Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4 PrimeVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Prime 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Toyota Rav4 Prime has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rav4 Prime has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Rav4 Prime and the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 Prime the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has not been fully tested, yet.

There are over 49 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Prime’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 13th.

The Rav4 Prime’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 41 more horsepower (302 vs. 261) than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota Rav4 Prime is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Prime running on electricity gets better mileage than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity (105 city/84 hwy vs. 79 city/72 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Prime running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine (40 city/36 hwy vs. 33 city/32 hwy).

The Rav4 Prime can travel with zero emissions on electricity, only, on a full charge for 42 miles. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 31 miles.

The Rav4 Prime has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid (14.5 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Rav4 Prime has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Rav4 Prime’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid are solid, not vented.

The Rav4 Prime has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Rav4 Prime XSE handles at .83 G’s, while the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rav4 Prime XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Prime SE’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Rav4 Prime is 7.5 inches shorter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, making the Rav4 Prime easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Rav4 Prime uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rav4 Prime easier. The Rav4 Prime’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s liftover is 29 inches.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4 Prime. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Rav4 Prime’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s (2500 vs. 2000 pounds).

The Rav4 Prime 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Rav4 Prime XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Rav4 Prime’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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 Prime the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Rav4 Prime XSE offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 Prime and the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Hyundai Santa Fe by over three to one during 2022.