Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2022 Honda HR-V

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Santa Fe and HR-V have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The HR-V’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 Santa Fe are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The HR-V doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The HR-V doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Santa Fe AWD’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The HR-V doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Santa Fe SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The HR-V only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Fe’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The HR-V doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Santa Fe’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 HR-V doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy has a standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The HR-V doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Santa Fe and the HR-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The Hyundai Santa Fe weighs 507 to 1170 pounds more than the Honda HR-V. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe is safer than the Honda HR-V:

	Santa Fe	HR-V
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	296	481
Neck Injury Risk	16%	19%
Neck Stress	149 lbs.	244 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	50/51 lbs.	33/136 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	27%	41%
Neck Stress	99 lbs.	218 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	222/167 lbs.	574/500 lbs.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe is safer than the Honda HR-V:

	Santa Fe	HR-V
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	61	148
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	148	357
Spine Acceleration	54 G’s	59 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	576 lbs.	799 lbs.

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

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 Santa Fe its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The HR-V has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Santa Fe comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The HR-V’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the HR-V. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the HR-V ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Fe’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the HR-V’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the HR-V.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Santa Fe has a standard 760-amp battery. The HR-V’s 410-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 82 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 24th.

Engine

The Santa Fe’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 50 more horsepower (191 vs. 141) and 54 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 127) than the HR-V’s 1.8 SOHC 4-cylinder. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 140 more horsepower (281 vs. 141) and 184 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 127) than the HR-V’s 1.8 SOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Santa Fe 4 cyl. is faster than the Honda HR-V:

	Santa Fe	HR-V
Zero to 30 MPH	3.6 sec	4.3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	10 sec	10.5 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	6.4 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	17.6 sec	18.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83 MPH	81.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Santa Fe’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. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The HR-V doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Santa Fe has 5.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the HR-V (18.8 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Santa Fe’s brake rotors are larger than those on the HR-V:

	Santa Fe	Santa Fe 2.5T	HR-V
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	13.6 inches	11.5 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	12 inches	11.1 inches

The Santa Fe stops much shorter than the HR-V:

	Santa Fe	HR-V
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Santa Fe has larger standard tires than the HR-V (235/60R18 vs. 215/55R17). The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the HR-V (255/45R20 vs. 225/50R18).

The Santa Fe 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 HR-V Sport’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the HR-V. The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the HR-V Sport.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Santa Fe has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Honda HR-V has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Santa Fe has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The HR-V’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Santa Fe has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Santa Fe flat and controlled during cornering. The HR-V 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe’s wheelbase is 6.1 inches longer than on the HR-V (108.9 inches vs. 102.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 4.2 inches wider in the front and 4.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the HR-V.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the HR-V EX-L AWD (26.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the HR-V (8.2 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Santa Fe to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Santa Fe’s minimum ground clearance is 1.3 inches higher than on the HR-V Sport (8.2 vs. 6.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The Santa Fe has 11.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the HR-V (111.5 vs. 100.1).

The Santa Fe has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 2.9 inches more front legroom, 4.4 inches more front hip room, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, 8.9 inches more rear hip room and 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the HR-V.

Cargo Capacity

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the HR-V with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 24.3 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the HR-V with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 58.8 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe’s (except SE) optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The HR-V doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Santa Fe’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The HR-V doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Towing

The Santa Fe has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The HR-V has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Assist on the Santa Fe 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 HR-V doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The Santa Fe uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The HR-V 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.

Ergonomics

The Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy 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 HR-V doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When two different drivers share the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy, the memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations. The HR-V doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’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 HR-V doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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

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

The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s front and rear power windows all 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 HR-V’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The Santa Fe SE/XRT/SEL’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The HR-V LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The HR-V EX/EX-L’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Santa Fe’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the HR-V’s projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

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 Santa Fe’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the HR-V’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Santa Fe has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The HR-V has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the EX/EX-L.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The HR-V doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The HR-V’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Santa Fe and the HR-V offer available heated front seats. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the HR-V.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The HR-V doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The HR-V doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Santa Fe has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The HR-V doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy’s 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. The HR-V doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Santa Fe and the HR-V offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Santa Fe has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The HR-V doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The HR-V doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The HR-V doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe 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 HR-V doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Santa Fe, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Honda HR-V isn't recommended.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Honda HR-V by 4173 units during 2022.