--- title: "2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Review: The SUV Your Family Needs" description: "Americans have a problem: They very rarely buy what they need, but almost always buy what they want. South Korea is delivering a solution to this conundrum with the 2025 [Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]()." date: "2025-08-08" modified: "2025-08-08" authors: - name: "Joel Feder" job_title: "Director of Content and Product" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/joel-feder" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/car-reviews/2025-hyundai-santa-fe-hybrid-review" categories: - "Car Reviews" - "Hyundai Reviews" tags: - "hybrid" - "Hyundai" - "Santa Fe" - "suv/crossover" --- # 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Review: The SUV Your Family Needs ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() *\Joel Feder\* Americans have a problem: They very rarely buy what they need, but almost always buy what they want. South Korea is delivering a solution to this conundrum with the 2025 [Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid](). This boxy crossover is the three-row your family of four actually *needs*, while possibly even checking off the "want" bucket at the same time—a rare feat in today’s day and age. Hyundai’s unique way of combining style and efficiency without sacrificing family-friendliness is refreshing, and perhaps more surprisingly, it did so without sacrificing value. ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ## The Basics After ushering in a [dramatic design overhaul]() for 2024, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe arrives with no notable changes, though as someone with the last name Feder might, I'm thrilled about the addition of Atlantis Blue. The Santa Fe remains Hyundai’s mid-size three-row crossover, slotting above the Tucson and below the Palisade. Love it or hate it, no one will argue that Santa Fe’s brick-like exterior isn’t attention-grabbing. Some might call it a Land Rover Defender copy *\[Ed. note**:** No one is calling it that, Joel.\]*, but the punched-out fenders, sloping roofline, and squared-off ends with horizontal LEDs with H motifs look like nothing else on the road. My aunt even joked she didn’t know *Hermès* made a car, and I’ll bet Hyundai took that as a compliment despite it being a joke. ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** The brick-like design pays dividends inside in all the right ways, though it’s far more contemporary and less divisive than the exterior. Inside, it’s airy and there’s plenty of space in the first two rows. Tall, upright glass lets plenty of light in, and everywhere you look, there are functional bits. The lowset dashboard features buttons, knobs, and toggles (love some good toggles), but the secondary climate controls are touch-based, and these can get washed out in the sun from certain angles. The dual 12.3-inch screens on the dashboard under a single panel of glass house the digital gauge cluster and touchscreen infotainment system sitting side by side. The front center console was something my wife swooned over, offering not one but two wireless charging pads that work because they are raised, two glove boxes (one with a UV light for disinfecting … things), and functional storage cubbies in the doors. My kids loved the second row captain’s chairs and door-mounted sunshades. That third row, which folds completely flat, is a tight fit for anyone older than school age, but it works for running errands around town. ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() *2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid *Joel Feder* *Joel Feder** The powertrain combines a 1.6-liter, inline-four gasoline engine with a conventional six-speed automatic transmission with a 64-horsepower electric motor fed by a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. Total system output is rated at 231 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same powertrain in the smaller Tucson, which is about 500 pounds lighter. Front-wheel drive is standard, while all-wheel drive is an $1,800 option that lowers its EPA-estimated fuel economy by 1 mpg. ## Driving the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid The Santa Fe Hybrid certainly isn’t fast, but it’s quick enough to get out of its own way. It's peppy off the line thanks to the electric motor’s instant torque, and has enough power for passing duty on the highway. More power isn’t necessary, and frankly, it’s probably quicker off the line than the more powerful non-hybrid turbo model. The overall power tradeoff here is well worth the efficiency gains, considering the hybrid never feels underpowered. It was interesting and surprising to see how often the gas engine turned off in the Santa Fe Hybrid with the powertrain coasting or running on battery power alone—even at highway speeds. I can’t remember a [Toyota Highlander Hybrid]() doing that at over 70 mph for meaningful stretches of highway like the Santa Fe Hybrid. The light steering feel is fine, but feedback is nowhere to be found. The well-tuned suspension is softer than that of the Mazda CX-90, but it seems less refined in its movements than the Toyota Highlander due to what seems like less suspension travel. ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ## The Highs and Lows That brick-like design with a flat hood and upright glass, combined with the low-set dashboard, pays dividends in driveability. Visibility in every direction is fantastic with small A-pillars and a reasonably-sized square rear window that’s larger than that of the Highlander. The massive squared tailgate opens to reveal 40.5 cubic feet of cargo space and notably a low lif situation that makes it easy to load heavy cargo. Costco runs are so nice in this thing. ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** The automatic transmission is well-behaved, but Hyundai has done the weird thing where it offers multiple levels of regenerative braking despite this being a gas-powered hybrid with no electric-only range. The three levels of regen braking can be controlled via the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. However, using any level other than zero induces jerky motions while letting off the throttle. ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() *2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid *Joel Feder* *Joel Feder** ## 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Features, Options, and Competition The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid costs $39,215, including a $1,415 destination charge, which is notably only $1,000 more than a comparable non-hybrid Santa Fe. The base Santa Fe Hybrid is an SEL trim, which cuts out the base, gas-only SE trim, but that translates to standard 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, synthetic leather, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The fully loaded Calligraphy model I tested cost $50,675, and added everything from a heads-up display and suede headliner to leather upholstery, heated front and second-row seats, and a Bose audio system. A Jeep Grand Cherokee L has a larger third row but drinks loads more gas, and the plug-in hybrid model costs just over $60,000 to start, making it a non-starter in terms of price parity. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cousin, the Kia Sorento, is comparable in almost every way, right down to the same hybrid powertrain. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid, for similar money, has worse interior packaging, visibility, and infotainment system, but it has large buttons and knobs for easy-to-use controls. ## Fuel Economy The hybrid model of the Santa Fe takes the model’s fantastic packaging and delivers better fuel economy. EPA ratings check in at 35 mpg city, 34 highway, and 34 combined. In the real world, the Santa Fe came close enough to those, averaging 32.1 mpg throughout 99 miles of mixed suburban driving and 31.3 mpg over 886 miles of highway driving at over 70 mph. ![2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid]() **Joel Feder** ## Value and Verdict At a premium of just $1,000 over the non-hybrid model, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is a no-brainer. The mid-trim Limited model makes perfect sense, with the 20-inch wheels, leather-trimmed seats, a power-operated front passenger seat, ventilated front seats and heated front and second-row seats, and a surround-view camera system for $46,115. Depending on your taste in design, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid might not just be the right family car for you, it might be the best family car for the money today. The intersection of “what you need” and “what you want” might have just been crossed. | | 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Specs | | --- | --- | | **Base Price (Calligraphy AWD as tested)** | $39,215 ($50,675) | | **Powertrain** | 1.6-liter turbo-four \| 6-speed automatic \| all-wheel drive | | **Horsepower** | 231 | | **Torque** | 271 lb-ft @ 1,000 to 4,100 rpm | | **Seating Capacity** | 6 or 7 | | **Curb Weight** | 4,575 pounds | | **Towing Capacity** | 2,000 pounds | | **Cargo Volume** | 14.6 cubic feet behind third row \| 40.5 cubic feet behind second row \| 79.6 cubic feet behind first row | | **Ground Clearance** | 7 inches | | **EPA Fuel Economy** | 35 mpg city \| 34 highway \| 34 combined | | **Score** | 9/10 | ## Author Overseeing what you see, read, touch, hear, and interact with from the vast lakes of Minnesota, Joel Feder shapes how The Drive looks and operates as the head of content and product initiatives. On a daily basis, Joel leads the newsroom and editorial staff playing point on both short-term coverage and long-term strategic plans. His mission is to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media by helping the team execute original reporting, breaking news, and exclusive opportunities. Regarded as an industry insider and recognized by colleagues, fellow journalists, and manufacturers as a point-person and leader in the industry, Joel owns and runs the largest automotive professionals group on Facebook in an effort to serve and help others. Joel serves as a juror for the World Car Awards. In addition, he is the board chair and chair of the governance and nominating committee for Move Forward MN, a local non-profit that helps at-risk youth with barrier-free mental health and housing services. While you’re reading this he’s either on his computer or iPhone chasing the latest news or drafting a story. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Bluesky]() [Email]()