Santa Fe in general for how comfortable the ride quality is — great for long trips, yet still quite composed on curvier roads.

Fuel Economy

With all-wheel drive, the Santa Fe Hybrid achieves 34 mpg in combined city/highway driving, close enough to an all-wheel-drive Toyota Highlander Hybrid to make little difference. Add 2 more mpg for front-wheel drive.

We’re big fans of the Santa Fe Hybrid’s features, roominess, practicality, and interior design. Hyundai offers a Panoramic Curved Display integrating the infotainment screen and digital gauge cluster in one seamless unit. We’ve found it works well, conveying all the necessary information without being overwhelming.

A twist-to-drive column shifter opens up the center console where a traditional gear lever would usually go. Now that space holds the wireless charging pad. Materials are of impressive quality. With a nod to sustainability, the Santa Fe Hybrid comes with recycled plastic in the seatbacks, mats, and headliner. Diamond-stitched Nappa leather seating surfaces come in the Calligraphy model. Our only gripe is that most climate functions, including fan speed, rely on touch-sensing technology rather than a physical control.

This generation of Santa Fe Hybrid comes with three rows of seating as standard. SEL and Limited trims have a second-row bench and seating for up to seven; the 6-seater Calligraphy has a pair of exceptionally comfortable captain’s chairs in the second row. Unsurprisingly, the larger Palisade SUV has more space for people and stuff, but the Santa Fe Hybrid still has plenty of legroom (41.5 and 30 inches in rows two and three respectively) along with a lot of cargo space — 14.6 cubic feet behind the rearmost seats, opening out to a total of 79.6 cubic feet (the same as the non-hybrid Santa Fe).

Those second and third rows fold nearly flat, while the huge tailgate complements an equally sizable aperture leading into what Hyundai calls a “terrace-like” space inside. The result (and intention, according to Hyundai’s designers) is a place where owners can tailgate or even sleep. To compare, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid loses a bit of second- and third-row passenger space to enable a slightly larger cargo area than the Santa Fe Hybrid.

This latest Santa Fe Hybrid has a radical aesthetic, blending a boxy SUV shape while retaining its compact-midsize “tweener” footprint. It’s about 8 inches longer than the Hyundai Tucson compact SUV, and 6.5 inches shorter than the Hyundai Palisade midsize SUV.

At just under 16 feet, the current Santa Fe Hybrid is only a couple of inches longer than its rounded predecessor. It’s just that the sharp angles, straight lines, and floating roof design give the illusion that it’s much bigger. Overall, it has a rugged yet modern look, and the “H” motif in the LED lighting is a Santa Fe hallmark. A new color choice this year is Atlantis Blue.

Powered tailgate
If there’s one feature we always (and we mean always) appreciate in an SUV, it’s this. Even better, this one has hands-free operation and adjustable height settings. Better still — it’s standard throughout.

Built-in grab handle
Hyundai really meant it when it said the Santa Fe Hybrid was designed to be an activity vehicle, one where you might put stuff on the roof. To help you get up there is an ingenious hidden grab handle in the C-pillar above the rear wheel. It’s flush until it’s pressed, and it’s even lockable.

Wireless charging pad
Every new Santa Fe Hybrid SUV gets this feature (and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto). In the Calligraphy model, there’s two — one for the driver and front passenger.

Bi-directional center console
The Santa Fe Hybrid features a dual-level center console, the top of which flips up from the front or back for easy access from either of the first two rows. We think this is a brilliant idea.

UV sanitizing station
This latest generation of Santa Fe was designed during the Covid pandemic when hygiene was a higher-than-usual priority. So it offers an ultraviolet sanitizing section in the glove compartment that’s always useful for phones and children’s toys. It’s standard in Limited and Calligraphy trims.

Fingerprint reader
This provides an extra layer of security and the ability to lock various functions when handing the Santa Fe Hybrid off to a valet. It’s available in Limited and Calligraphy models.

Hyundai Pay
We’re always happy to see technology like this. It allows users to pay for things like parking and gas directly from the touchscreen while safe inside the vehicle. For example, there’s no need to swipe a credit card at a sketchy gas station and risk getting the number skimmed. Available in Limited and Calligraphy trims.

The Santa Fe Hybrid pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with an electric motor to create a total of 231 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque. That’s a healthy amount of muscle. The next step in the chain is a smooth 6-speed automatic transmission, with front-wheel drive being the standard setup, or all-wheel drive available as an option.

5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty

The Santa Fe Hybrid enjoys class-leading warranties. Hyundai’s excellent coverage includes a 5-year/60,000-mile (whichever happens first) basic warranty, a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty for the powertrain and hybrid battery, plus a 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan.

Safety Ratings

Regardless of drivetrain, this generation of Santa Fe has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the institute’s second-highest accolade. Standard safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assistance.