Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In HybridVS 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid’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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid. But it costs extra on the Highlander Hybrid.

Both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and the Highlander Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Toyota Highlander Hybrid:

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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Toyota Highlander Hybrid:

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

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

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

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Highlander Hybrid’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Highlander Hybrid (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 18 more horsepower (261 vs. 243) than the Highlander Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Highlander Hybrid:

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 31 miles. The Highlander Hybrid can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Highlander Hybrid LE/XLE/Bronze’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Highlander Hybrid LE/XLE/Bronze.

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Highlander Hybrid (8.2 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is 6.5 inches shorter than the Highlander Hybrid, making the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has 2.1 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room and .1 inches more front shoulder room than the Highlander Hybrid.

The front step up height for the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is 1.5 inches lower than the Highlander Hybrid (17.5” vs. 19”). The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s rear step up height is .9 inches lower than the Highlander Hybrid’s (18.3” vs. 19.2”).

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume than the Highlander Hybrid with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 16 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid easier. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29 inches, while the Highlander Hybrid’s liftover is 31.2 inches.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Highlander Hybrid 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 Plug-In 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 Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Highlander Hybrid XLE/Bronze/Limited/Platinum offers wireless charging.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. 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 Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer an automated parking system.