2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Accolade

First and foremost, the nonprofit organization found that the Santa Fe's projector-type LED headlights with high-beam assist offer fair or inadequate visibility in certain driving scenarios. On the upside, the low beams never exceeded glare limits.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also found the LATCH system's ease of use to be spotty due to lower anchors located too deep in the second row's outboard seats. Curiously, the outboard seats of the final row did not exhibit this problem.

Both the LATCH system and the headlights were rated acceptable, whereas good ratings were awarded for everything else, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention. Internally referred to as MX5, the fifth-generation Santa Fe rolled out in 2023 for MY24 with much boxier styling than its predecessor.

As expected from Hyundai, the compact-ish sport utility vehicle comes loaded with driver assistance technologies and safety kit. Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go, for example, is a standard feature that enables the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.

Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Car, Pedestrian, and Cyclist Detection also needs to be mentioned, along with Junction Turning. If the system identifies a risk of a collision with an oncoming vehicle when turning left at an intersection, the Junction Turning feature automatically applies the brakes.

The 2025 model is available in either internal combustion or hybrid flavors, with the internal combustion Santa Fe carrying a starting price of 34,000 dollars compared to 37,800 for the fuel-sipping brother. On paper, the hybrid is far more frugal, with the EPA quoting 36 miles to the gallon (6.5 liters per 100 kilometers) compared to 24 (9.8) for the combustion-only Santa Fe.

Optioning all-wheel drive obviously takes a toll on gas mileage, namely 34 and 23 miles per gallon (6.9 and 9.8 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined test cycle. The most capable Santa Fe off the beaten path is the AWD-only SRT grade, which is rated at 22 mpg (10.7 l/100 km) due to all-terrain rubber and 1.3 inches (33 millimeters) of additional ground clearance.

The hybrid sadly isn't available in XRT specification. Prospective customers are presented with the SEL, Limited, and Calligraphy trim levels, which carry over from the internal combustion Santa Fe. The internal combustion Santa Fe can also be had in SE form, an entry-level grade with plenty of standard goodies.

Hyundai Motor America had a fantastic year in 2024, selling a mega 836,802 vehicles in the United States market. Of those, the Santa Fe accounted for 119,010 deliveries.