Compare the2022 Hyundai Tucson HybridVS 2022 Lexus UX

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 UX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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

The Tucson Hybrid Limited has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The UX only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Tucson Hybrid and the UX 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, 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 driver alert monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tucson Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The UX is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

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 UX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson Hybrid 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the UX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the UX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Tucson Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the UX’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson Hybrid for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the UX (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Tucson Hybrid’s warranty.

The Tucson Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 57 more horsepower (226 vs. 169) and 107 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 151) than the UX 200’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Tucson Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 45 more horsepower (226 vs. 181) than the UX 250h’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is faster than the Lexus UX:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The UX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Tucson Hybrid has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (13.7 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Tucson Hybrid has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX’s standard fuel tank (13.7 vs. 12.4 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus UX (6 to 7). This means the Tucson Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the UX every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Tucson Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the UX:

The Tucson Hybrid stops shorter than the UX:

For better traction, the Tucson Hybrid has larger tires than the UX (235/65R17 vs. 225/50R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tucson Hybrid SEL/Limited has standard 19-inch wheels. The UX’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.6 inches longer than on the UX (108.5 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson Hybrid is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the UX.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the UX 200 pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the UX 200 (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

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 UX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Tucson Hybrid has 17.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the UX (107.9 vs. 90.4).

The Tucson Hybrid has 2.9 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, 3.2 inches more rear headroom, 8.2 inches more rear legroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the UX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Tucson Hybrid’s rear seats recline. The UX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Tucson Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the UX (38.8 vs. 17.1 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson Hybrid’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The UX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Tucson Hybrid has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The UX has no towing capacity.

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 UX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The power windows standard on both the Tucson Hybrid and the UX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Tucson Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The UX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Tucson Hybrid has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the UX. The Tucson Hybrid Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the UX.

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 UX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and the Lexus UX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Lexus UX by almost 8 to one during the 2021 model year.