Compare the2024 Kia Sportage PHEVVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

Both the Sportage PHEV and the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sportage PHEV its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 58 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has not been fully tested, yet.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia Sportage PHEV is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage PHEV running on electricity gets better mileage than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity (88 city/79 hwy vs. 79 city/72 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage PHEV running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine (36 city/35 hwy vs. 33 city/32 hwy).

The Sportage PHEV can travel with zero emissions on electricity, only, on a full charge for 34 miles. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 31 miles.

The Sportage PHEV stops shorter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

The Sportage PHEV X-Line Prestige handles at .84 G’s, while the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Sportage PHEV has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid (8.3 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Sportage PHEV to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Sportage PHEV is 4.9 inches shorter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, making the Sportage PHEV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Sportage PHEV uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Sportage PHEV has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

On a hot day the Sportage PHEV’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Sportage PHEV X-Line Prestige to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Sportage PHEV X-Line Prestige’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Kia Sportage outsold the Hyundai Santa Fe by 5656 units during 2022.