Video: What’s the Best Car of 2025?

om's Best Car of 2025. What's most distinctive about the Santa Fe is its shape. The squared-off shape opens up the cargo area with a huge opening that can accept large items, and it's even tall enough on the inside to double as a perch for tailgating or watching youth sports, some larger three-row SUVs even struggle with this feat. The Santa Fe's shape also allows it to have both a relatively small exterior footprint, but a roomy interior. Standard three-row seating makes the Santa Fe a compelling option for buyers who don't necessarily need a larger three-row SUV, but want more room than a compact two-row like a Honda CRV or Toyota RAV4. The third row is passable and certainly good enough for kids, kids in car seats, and smaller adults. This not too hot, not too cold option, has an appropriate middle ground price to match. The 2025 Santa Fe starts around $35,000 with a turbocharged four-cylinder front-wheel drive and an EPA-estimated 24 miles per gallon combined. You can also get all-wheel drive and a more efficient Santa Fe Hybrid with an EPA-estimated 36 miles per gallon combined. On the inside, you'll find a useful well-put-together interior on lower trim levels, and luxury on higher trim levels. There are innovative features like the Dual Wireless Phone Charger on the top calligraphy trim, and that's a great complement for any road trip. There's also an Ultraviolet Light Sanitizing Compartment on Limited and Calligraphy Trim levels that removes up to 99.9% of germs according to Hyundai. For the remaining germs in the car, perhaps larger and strapped into the second row, a standard drawer slides out rearward from the front center console and can serve as a trash can for all the little items and wrappers that usually end up on the floor. The significantly redesigned Santa Fe wins the cars.com Best Car of 2025 Award, thanks to a high-quality interior and driveway experience combined with useful family-friendly features in a cabin that works for big and small families alike. It may be the perfect tweener car for the family who doesn't want the size and expense of a traditional three-row SUV, but are quickly outgrowing their compact SUV, my fellow two-kid households, I'm looking at you. To learn more about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe and all of cars.com's Best of Awards, visit cars.com/awards. (gentle music)