Compare the2025 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2025 Kia Sorento

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Sorento have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Santa Fe Hybrid is much safer than the Sorento:

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid (built after November 2024) has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 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 Sorento is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Sorento’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sorento.

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 Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked fourth.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (231 vs. 191) and 90 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 181) than the Sorento LX/S’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the Sorento:

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid stops shorter than the Sorento:

The Santa Fe SEL Hybrid’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sorento LX’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe SEL Hybrid has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento LX.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Sorento doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (7 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Santa Fe 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 Sorento doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 45.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sorento (151 vs. 105.3).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has .8 inches more front headroom, 3 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more third row headroom, .4 inches more third row legroom, .2 inches more third row hip room and .5 inches more third row shoulder room than the Sorento.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Santa Fe Hybrid’s middle and third row seats recline. The Sorento’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Sorento.

The Santa Fe Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sorento uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sorento doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sorento’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

The Santa Fe 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 Sorento S/EX/SX.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console for two separate devices. Only the Sorento S/EX/SX offers wireless charging, and only charges one device.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’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 Sorento doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and the Kia Sorento, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Santa Fe Hybrid first among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Sorento isn’t in the top three.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Kia Sorento by 24% during 2024.