2026
Hyundai SANTA FE HEV

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• The Hyundai Santa Fe is an appealing mid-size family SUV that seats up to seven.
• It offers turbocharged four-cylinder and hybrid powertrains.
• Pricing starts at $36,650 (all prices include a $1,600 destination fee).

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a mid-size SUV with an audaciously boxy design, three rows and six or seven seats. It’s smaller than most three-row mid-size SUVs, so it doesn’t have as much interior room overall as several of its rivals. The Santa Fe’s tidier footprint does, however, make it a bit easier to maneuver and park, and its upright, squared-off shape maximizes available cabin space. The Santa Fe’s high-quality interior materials and smart, family-friendly design touches are also appealing, as are its pleasant driving character and laudable fuel economy from its available hybrid powertrain.

What’s New for 2026?

The gas-only versions of the Santa Fe switch from an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission to a conventional eight-speed automatic. Other changes amount to minor trim and equipment shuffling. The base SE trim is now available with the hybrid powertrain, and the off-road-oriented XRT trim adds a Terrain selector with Mud, Sand and Snow modes. The Limited trim gets standard second-row captain’s chairs, and both the Limited and XRT add dual wireless smartphone chargers. The Santa Fe’s SEL and XRT trims gain third-row USB ports.

Pricing

The Santa Fe lineup includes gas-only and hybrid powertrains. Both are available in SE, SEL, Limited and Calligraphy trim levels, and the gas version adds an off-road-inspired XRT trim. The following prices are correct as of July 2026 (manufacturers sometimes change a vehicle’s pricing over the course of a model year):

Santa Fe

• SE: $36,650
• SEL: $39,190
• XRT: $43,640
• Limited: $46,200
• Calligraphy: $49,200

Santa Fe Hybrid

• SE: $38,000
• SEL: $40,290
• Limited: $47,300
• Calligraphy: $50,300

Trims and Features

Every Santa Fe comes standard with a suite of safety technologies that includes forward collision warning with pedestrian and bicyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure steering assist, lane-centering steering, adaptive cruise control, front and rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot warning, a driver-attention monitor, and front and rear parking sensors.

With the exception of the XRT trim, which is only available with the gas-only powertrain, the equipment listed below applies to both the hybrid and non-hybrid trim levels.

SE

The base SE comes standard with cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and start, LED exterior lighting, heated side mirrors, a hands-free power liftgate and 18-inch alloy wheels.

SEL

Buyers who move up to the SEL trim get synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a wireless phone charger and a digital key.

XRT

The XRT trim draws its enhanced off-road capability from its 1.3 extra inches of ground clearance, as well as all-terrain tires on 18-inch dark-gray wheels. It also adds black exterior trim, navigation, a second wireless phone charger and a moonroof.

Limited

The Limited has leather upholstery, a power front-passenger seat, ventilated front seats, heated second-row captain’s chairs, a heated steering wheel, ambient interior lighting, rear sunshades, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12-speaker Bose audio system, dual-pane moonroof, rain-sensing windshield wipers and 20-inch wheels. On the safety front, it adds blind spot cameras, side parking sensors, automatic parking and a 360-degree camera system.

Calligraphy

The line-topping Calligraphy features quilted Nappa leather upholstery and a driver “relaxation seat” that has a footrest and reclines at an extreme angle. It also adds a synthetic suede headliner, a head-up display, a camera-based rearview mirror and 21-inch wheels in the gas-only version. It also gets additional safety features, including steering assist for the blind spot cameras and Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist 2 driver-assist system.

Powertrains and Fuel Economy

The Santa Fe offers respectable power with either powertrain, but the hybrid is much more efficient. Gas-only models feature a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 277 horsepower and 311 pounds-feet of torque; the base engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid gets a turbo 1.6-liter four-cylinder and a combined 231 hp and 271 pounds-feet; it routes its power through a six-speed automatic transmission. Both powertrains come with front- or all-wheel drive.

The turbo 2.5-liter’s EPA ratings top out at 20/29/24 mpg city/highway/combined with FWD; AWD costs 1 mpg combined. The XRT’s all-terrain tires and higher ride height cost it 3 mpg combined. The hybrid is much more efficient, with an EPA rating of 37/36/36 mpg with FWD and 35/34/34 with AWD.

Interior

All Santa Fes have a smart, straightforward control layout and good interior materials for the price. The SE trim comes with cloth upholstery and manually adjustable front seats. Moving up a trim level brings synthetic leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat and heated front seats. The Limited trim level gets leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, a power front-passenger seat, a heated steering wheel and heated second-row captain’s chairs. The Calligraphy delivers a truly luxurious ambiance, with posh touches that include softer Nappa leather upholstery and a synthetic suede headliner.

A 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen comes standard in every Santa Fe, and the Limited and Calligraphy trims add a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The Limited and Calligraphy also come standard with second-row captain’s chairs (dropping seating capacity to six). A second-row bench seat, for a seating capacity of seven, is standard on the SE, SEL and XRT and optional on the Limited.

According to Hyundai’s measurements, the Santa Fe has 14.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind its third row, expanding to 40.5 cubic feet behind the second row with the third row folded flat. There’s a maximum 79.6 cubic feet of space behind the first row with the second and third rows folded down.

Versus the Competition

The Santa Fe’s closest rival is the related Kia Sorento. The Hyundai’s boxier shape gives it a cargo space advantage over the Kia, but the Sorento offers more engine choices, including a naturally aspirated four-cylinder, which helps lower its starting price, and a plug-in hybrid that offers even greater efficiency. The Jeep Grand Cherokee comes in two body styles: a two-row, short-wheelbase version and a three-row, long-wheelbase Grand Cherokee L. The Grand Cherokee has more off-road capability than the Santa Fe and it can feel more upscale in its higher trims, but it no longer offers a hybrid powertrain option, as its 4xe PHEV version has been dropped. Buyers might also consider the Honda Passport and Honda Pilot duo. The Passport is a two-row SUV with good space but no hybrid engine option, while the Pilot is a three-row SUV that seats up to eight people. At almost 10 inches longer than the Santa Fe, the Pilot offers better cargo and occupant space but, again, doesn’t have a hybrid option. The Toyota Highlander and its newer, larger Grand Highlander sibling are other three-row options that offer the choice of a hybrid powertrain.

Do We Like the Hyundai Santa Fe?

There’s so much to like about the Hyundai Santa Fe that we named it our Best Car of 2025, then followed that with a Best Family Car of 2026 award. The Santa Fe is a perfect “tweener” SUV, boasting excellent occupant and cargo space without driving like a big brute. We also appreciate its top crash-test scores, impressive suite of standard safety features and immense value.