Compare the2025 Hyundai Tucson HybridVS 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Tiguan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Tucson Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Tiguan, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Tucson Hybrid. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Tucson Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Tucson Hybrid and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Tiguan is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

The Tucson Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Tiguan’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson Hybrid 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Tucson Hybrid’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Tiguan runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson Hybrid for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Tiguan (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are over 29 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Tucson Hybrid’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Tucson Hybrid’s reliability 19 points higher than the Tiguan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 69 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Tucson Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 47 more horsepower (231 vs. 184) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Tucson Hybrid gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

Regenerative brakes improve the Tucson Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Tucson Hybrid stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

For better traction, the Tucson Hybrid has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (235/65R17 vs. 215/65R17).

The Tucson Hybrid has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson Hybrid is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Tiguan.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited handles at .84 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Tucson Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8.3 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Tucson Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Tucson Hybrid is 3.4 inches shorter than the Tiguan, making the Tucson Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Tucson Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tiguan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Tucson Hybrid has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 2.6 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

The Tucson Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (38.7 vs. 12 cubic feet). The Tucson Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tiguan with its rear seat folded (74.5 vs. 73.4 cubic feet).

The Tucson Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Tucson Hybrid uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Tiguan doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Tucson Hybrid has a higher standard payload capacity than the Tiguan (1169 vs. 1014 lbs.).

The Tucson Hybrid Limited’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

On a hot day the Tucson Hybrid’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Tucson Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Tucson Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Tiguan’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Both the Tucson Hybrid and the Tiguan have standard heated front seats. The Tucson Hybrid Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Tiguan.

The Tucson Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Tiguan SE/SEL.

Compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Tiguan SE/SEL offers wireless charging.

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

The Tucson Hybrid will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Tucson Hybrid will retain 52.09% to 55.73% of its original price after five years, while the Tiguan only retains 48.29% to 50.45%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Tiguan isn't recommended.

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Volkswagen Tiguan by almost three to one during 2023.