Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In HybridVS 2022 Lexus NX

Both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and NX 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 NX’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 NX.

Both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and the NX 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 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 NX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

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

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the NX’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the NX (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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s warranty.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 58 more horsepower (261 vs. 203) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 184) than the NX 250’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 22 more horsepower (261 vs. 239) than the NX 350h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the NX running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 350 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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

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 NX’s standard 60 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 NX.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the NX (108.9 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the NX.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the NX’s (37.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the NX (8.2 vs. 7.7 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The design of the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is lower than the NX (.35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has 2.9 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear legroom, 3.8 inches more rear hip room and 4.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the NX with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 22.7 cubic feet). The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the NX with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 46.9 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 NX’s liftover is 30.8 inches.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the NX’s in almost every dimension:

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds).

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

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

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. Wireless charging costs extra on the NX.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited 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 NX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, 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 NX 350h/450h+’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Lexus NX by 70% during the 2021 model year.