Used 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid

The regular Santa Fe midsize SUV made its debut for 2019, but this hybrid variant launched just last year. Now it’s rated highly among our favorite plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUVs.

To underline the substance of the wider Santa Fe lineup, we also gave it a 2023 KBB Best Buy award — a repeat performance from the previous year. And it’s been named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

With an electric-only range of 31 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in, drivers can accomplish many everyday driving tasks without using any gas. Just plug it in at home or top it up at a public charging station.

If the battery doesn’t have enough spark to complete the trip, old-fashioned combustion is a backup. For someone considering switching from gasoline to an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid could make a good toe-in-the-water first step.

The non-hybrid Santa Fe has a separate review. So does the no-plug Santa Fe Hybrid.

Like a fully electric car, the Santa Fe PHEV accelerates smoothly and quietly when operating in EV mode. The engine drives like a regular hybrid when the charge runs low and the engine steps in. We found the complex interplay between gas and battery power well managed. The braking feel is good, too. It’s also quicker than the base model Santa Fe, with the electric motor providing an extra boost of instant power.

Beyond the powertrain differences, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid drives like a Santa Fe. Comfort is king while still limiting body lean through corners unobtrusively. Having all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard brings reassurance in tricky conditions. The Santa Fe PHEV also includes downhill brake control and an electronic parking brake with an automatic hold function.

Wide rear pillars affect over-the-shoulder vision, but standard blind-spot monitoring mitigates this flaw. In addition, every new Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid comes with adaptive cruise control connected to the (also standard) navigation system. It will know when a curve is coming up and can adjust the speed if necessary. Once the road straightens out again, the preset speed is resumed.

We’ve spent dozens of hours driving and researching the current collection of plug-in hybrid SUVs, including this Santa Fe PHEV.

Space is one of the great luxuries. The combination of a midsize SUV and just two rows of seating (the Hyundai Palisade is the 3-row counterpart) means plenty of room for five occupants.

The headroom is abundant in both rows. The rear legroom measures 39.5 inches — that’s definitely on the generous side.

Even though Hyundai had to fit a bigger battery into this PHEV model, there have been no compromises in cargo space. It’s the same as the rest of the Santa Fe lineup — 36.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats, 72.1 cubic feet when folded. That should be adequate for most people, even if they play double bass in an orchestra.

Cloth upholstery and heated front seats are standard in the SEL Convenience trim. The Limited has leather seating surfaces, heated/ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and a panoramic sunroof.

Cabin materials look and feel classy enough, especially in the upscale Limited trim. And the way they’re all assembled is exemplary.

Infotainment system
A 10.25-inch touchscreen is standard, along with dynamic voice recognition and over-the-air map updates. The setup also includes Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration and Bluetooth.

Hyundai Digital Key
Several users can access the same 2023 Santa Fe PHEV using either a smartphone app on an Android-based device or Hyundai also provides a key card. Either way, it’s simple to operate and standard in both trims.

Digital instrument cluster
A 12.3-inch driver information display is standard with both trims, contributing to the high-tech feel of the cabin as well as showing vital information. The Limited trim also has a Blind Spot View Monitor showing live video in the digital display of the lane the driver is signaling to move into.

Highway Driving Assist
This now-standard feature adds minor steering corrections to keep the 2023 Santa Fe PHEV in its lane.

Hands-free tailgate with auto-open
Dancing on one leg is not required. This standard feature senses when the key is nearby and opens by itself.

Remote Smart Parking Assist
Using buttons on the key fob as a remote control, the driver can stand outside the Santa Fe PHEV and move the vehicle gently into or out of a parking spot. Only the Limited version has this feature.

There are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrids (HEVs). A typical example of the latter is the Toyota Prius. Both PHEVs and HEVs have a gasoline engine and an electric motor.

Where a PHEV differs is that it has a beefier battery, allowing the vehicle to cover a useful distance — at useful speeds — using electric power alone. Drivers can also recharge it from an outside source, which is why it’s called a “plug-in hybrid.” With a charged battery and a full gas tank, the 2023 Santa Fe PHEV SUV has a potential range of 440 miles.

Propulsion comes from a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine using regular gasoline, which is paired with an electric motor to make a combined output of 261 horsepower. This output goes to a standard all-wheel drive (AWD) system through a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Maximum towing capacity is 2,000 pounds.

Running purely in electric vehicle (EV) mode, a range of up to 31 miles is possible. It takes nearly 3.5 hours to recharge the lithium-ion polymer battery on a 240-volt supply, which owners can easily do overnight.

1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine/electric motor
261 combined horsepower
EPA combined fuel economy: 76 MPGe in electric mode, 33 mpg when operating as a regular hybrid
EPA-estimated range in EV mode: 31 miles

More Santa Fe PHEV information is available on the EPA’s website.

5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty

Hyundai’s warranties are as good as they get. New-vehicle coverage lasts for 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever happens first. The powertrain and the hybrid battery warranties last 10 years or 100,000 miles.

Every new Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid includes 3 years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance.