Compare the2025 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2025 Kia Telluride

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe 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 Kia Telluride doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Kia Telluride has not been tested.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Telluride have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is safer than the Telluride:

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Telluride’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 Telluride.

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 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 262) than the Telluride’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

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

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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Santa Fe Hybrid’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Telluride doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Santa Fe Hybrid stops shorter than the Telluride:

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Telluride (255/45R20 vs. 245/60R18).

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Telluride S/EX/SX’s 50 series tires.

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 Telluride doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Telluride SX Prestige 4x4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Telluride SX 4x4 (27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Telluride’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

The Santa Fe Hybrid is 6.7 inches shorter than the Telluride, making the Santa Fe Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Santa Fe Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .294 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Telluride (.34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Fe Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

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 Telluride doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid AWD is quieter than the Telluride SX 4x4 (73 vs. 75 dB).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has .2 inches more front headroom, 3 inches more front legroom and .4 inches more rear headroom than the Telluride.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard Sinking Seat third row seat, which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Telluride doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

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

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 Telluride 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 Telluride doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and the Kia Telluride, 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 Telluride was rated second in its category.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Kia Telluride by 5% during 2024.